Son Tay Raid commander Leroy Manor dies at 100

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Leroy Joseph Manor, known for commanding the special operations raid on the Son Tay prison compound in Vietnam, died Thursday, just four days after his 100th birthday. In his nearly 35-year military career, Manor distinguished himself through service in World War II, the Vietnam era and beyond.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appointed Manor as task force commander for a mission dubbed Operation Ivory Coast in 1970. The force was charged with the responsibility of rescuing an estimated 61 prisoners of war from torture and neglect at the hands of the North Vietnamese. The mission ended when operators discovered during the raid that the Vietnamese had previously moved the POWs, but the Son Tay Raid has continued to be recognized and studied for its exemplary planning and execution.

As the first joint military operation ever to be directly overseen by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, there was pressure on the team of 219 servicemembers to succeed, according to retired colonel John Gargus in his book, “The Son Tay Raid.” Task force members trained for months at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where Manor headed up Air Force Special Operations Force, a group that would one day evolve into Air Force Special Operations Command.

“Those SF guys revered him, which says a lot for an Air Force fighter pilot,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas Trask, who served as vice commander of SOCOM and met Manor at a Son Tay reunion and symposium. “He let them build and test the plan, and protected them along the way and ensured they had what they needed. Son Tay became a model for how we did business for decades after and was the impetus to build a real Air Force special operations command.”

Gargus, a planner for the raid and lead navigator for the assault force, fondly recalls Manor’s leadership ability throughout the operation and encouragement after the raid failed to result in rescues. That admiration is something those who were close to Manor share. “General Manor was a leader of special operations, a quiet professional, and he led by example. I would follow him to hell and back,” said former Air Force captain Norm Bild.

Born in Morrisonville, New York on Feb. 21, 1921, Manor commissioned into the Air Force as a P-47 pilot in 1943. Over the course of World War II, he flew 72 combat missions in Europe with the 358th Fighter Group, according to his Air Force biography.

One of Manor’s combat missions was providing air support for the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach, Bild told Military Times. While attempting to take out bridges to prevent the arrival of enemy armor, Manor’s plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft weapons. His arm and leg were injured and his plane damaged, but Manor still managed to make the flight back to England to land.

Manor also served as a test pilot and a NATO operations officer in his more than 34 years of service. After commanding the Son Tay Raid, he would go on to work in the office of the Joint Chiefs and as chief of staff for PACOM.

According to his Air Force biography, Manor logged more than 6,500 flying hours and received numerous awards including a Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, a Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, and a Distinguished Service Medal for his planning of the Son Tay Raid.

For his excellence in special operations, the lieutenant general was also awarded the Bull Simons Award, inducted into the Commando Hall of Honor, and granted a commander’s award from Adm. William McRaven. The lessons of Son Tay would later influence McRaven’s planning for the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. Manor retired from the Air Force on Jun. 1, 1978.

Following his military service, he continued to be involved in the special operations community, serving as a military advisor for Operation Eagle Claw, the 1980 attempt to rescue Americans in the Iran hostage crisis.

The lieutenant general passed away at his home in Shalimar, Florida, Bild said. Manor had been on hospice care and struggling with his health for months leading up to this death. He is survived by his daughter and two sons. “He was an incredible person. They say good things come in small packages. Physically, he was small and very soft-spoken, but the brainpower and the leadership that he possessed were phenomenal,” said Bild.

article from the Air Force Times

Son Tay raider recalls the hunt for POWs in North Vietnam 50 years

It was 50 years ago on 21 November that a special operations group raided the Son Tay prison compound in North Vietnam in an attempt to rescue some 61 prisoners of war.

A new documentary about the raid, “Kingpin: 27 minutes at Son Tay,” is in post-production and features interviews with some of the special operators who were there. See Trailer below. Terry L. Buckler was the youngest on the teams that that made up the almost 60 raiders selected for the mission. His book, “Who Will Go: Into the Son Tay POW Camp,” published earlier this month, details the raid and the events leading up to it. Buckler was a radio operator who went through Green Beret special operations training. He knew how to use a multitude of weaponry, handle explosives and jump out of airplanes, like the others in his cadre.



Months of training at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida at a mock-up compound build by the Central Intelligence Agency made the complex plan relatively easy to execute, Buckler told Military Times in a Friday phone call. Though the raiders weren’t able to rescue any American prisoners of war, the Viet Cong began treating its prisoners more humanely, likely because it didn’t want to suffer another covert raid, Buckler said.

The Raid

The C-130 was their mothership. It cruised slowly in front of six rescue helicopters in formation and carrying teams “Red Wine,” “Green Leaf” and “Blue Boy” just above the North Vietnamese canopy. It was a dangerous flight for the plane, but the airmen piloting it were skilled. Dip a bit too low and the plane would clip the tops of the trees. Reduce speed by 5 knots and the bird would stall. The air group had to stay together.

The plan was clear, and each team had its mission set. Blue Boy was to land inside the compound and eliminate any guards, then locate and release the prisoners. Green Leaf was the assault team. They were primarily charged with clearing guard buildings.

Red Wine was to pull security, locate and secure the communications building to prevent any potential reinforcements from Hanoi being called in.

In the dead of night, with no lights to guide them, no communications between aircraft, “Apple-1,” Green Leaf’s helicopter broke from formation early and mistakenly landed at a building which looked similar to that of Son Tay. “So, we were short 22 guys with some good firepower,” Buckler said.

This put the task of initial assault on Red Wine, Buckler’s team. When the group neared the target, their C-130 increased altitude and dropped flares, illuminating the compound. As the newly-designated assault element, the Red Wine helicopter’s minigun opened fire on the guard building. “When we got out, the structure was on fire,” Buckler said.

Once off the helicopter, his training kicked in. The helicopters flew off to safety about a mile away. "It was just like we were training back at Eglin, the only difference was that bullets were coming back at us,” Buckler said.

The team executed its mission, just as planned, until Buckler got a call over the radio. “Negative items” was code for no POWs at the compound. “It was a shock for us after three months of training,” Buckler said. “We hit a dry hole.”

About the time the call was transmitted, Apple-1 arrived and crashed inside the compound. Members of Green Leaf set explosives charges to destroy it, Buckler said. With the mission scrapped, the birds were called back in for extraction. “The lights of Hanoi looked like a major city in the States,” Buckler said. “It was amazing to me how big that city was.”

Just then, a surface to air missile zoomed past his helicopter, narrowly missing the aircraft. Overhead, an A-1E circled the group with orders to destroy anything that crossed a nearby bridge. “Having never seen one, it was pretty intense there for a few minutes,” he said. “It was actually scarier in the chopper than it was on the ground. As an Army guy, you can kind of roll around and hide but up there them flyboys are just sitting ducks.”

Documentary in the works

Over the weekend, the film crew will work with the Silent Warrior Association to film re-enactments of the training that led up to the Raid and a portion of the mission execution, Army veteran and documentary producer Dan Smith told Military Times in an email. The organization is holding a raider reunion, which will also feature day and night ranges with the weapons used during the raid, Smith said.

Smith and others are also working to turn the raiders’ stories into a podcast series. “In both projects we have been working directly with raiders, POWs, and other service members who supported the mission,” Smith said. “We began with the Son Tay Raider Association at the invitation of one of the raiders, Command Sgt. Maj. Pat St. Claire who I served with in Iraq and the Horn of Africa in 2003.”

The film still needs funding for completion, Smith said, and its producers have set up Paypal and Go Fund Me accounts for that effort.

Article from the Military Times

Son Tay Raiders reunite at Fort Bragg

Special Forces soldiers who raided a North Vietnamese prison camp 46 years ago gathered Friday for what may be their final reunion.

Joe Murray, a retired master sergeant who organized the reunion, was one of the 56 Special Forces soldiers who were part of the historic, if disappointing, raid on the Son Tay POW camp in November 1970. The reunion is a way to renew old friendships, he said. "When you join Special Forces, you join a family," he said. "There's not an organization like it. You got a family of your own, but you adopt the soldiers under you."

The raid was celebrated as a tactical success despite the failure to rescue American captives. The mission, which began in the waning hours of Nov. 20, 1970, involved three teams of commandos assaulting the Son Tay prison, a short distance from the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

More than 100 American military aircraft, including Air Force and Navy planes, flew in support of the operation, conducting bombing raids across North Vietnam at the same time as the attempted rescue mission. The raid itself began with the controlled crash of an HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopter into the prison compound early on Nov. 21, 1970.

The raiders successfully overtook the prison but did not find American prisoners. Officials would later say that it appeared the 40 to 60 Americans held on the site had been moved shortly before the raid. The mission was considered extremely dangerous because of its location deep behind enemy lines and the proximity of roughly 5,000 enemy soldiers within five miles of the prison. But the raiders suffered only minor injuries.

Despite coming home empty-handed, the men were praised at home, with several honored at the White House and others returning to a hero's welcome at Fort Bragg. Nearly all of the soldiers involved in the Son Tay Raid were based at Fort Bragg.

Families of the soldiers thought they were on a training exercise, officials would tell the Observer in the days following the raid. But in fact, the men were rehearsing the raid at a replica of the prison. Murray was a 26-year-old sergeant first class when he received the orders for the mission. "That's what we trained for," he said. "You have one time in your career you get a chance to do something that's really important."

His responsibility was to secure the outside of the prison camp so troops would be able to make a smooth exit. Murray said he remembered two guards had stealthily maneuvered behind him and shot him in the back of his right leg. He was in pain, but focused on completing the mission. "I could feel the blood running down my

The raid showcased the profound abilities of the Special Forces soldiers, he said. "I think we laid the groundwork for Joint Special Operations Command," he said. "Our raid is the start of building Special Forces training today."

Article from the Fayetteville Observer

RIP - CSM (ret) Kenneth E. McMullin

CSM (ret) Kenneth E. McMullin crossed over on Christmas this year. He will be missed.

Kenny McMullin was born in 1940 in California. He enlisted in the California Army National Guard on February 21, 1960, and went on active duty in the U.S. Army as a Combat Engineer on December 31, 1962, serving until December 14, 1965. SP5 McMullin served in the U.S. Army Reserve from December 15, 1965, until returning to active duty on January 31, 1966. His next assignment was as a Demolition Specialist with Company E, 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from April to December 1966, followed by service as a Demolition Sergeant with Company B, 5th Special Forces Group in South Vietnam from December 1966 to October 1967.

Sgt McMullin served as an Operations Sergeant with the 5th Special Forces Group in South Vietnam from October 1967 to September 1969, and then as an Intelligence Sergeant with the 46th Special Forces Company in Thailand from September 1968 to October 1969. His next assignment was as an Operations and Intelligence Sergeant with the 6th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from October 1969 to January 1970, followed by service with Company C, U.S. Army Special Forces Training Group at Fort Bragg from January 1970 to March 1971.

SSG McMullin served on Action Element #2 with the Blueboy Assault Group during the Son Tay Raid, a clandestine mission to rescue American Prisoners of War in North Vietnam on November 21, 1970.

He served as a Reconnaissance Team Leader and Airborne Controller with the U.S. Army Vietnam Training Advisory Group in South Vietnam from March 1971 to February 1972, and then served as an Intelligence NCO and Training NCO with the 46th Special Forces Company and the U.S.Army Special Forces Training Group in Thailand from February 1972 to March 1973. His next assignment was as the Senior Special Forces Instructor with the Special Forces Detachment at the U.S. Army Institute for Military Assistance at Fort Bragg from April 1973 to March 1975, followed by service as Operations Sergeant and then Assistant Chief Operations NCO with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg from March 1975 to November 1976.

MSG McMullin served as an Operations Sergeant with Company A, 3rd Battalion of the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from December 1976 to August 1982, and then as Operations and Training NCO with Headquarters Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg from August 1982 to September 1984.

His next assignment was as Detachment Sergeant Major and then Company Sergeant Major with Company A, 3rd Battalion of the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Davis, Panama, from September 1984 to December 1989, followed by service as Company Sergeant Major with Company B, 1st Battalion of the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from
January 1990 to January 1991. His final assignment was as Battalion Command Sergeant Major with 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from January 1991 until his retirement from the Army on November 1, 1992.

Kenny McMullin died on December 25, 2011.

In tribute to Kenny Mac, Jake Jakovenko wrote this about his friend:

IN MEMORY OF KENNY MAC:

WE HAVE CLINCHED AND CLOSED
WITH NAKED DEATH
WE HAVE LEARNED
TO DEFY AND DEFEND
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER
WE FOUGHT IT OUT
YET DEATH MOST WIN IN THE END

Kenny And I Served Together In 6th Special Forces Group and both Volunteered For Operation, Code Word, IVORY COAST, That Became Code Word KINGPIN Better Known as the SON TAY RAID. He Was On BLUEBOY ELEMENT, I on GREENLEAF. The last time Kenny and I tipped one together was at one of the Reunions, I believe the one before our 40th Anniversary in 2010 at Destin, Florida. He never made our 40th Anniversary of the Raid. We were also together in 1977 as part of BLUELIGHT at Mott Lake, North Carolina.

I'm Going To Miss You Kenny Mac! We Were More Than Soldiers, We Were Brothers In Arms. May The Good Lord Take Care Of You And Make It Easy On Your Loved Once. Until That Time, When The Bugle Blows And The Rest Of Us Will Join You.

Jake Jakovenko
GREENLEAF

Kenny McMullin's Silver Star Citation, awarded from his actions on the Son Tay Raid, reads:

For gallantry in action on 21 November 1970 as a member of an all-volunteer joint U.S. Army and Air Force raiding force in the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed heliborne assault mission to rescue United States military personnel held as prisoners of war at Son Tay prison in North Vietnam. This valiant effort was motivated by deep compassion for his imprisoned fellow men-at-arms, and by a strong sense of military duty and national pride. After debarking from the assault helicopter, Sergeant McMullin moved to an exposed position and delivered automatic rifle fire on a fortified enemy position, eliminating an immediate threat that could hinder the search and rescue operation. He then fearlessly moved to the north corner of the prisoner interrogation building the better to protect the search team of his element. He cleared the area of the remaining enemy personnel permitting the safe completion of the search of all buildings and the withdrawal of the raiding force to the extraction point. Sergeant McMullin's conscious disregard for his personal safety, extraordinary heroism against an armed hostile force, and extreme devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself and the United States Army.

Son Tay Raid Anniversary

We were remiss in not recognizing the anniversary of the famous Son Tay Raid. The night between the 20-21 November is the forty-first anniversary of the Son Tay Raid, which of course occurred in 1970. Thanks to Colonel Oden for reminding us.

For those that don’t recall the “Raid”, it was a US attempt in 1970 to rescue American POWs from a North Vietnamese Prison Camp just west of Hanoi. It was a phenomenal operation, prepped for in great secrecy and executed with surgical precision. Unfortunately, the POWs had been moved and the “cupboard was bare”—so the raiders took down an enemy training facility instead--shwacking a boatload of “foreign military advisors” and NVA in the process. Because of the raid, the North Vietnamese consolidated all the POWs (who, up until the raid were scattered all over North and South Vietnam , Laos and Cambodia ) which actually improved the POWs lives.



Although the Raid force was commanded by Brigadier General Leroy Mannor, USAF, the Commander on the ground was COL Arthur “Bull” Simons, with LTC Elliot “Bud” Sydnor and CPT Dick Meadows as deputies—all seasoned SF officers with distinguished combat records. But here’s some tid-bits they neglect to mention. Photo of Raiders in infil aircraft at left.

No other special operation has had the effect that this one has had on American Special Operations. The plan was the “blueprint” for DESERT ONE (the failed attempt to rescue the American hostages in Iran on 24 April 1980) and the organizational concept was morphed into what is now SFOD-DELTA.

This was a Special Forces mission; but every raider was also a dual qualified RANGER—in fact many had been or would become RANGER Instructors (RIs)—I personally had three, Meadows being the highlight. This was the first truly JOINT Operation: Army SF, AF Spec Opns, and (a full blown Navy & Marine air strike as a diversion over Hanoi ). In fact, the only guy rescued was one of the pilots from the diversion who got shot down and the raiders picked him up on EXFIL.

This was the first military use of “Red Dot”sights and the common weapon was the CAR-15.

Three of the DSC Awardees I was privileged to serve with. MAJ Meadows was one of my RIs in FLA RANGER Camp. COL Sydnor was my tactical officer at the Infantry Officer Advanced Course; he gave a brief on the raid on 15 July 1980 — I missed it because my oldest son, Gary, was being born during the brief. SSG Tom Powell was later my company commander in C/3/5SFGA (when I commanded ODA 595).

SFC John Jakovenko, SFC Jack G. Joplin, SSG Kenneth E. McMullen, SSG David Nickerson & SSG Paul F. Poole were all SGMs in 5th SFGA while I was there (1980-5). Joplin being my BN CSM in 3/5 SFGA. MSG Calen C. Kittleson was an ALAMO Scout and a veteran of the CABANATUAN Raid of WWII. I met him a couple of times and never knew
about either experience until I saw him on the History channel talking about both.



MSG Joseph W. Lupyak is retired from the Army but is still a DA Civilian helping in the SF “Q” Course and a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment. Picture of Raiders being awarded medals at right.

Final bit of trivia. The original Son Tay Raider‘s Patch is not the one (commonly displayed in some publications). The Original had white mushrooms in the dark with the motto of “KITDFOHS”: Kept in the Dark-Fed Only Horse Shit! (see patch at top of post).


De Oppresso Liber!

Ray L. Oden
Lieutenant Colonel, United States Special Forces, Retired

Son Tay Raider MAJ George Petrie, R.I.P. 15 April 2011

Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment Inducted 13 January 2010 Major George Petrie entered the U.S. Army as a Private on June 22, 1958. After attending Basic and Advanced Infantry Combat Training, he was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Basic Airborne Training, becoming a proud member of the 3 19th Airborne Field Artillery, 82nd Airborne Division.

In 1962, Major Petrie graduated from the Special Forces Communications Course as Honor Graduate and was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) as an A-Team Senior Radio Supervisor. When 8th Special Group (Airborne) was stood up at Fort Gulick , Panama Canal Zone , Major Petrie transferred to the new unit. While there, over the next three years, he attended Scuba and Underwater Demolitions School and Spanish Language School.

In 1967 Major Petrie returned to 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), in the Republic of Vietnam as a Team Sergeant and Company Commander of a mobile guerrilla force. The next year, Major Petrie returned to Fort Bragg , assigned first to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), and later 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne). During this time, he graduated the Special Forces Operations and Intelligence Course as Distinguished Honor Graduate and also completed the Special Forces Intelligence Analyst Course.

In 1970, Major Petrie received a Direct Commission to First Lieutenant. After completing the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning , Georgia , he was chosen as part of Operation Ivory Coast, the mission to rescue Americans held prisoners in the Son Tay prison camp. Major Petrie, part of the Assault Team "Blue Boy," was the first raider to hit the ground during the assault on the camp.

Major Petrie returned to the Republic of Vietnam in 1971, ultimately becoming Company Commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) known as the "George Dickel Gang." He returned stateside for the Infantry Officers Advanced Course where he was the Honor Graduate. His next assignment was with the Joint Casualty Resolution Center in Thailand . He then served in Saigon, first as an Operations Officer, Field Investigator, Corps Desk Officer; and finally as an Action Officer in the U.S. Embassy Defense Attaché Office, serving as a member of the Special Planning Group for the Evacuation of Saigon.

Between 1975 and 1976, Major Petrie was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii . Between 1976 and 1980, remaining in Hawaii , he was again assigned to the Joint Casualty Resolution Center with additional duty as the Special Operations Division Escape and Evasion Officer, U.S. Pacific Command, a post he would also hold in Korea before retiring from Active Duty on May 31, 1980.

Among his numerous decorations he was awarded the Silver Star w/olc, bronze star w/'V' device, ARCOM w/'V' Device, Purple Heart w/olc, Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal.

He had the Master Parachutist wings w/Bronze Combat Star, CIB, Scuba, Pathfinder, Jungle Warfighter badges and Special Forces tab.

George was also awarded the Gold Order of Saint Philip Neri.

George served as President of the Special Forces Association Chapter XXXI for 19+ years.