Key Takeaways
- Dale Hanson, a decorated Green Beret, served three tours in MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War.
- He observed a concerning erosion of foundational Judeo-Christian principles in the U.S. post-Vietnam.
- Hanson survived being shot at 13 and sustained combat injuries, including hand wounds and a head shot.
- His SOG missions included intelligence gathering and POW snatch operations, with an 85% casualty rate.
- Hanson played a role in the development and adoption of 30-round M16 magazines for combat.
- Returning Vietnam veterans, including Hanson, were met with public dissatisfaction and hatred.
- Post-war, he became a police officer in Alaska, facing a shooting incident and death threats.
- Hanson successfully transitioned into a professional carving career, fulfilling hundreds of orders.
Deep Dive
- A Patreon supporter asked how the US differed pre- and post-Vietnam.
- The guest expressed concern about the current state of the United States, drawing parallels to changes he observed in Vietnam.
- He emphasized the erosion of foundational Judeo-Christian principles.
- He suggested that a return to these principles is necessary for the country's revival and well-being.
- At 21, while a theology student, the guest felt compelled to enlist in the military due to anti-communist beliefs.
- He joined Special Forces, aiming to be part of the best unit during the ongoing Vietnam War.
- Despite having a student deferment, he enlisted specifically for the opportunity to try out for Special Forces.
- SOG training at Fort Bragg included skills like intelligence gathering, espionage, and safe cracking.
- The SOG unit in Vietnam faced extreme risks, with a stated 85% casualty rate, equating to a 1 in 4,000 survival chance.
- MACV-SOG teams constantly trained, with mission preparation involving warning orders and detailed briefings before deployment.
- An average intelligence mission lasted 7 to 10 days, with deep-penetration SOG missions into Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam being officially recognized.
- Missions included intelligence gathering, direct action, and specialized prisoner of war (POW) snatch operations.
- POW snatch teams ideally consisted of around 10 people, including an attack element, radio support, and security wings.
- Two POW snatch attempts were unsuccessful, with prisoners dying during medical care or believed to have been shot during extraction.
- The guest's first reconnaissance operation with team leader Norm Dhoni occurred approximately 1.5 months after arriving in Vietnam.
- Near Ben Het, they discovered a fresh trail system with recent footprints, enemy movement, and comma wire indicating a potential enemy headquarters.
- Following the comma wire, they located a large artillery position bombarding Ben Het, pinpointing its location on a map.
- After reporting the artillery location, the team was extracted by helicopter to the nearest LZ.
- Immediately after extraction, approximately 100 B-52 bombers struck the artillery position, effectively ending the siege of Ben Het.
- The guest detailed a mission for the Australian forces in South Vietnam due to infiltration within their ranks.
- The mission involved a five-man Green Beret team tasked with locating the COSFEN headquarters within a rubber plantation.
- During infiltration, the team navigated enemy territory, encountering bombs and booby traps, and had a close encounter with an enemy sentry.
- The mission's objective was intelligence gathering, not direct engagement, necessitating quiet movement.
- After the encounter, a jet passing overhead provided a critical distraction, allowing the team to move undetected to their extraction point.
- During the 'Lima 50' mission in Cambodia, after an initial firefight, the guest's team established a defensive perimeter overnight.
- They encountered and eliminated several North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers, including two high-ranking Chinese couriers.
- The guest, despite sustaining severe hand injuries from bullets, continued to throw grenades.
- The team recovered a satchel containing 200 pages of top-secret orders, names of NVA soldiers, and locations of two underground factories and one hospital.
- The mission also involved a suspected double agent, Chuan, who was apprehended, interrogated, and executed by SOG forces.
- During subsequent firefights, the guest was shot in the back of the head but remained conscious, extracting shrapnel with his fingernails.
- The team found themselves surrounded by several hundred enemy combatants at an LZ while holding off attackers and awaiting airstrikes.
- After a teammate, Ken Wordley, was hit, the guest coordinated his extraction via helicopter despite his own injuries and ongoing combat.
- Another team member, Bob Garcia, requested an immediate artillery strike on their position, which the guest confirmed.
- The guest endured a harrowing extraction, securing himself with a wounded hand for ascent through foliage before reaching safety at a base.
- The CAR-15 and M16 rifles initially used 20-round magazines, while enemy AK-47s had larger capacities.
- M-16 rifles could not be carried overseas with identifying marks due to strict 'sterile' requirements.
- Soldiers identified the critical need for higher-capacity magazines during the Vietnam War.
- A group of soldiers, led by John Plaster, pooled $50 each to fund the production of 30-round magazines.
- This initiative resulted in soldiers receiving 30-round magazines before they became standard issue, justifying them as no longer 'American' if captured.
- After his leave from Vietnam, the guest's post-hospital assignment was in S-II intelligence at Fort Drum, debriefing teams.
- He transitioned to a 'bird dog' role, flying reconnaissance missions with cameras over Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam.
- He later led a company with a significantly reduced American presence, consisting of only himself, a captain, and a first sergeant.
- During one mission, his company engaged in 17 firefights over three days.
- After the firefights, his captain and first sergeant went to clubs, leaving the guest to manage the company and then prepare for a new mission.
- The guest joined the Hatchet Force after recovering from a hospital stay, desiring to be on the ground fighting.
- The Hatchet Force served as a quick reaction force within SOG, deployed if recon teams discovered significant enemy movement or targets.
- He noted a decline in operational effectiveness, with newer operators breaking contact prematurely and seeking recognition.
- This contrasted with the original SOG ethic of mission completion unless facing imminent disaster.
- Hatchet Force units were only briefed on their own mission details due to non-disclosure agreements, limiting shared intelligence.
- The guest transitioned to become a police officer in Sitka, Alaska, excelling in the academy where he ranked first in all four categories.
- His strict enforcement of laws led to resentment from colleagues, while he observed efforts to indoctrinate native Alaskans into communism.
- He responded to a call where a man shot at eight carloads of people, pursuing and engaging the suspect.
- The guest returned fire, hitting the suspect twice with precision shots, and managed the scene until other units arrived.
- Following the shooting, the guest faced three hitmen sent to kill him and endured a year-long period with contracts on his life.
- Due to being considered a 'politically hot' individual and facing difficulties in employment, the guest decided to start his own business.
- Four pivotal events in one week led him to pursue carving professionally, starting with a friend valuing his soapstone carving at $1,200.
- Another friend sold his ivory whale carving for $200, and a premier carver gifted him a large quantity of ivory scraps.
- He focused on carving faithfully throughout the winter and, in the spring, sold most of his work to store owners.
- The demand continued for 20 years, leading to 450 more orders and allowing him to support his family through carving.