SFA_Rest in peace Edgar "Ed" Britt: Green Beret CSM, Son Tay Raider

The Special Forces Regiment lost a great link to its past when retired CSM Edgar Britt passed away on December 14, 2019. Ed Britt was born in 1931 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He was 10 as World War II started for the United States when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Ed's older brothers went off to serve and fight in World War II, but Ed had to wait until 1949 to enlist. After basic combat training at Fort Dix, NJ, he served in the air defense artillery (ADA) in the conventional military.

During the Korean War, he served as an automatic weapons crewman in the ADA. He re-enlisted for Airborne training and graduated with his jump wings in August 1955. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division where he served for nearly five years in the 80th AAA (Anti-aircraft artillery). He re-enlisted for Special Forces in May 1960 and found his calling.

He was on the field when President John F. Kennedy made his now-famous visit to Ft. Bragg on October 12, 1961, when he authorized the Green Beret to the troops and would later say it was “A symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom.” Britt would serve the next 13 years in Special Forces groups (1st, 5th, 6th, and 7th SFGs) and would become a Detachment Intelligence Sergeant before becoming the Operations (Team) Sergeant of a Special Forces A-Team. He served two tours in Vietnam, as well as the Dominican Republic and four classified deployments with SF.

In 1970, then Master Sergeant Britt, was chosen to be a member of the Son Tay Raid, where Colonel Bull Simons would lead a raid to free American POWs from a North Vietnamese prison camp at Son Tay just outside of Hanoi. The men trained at Duke Field on Eglin AFB and built mockups of the prison camp using a very detailed model, built by the CIA, which was known as Barbara. Britt was an alternate for the assault team, known as “Blueboy Element.”

The task force flew to Udorn, Thailand and then to a secret CIA compound for their jumping-off point into North Vietnam. It was only then that they were briefed on where their exact mission was to take place. “After the hundreds of hours, the hard training, hours of rehearsals, studying and planning, we knew where we were headed, and why,” he said in an interview a few years ago. To get the North Vietnamese attention off of the Son Tay area, they needed a diversion. “The Navy Task Force Group 77 flew 59 sorties, with 200 aircraft dropping illuminations to draw fire over Haiphong Harbor to the east,” Britt said. “And it worked.”

The actual raid on Son Tay raid went off almost exactly as it was planned and rehearsed - Gunships destroyed the guard towers, while miniguns blasted the barracks where enemy soldiers were billeted. The assault elements fulfilled their tasks with lightning precision, accomplishing everything within 28 minutes. But there were no POWs. Unknown to the task force, a recent flood had forced the Vietnamese to move the prisoners a few miles down the road to another camp.

The raiders were devastated believing they had let down their comrades. They flew back to Thailand in total silence. From there it was back to the United States. By Thanksgiving, everyone was back at Fort Bragg. “Joy should have been in our hearts,” Britt said. “But it was very sad for our comrades we left behind.”

It wasn’t until years later, when the POWs were released, that they learned that several of the prisoners watched from a distance as the raiders hit Son Tay prison. Their spirits were buoyed by the realization that they were not forgotten and their country was actively trying to get them out. As a result, conditions for the POWs improved.

Britt earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutist’s Wings and the Combat Diver’s Badge. He was HALO qualified in the era before HALO wings were issued. During his career he received medals and commendations as follows: Bronze Star Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Dom Rep), National Defense Service Medal (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Civil Action Medal 1st class, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, Germany Army Marksman Award in Silver, Vietnam Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal (10th Award), Legion of Merit, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and Non-Professional Development Ribbon.

Ed was a member of the Special Forces Association (Life Member), 82nd Airborne, Son-Tay Raid , American Legion Post 189, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1038 (Life Member), and a member of St. Sebastian Catholic Church, Sebastian, Florida.