'73 - The Story of Covert Sailors and Soldiers in 1973 South Vietnam

By Daniel James

Beginning in 1972, America began the last push to pull all troops from the country of South Vietnam. By mid-1973 the military reported that all known POWs and battlefield personnel had departed the country. All military and civilian operations from that time forward were supposed to be handled by 50 military, 1200 civilian personnel, and up to 5,000 civilian contractors. The American people were sick of the Vietnam War and as far as they were concerned the war was over and that was that.
Can we be that naïve to actually believe that only 50 military personnel took charge of operations that hundreds, if not thousands, had controlled prior to that time? This book tells the story of soldiers and naval personnel that stayed or volunteered for service as advisors to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Air Force, and Navy. These operations were overseen by the joint collaboration of the CIA, Defense Attaché Office, South Vietnamese Government, and the Nixon administration.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329534827

Daniel James

Daniel James is the Bernardo Mendel Chair in Latin American History at Indiana University, and the author of Resistance and Integration: Peronism and the Argentine Working Class, 1946-1976 and Do�a Mar�a's Story: Life, History, Memory, and Political Identity, and co-editor of The Gendered Worlds of Latin American Women Workers: From Household and Factory to the Union Hall and Ballot Box. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and before taking up the Mendel Chair at Indiana University, he taught at Yale University and Duke University.

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'73 - The Story of Covert Sailors and Soldiers in 1973 South Vietnam

’73

The Story of Covert Soldiers and Sailors In 1973 South Vietnam

Daniel James

Acknowledgements

Copyright © 2015 by Daniel E. James

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

First Edition: 2015

Edited by Stuart Tichenor

ISBN: 978-1-329-53553-4

Published By:

Lulu Press, Inc.

3101 Hillsborough St.

Raleigh, NC 27607

http://www.lulu.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the soldiers and sailors I served with, living and deceased.

Foreword

Ten years after leaving the service I began to search for information that would point to and explain my being in Vietnam later than was generally thought to be the end of the American involvement. The memories of Vietnam are set in my mind like fine etching on a knife blade. I have scoured my memories, sometimes zoning back to the event in the third person or as an outside observer. In this way, I have stretched the scene out, looked at it from different angles and rehashed the sights, sounds and minute details. Each time I would scribble notes of what I had seen then attempt to consolidate, clarify, and describe the event as succinctly as possible.

The following is my story and analysis of forty years’ worth of information concerning events that led to my voluntary involvement in the Vietnam War, which to this day has yet to be fully disclosed by the military or the U.S. government. I kept my specific involvement secret and rarely spoke of it even to my loved ones as was my commitment and agreement to the officers who enlisted me and those I served with. My shipmates and I served honorably and with distinction, for what seems to have been a fruitless endeavor.

Many will argue points of history and documentation to dissuade my assertions; however, the truth still remains the truth that I, along with other dedicated sailors and soldiers, fought and gave our lives and souls for a cause. Over the years that cause has dimmed and become tarnished with revelations of deceit and deception by members of the Administration, Central Intelligence Agency, and military commanders of that time. We were used as pawns in a national and international political game of chess with only losers and no winners.

President Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in shame, the Congress acquiesced, the CIA went on their merry way to the next covert mission, and the government of South Vietnam collapsed in ruins. Left behind were men of honor and courage who could not or would not speak out about the horrendous way our country treated us or how we suffered in silence over our lost youth and comrades. To the best of my knowledge, the events, documentation, and records of this period are classified as I have been unable to uncover any reference to this time frame.

In writing this story, it is not my intention to break any restrictions or codes of silence; rather, my goal was to purge my soul of the demons that have ravaged my dreams and thoughts for forty plus years and to share this story with my family. I am not pursuing any stolen or ill-gotten valor or glory - only to attempt to clear my conscience and proceed with my life. I have read about individuals who have declared their glorious service and the awards and accolades they have heaped upon themselves undeservedly. I do not wish for medals or rewards - only the freedom that comes from expelling the truth from my soul: the good, bad, and often time’s ugly things I have done and been through.

I need to offer my thankfulness for the assistance of all the psychotherapists, psychiatrists, therapists, friends, and particularly my family for their patience and persistent forgiveness. I hope this will honor those I served with and not be detrimental in any way. All these treatments started with the kindness of a Phoenix gentleman from the Disabled American Veterans who saw and heard my disgruntled rantings at the Phoenix VA Hospital. He gave me a ride and a card that helped point me in a better direction. I do not recall his name, but owe him more than I can ever repay.

I have changed the names, boat numbers, etc. to allow all those involved anonymity as I felt that these operations have yet to be declassified; otherwise we all would have been recognized before now.

Daniel James

July 2015

Table of Contents

July 1973 - Saigon, Republic of Vietnam1

Summer 19724

Fall/Winter 197210

July 1973 - The Story Continues19

Tan An21

The 51 Ambush30

My Name is Jesse and Nha Be37

The Beak41

The Assessment58

Hobgoblin66

After Action Reaction68

The Rat Trap70

Nha Be Dispensary, Again76

The Nha Be Bugout81

Binh Thuy85

Sniper Ville, Cambodia87

Van Phong94

Chau Doc and Beyond104

The Target117

With Extreme Prejudice123

After Action Reaction128

In Between Missions130

One Last Mission140

On Our Own147

On Our Own, Day 2157

On Our Own, Day 3174

Rescue, at last177

Epilogue182

July 1973 - Saigon, Republic of Vietnam

I was lying on a bunk in a hot, non-ventilated, metal Quonset hut located in the 1500 Area of Willard Compound at the Tan Son Nhut Air Base. Sweat ran down my arms, forehead and legs, some from the heat but most from fretful anticipations and fear of the unknown. I was to be transported to the former U.S. Mobile Riverine Forces base, now a VNN (Vietnamese Navy) River Interdiction Division (RID) base at Tan An in the morning. I was being assigned as a weaponry advisor attached to the newly minted Defense Attaché Office (DAO) which replaced the Military Assistance Command—Vietnam (MACV). Earlier in the day I had been issued O.D. Green fatigues, 3 sets; O.D. Green Socks, 3 pair; Jungle boots; O.D. Green ball cap and boonie hat; M16 rifle, .45 cal. Pistol; web belt, canteen, spare ammo, and told not to shoot myself. At this point I had absolutely no idea what I was expected to do or where I was going to end up.

No one, not even my parents, knew I was here. I was instructed at the time of my signup that any information about my acceptance to the operations, duty station assignments, or missions was to be considered extremely sensitive and classified information, therefore not for dissemination to anyone other than my immediate supervisors or task force officers. Being a fresh and extremely naive 18 year-old, this situation seemed both intriguing and made perfectly good sense. Six months down the road I would come to a completely different perspective concerning my involvement with this operation. My comrades and I would be called advisors to the Army of the Republic

Of Vietnam (ARVN) and the Vietnamese Navy instead of combatants due to where, when, and with whom we would be fighting.

Only four days before I had been attached to the crew of a destroyer based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Eighteen hours before that my parents had dropped me off at Travis Air Force Base in northern California at the end of my annual leave that had been suggested I take early due to my ultimate destination. I had just completed five months of Fire Control Technician Guns (FTG) School at the Great Lakes Naval Training station just west of Chicago. Fire Control Technicians operate the radars and computers that aim and fire the guns onboard ships. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be applying those skills anytime in the near future.

I spent a grand total of fifty hours onboard the destroyer prior to receiving my TAD (Temporary Assigned Duty) orders to report to Waipahu Naval Air Station to fulfill my obligation onboard a PBR (Patrol Boat River) somewhere in South Vietnam. The ship was in the middle of a refit or refurbishment so there were cables, hose lines, and the constant drone of machinery throughout the ship. I had been attached to the weapons division, been assigned a berth and locker, and had met the division crew. Past that I cannot remember much more as my time there was extremely short and chaotic.

This was the first time I had actually been a part of the real Navy, as I had been in some kind of training up to that point. The whole experience was different, a little more relaxed in some areas but stricter in others. I later guessed this situation figured prominently in the decision to attach me to this particular ship. When I returned from Vietnam, it was in the beginning stages of recertification of its seaworthiness and had sea trials ordered for the near future.

I had volunteered for PBR duty while in basic training in San Diego. I was recruited in basic by our Company Commander and a Lieutenant Junior Grade whose name escaped me practically the moment he told me what it was. Since I had a contract to be placed in FTG School, my Vietnam adventure would have to wait until graduation. They did, however, find time to send me to Mission Vallejo for Assault Craft and Weapons training during my basic training in Dago. Assault Craft training included familiarization with the boat, communications equipment, armaments, language, and extremely basic survival skills.

I spent five fun-filled yet tortuous weekends in a chunk of water located somewhere in the San Diego to Long Beach area learning my new fighting craft. I was somewhat of an oddity in that I was only an E-1 grade (Seaman Recruit) sailor; most PBR sailors were at least E-3 to E-6. By the time I reached Tan An I would be an E-2 (Seaman Apprentice) with E-3 (Seaman) in my sights. I was told at the time the only thing lower than me was whale shit and that was on the bottom of the ocean.

Summer 1972

One might ask what inspired me to voluntarily join a unit guaranteed to be assigned to the Vietnam Theater of Operations. My answer will require a smidge of repose and history; upon my return from Oklahoma City where I had attended an electronics trade school after high school,  I was required to sign up for the draft. Upon receipt of my Selective Service card or draft card in November of 1972, I realized my number was practically guaranteeing my induction into the Army and an all-expense paid trip to exotic Vietnam.

My draft card number began with 4 then a space with three other groups of numbers and, as was determined by the Selective Service, all registrants with a number of 95 or less would be called for health examinations and further classification. All my friends freaked out when they saw this as all their beginning numbers began with 100 or higher.

Needless to say, I was terrified with the possibility of being drafted. The draft requirements and subsequent draft numbers were assigned by a random drawing of capsules from a clear plastic container. These capsules contained each day of the year in numerical order. The capsules were put in the container in order of the months of the year then given a shake. It was determined that November and December dates were picked more often as these were the last to be put in the container. This is why yours truly had supposedly received such a low number and why I perceived myself being inducted into one of the branches of military service.

The number on my draft card turned out to be just a number and my actual draft number was 279, nowhere near the 95 as prescribed by the Selective Service. The final draft of 1972 only called men up for physical exams; however, none were called for duty. The authority to induct service personnel expired June 30, 1973. All this was news I could have used as I voluntarily joined the Navy in hopes of not going to Vietnam. No one said I was the brightest of bulbs in the sign.

At this same point in time, America and South Vietnam along with North Vietnam and China had participated in the Paris Peace Talks for almost five years but could not put a comprehensive plan together that all interested parties would sign off on. These negotiations were ridiculously drawn out by disagreements over what type of table the participants would be seated at and such. Days were wasted in arguing over miscellaneous and useless minutiae to simply inconvenience the other party to the point of utter annoyance. The constant peace talk delays and seemingly endless stream of dead soldiers was a constant irritation to the American people who were beginning to push back against the Administration and Congress.

This unrest at home was creating major difficulties for the American negotiators as well as President Nixon. In December 1972, while I was still in boot camp, Nixon initiated Operation Linebacker II which included massive bombing by fighter-bombers and B-52s of North Vietnam’s infrastructure to push them back to the negotiating table with a more willing tone toward finalizing a peace accord.

In January 1973, the parties signed the Paris Peace Accords; the fighting continued, however. On March 15, 1973 President Nixon implied he would use military force and resume bombing if the North Vietnamese launched an attack on South Vietnam. In June 1973 Secretary of Defense Schlesinger stated the United States would bomb North Vietnam if they launched a major offensive. The entire Administration’s hawkish sword-rattling made the U.S. Congress extremely nervous; what I later heard was that Nixon said he would bomb their slant-eyed asses back to the Stone Age if they engaged in a large scale assault.

What was later determined was that the North was repairing and upgrading the Ho Chi Minh Trail and pouring men and equipment into staging areas in Cambodia while appealing for peace. The North never had any designs on peace, only for delay and departure of the hated Americans allowing for easier incursions and the final objective of capturing the southern portion of the country.

To thwart any attempts by the Executive branch to continue hostilities in Vietnam, the Congress passed the Case-Church Amendment in June 1973 after Schlesinger’s statements. The amendment prohibited the use of American military in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia after August 15, 1973. How I ended up in Vietnam in July 1973 was the product of an agreement between Nixon and William Colby, the soon to be head of the CIA.

Colby had been the Saigon CIA Station Chief from 1959 to 1962, and then headed up the predecessor program to mine called the Phoenix Program from 1968 to 1971 which identified and eliminated communist activists. Many called the Phoenix Program a government sanctioned murder plot that ultimately killed up to 60,000 people. The program only acknowledged a little over 20,000 - as if that amount was really proportionately better.

Colby became head of the CIA in September of 1973 and turned all us unknowns into mobile search and destroy units listed as CIA advisory personnel to the South Vietnamese Navy. Our mission was straightforward: joint enemy interdiction missions in conjunction with the VNN to deter the enemy from entering South Vietnam until the ARVN and VNN forces were strong enough to hold the country together by itself.

In this manner, President Nixon was able to keep a force in Vietnam under the umbrella of a CIA Black Op which could funnel money and materials easily into Vietnam via Air America out of bases in Laos and Thailand. We occasionally received fuel and supplies from Air America helicopters and planes where the flight crews would tell us they were from the Company Store. At the time none of this made any sense to me because I thought we were part of the regular war effort.

We had no connections to current events or communications outside our division. All letters were forwarded to CIA operations based in Hawaii for new envelopes, stamps, postmarks, and dissemination to their final destination. Phone calls were closely monitored by operations personnel and routed through Hawaiian exchanges.

All this was done to keep everyone at home in the dark so no one would spill the beans on our little excursions into South Vietnam and Cambodia where none of us were supposed to be. I was told later by ARVN General Nghi that we were part of Operation Daybreak that was headed up by the combination of the ARVN High Command, CIA, and DAO. In attempting to research this operation, nothing comes back as a hit on Google or anywhere else.

I believe this operation is still unavailable due to its classification status and as such is not reviewable. This determination makes the in country or boots on the ground status of anyone involved unobtainable. The individual records indicate your station of record as the boat or duty station assigned prior to your assignment to the operation. This makes life difficult for