SOG Kontum: Secret Missions in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia 1968-1969

If you have an interest in military campaigns, particulaly the vietnam war , then this a must buy book. A true story of heroism above and beyond the call of duty. Small scale operations deep inside enemy held territory against all the odds. Riveting .

This is a good book and is well written.

When reading SOG KONTUM, I found it both historically important and a very personal account of a secret world during the Vietnam War.The authors have looked at several SOG operations and recorded in detail various aspects of them using voices from those who were there. This gives an intriguing three-dimensional look at events throughout Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.From ghost helicopters in the jungle to prisoner snatches, it was the insertion into the area of the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos which became relatable to me, as I had been to this location. Not that the situation was the same as I was a tourist, but from its remoteness and harsh conditions it only meant that I had more respect for those men who fought there during the war.One of the most heroic but saddest chapters is the Loss of John Kedenburg, a man who sacrificed his life to save his fellow soldier. When reading his story, it made me reflect on how many people could have done what he did.Not only are their extensive interviews, all of which take the event from different angles but there are maps of the area. This allows you to understand how far behind enemy lines these men were and the danger they were in.From a personal point of view, the authors have published photographs of the men involved. This must have needed extensive research and tracking down because war images of those days are difficult to find. It gives the book greater depth but also makes you think of those men who never made it back to America alive or at all.This is an accurate and insightful book on SOG operations. SOG KONTUM gives the fullest picture possible of each event.

Very well written and has a number of supporting photographs and maps. Takes a series of missions and breaks down the actions and tactics. Great history about a complex and secret period of US combat.

Good read!

For years at the height of the Vietnam War, U.S. Special Forces and their Vietnamese allies conducted a secret war in the tri-border area between Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The missions were incredibly dangerous, seeking information on North Vietnamese supply routes into South Vietnam. The casualties were heavy, and in the absence of an official account, the story has been told in bits and pieces by the survivors. This book is another chapter in that telling.The book provides coverage of missions run out of Kontum, South Vietnam, in support of MACV's Studies and Observation Group. Based on the recollections and research of the survivors, the chapters describe individual missions. The accounts are incomplete but compelling. The text is companied by some period maps and photographs. Well recommended to students of the war and the missions.

Very well written account of the actions the MACV SOG warriors undertook in Vietnam. A good and exciting account of the wat there from their own perspective.

I purchased this book based on an excellent review by Zita Fletcher, the editor of Vietnam Magazine. The book is about short stories of men who volunteered to form small teams going into Laos and Cambodia to observe the activities on the Ho Chi Ming trail. These trips would usually just last a few days and they were inserted (and extracted) via Huey Helicopter. The stories are told by the actual participants of these excursions. It is interesting to read about one mans memories of an excursion and then read about a teammates memories of the same excursion. Everybody has slightly different viewpoints and all are interesting. All of these excursions were top secret and this creates some problems when some of the participants are asked where they've been for the past few days and they're not allowed to tell them. The best part is these are true stories and the names have not been changed (to my knowledge). This isn't some writers imagination putting stories together by fictitiously named soldiers. For example, there really was a SP5 John Kedenburg who was killed in June of 1968 on a mission. This is verified by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall's website. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because the font used when the veteran is telling his story is very small. Perhaps they could have just increased the size of the margins when it's the veteran telling his story rather than the author giving you the background. Other than that, this is an excellent book.