Real American Heroes: Special Forces Operational Detachment A-726
55 years ago, Capt. Roger H.C. Donlon’s Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 726 manned a camp at Nam Dong, situated just east of the Laotian border and 30 miles west of Da Nang. Accompanying them were a few dozen Nung mercenaries, a team of South Vietnamese Special Forces, an Australian advisor, and a civilian anthropologist who was an expert on Vietnamese mountain tribes. For the last month, the team used the outpost to protect the locals and train fighters. Nam Dong was also a thorn in the Viet Cong’s sandals, as it was situated on Ho Chi Minh Trail, the communist infiltration route that ran from North Vietnam through Laos.
By the evening of July 5, 1964 all signs pointed to a battle at Nam Dong. Patrols discovered that the VC had assassinated two local chieftains who were friendly to the Green Berets. Locals were clearly on edge and wouldn’t say why. Fights broke out between trainees and the Nung (it was suspected — and later confirmed — that a large percentage of the locals were VC sympathizers). Staff Sgt. Merwin “Woody” Woods wrote his wife that “All hell is going to break loose here before the night is over.”
Woods was right; by nightfall, a reinforced VC battalion — nearly 900 guerrillas — massed around the American outpost for their pre-dawn assault.
The attackers had already cut the fence and overrun the perimeter security teams. Armed with intelligence on building locations from sympathizers inside the camp, the enemy kicked off their surprise attack at 2:26 a.m. with devastatingly accurate mortar fire. Within seconds, several buildings were on fire as Green Berets rolled out of their racks to arm themselves and fight back. Grenades, machinegun, and automatic small-arms fire suddenly enveloped the compound from all sides. The Nung barracks was hit, but fortunately, the mercenaries opted to remain at their posts through the night after the previous day’s hostilities. The communications building was quickly knocked out, but not before the radio operator was able to send word that Nam Dong was under heavy mortar attack.
For the next five hours, Team A-726 held off the onslaught. Two hours into the battle, Marine helicopters carrying Green Beret and Nung reinforcements took off from Da Nang air base, but the fighting was so intense that the force couldn’t land and had to turn back. Air Force transports were able to drop ammunition to the embattled defenders, enabling them to keep up the fight.
Capt. Donlon didn’t let his multiple serious wounds stop him from seemingly being everywhere at once; he would become the first Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War. Master Sgt. Gabriel P. Alamo (a veteran of both World War II and Korea before volunteering for Vietnam) and Sgt. John L. Houston were killed in the battle, both earning the Distinguished Service Cross. Kevin Conway, the Royal Australian Army warrant officer attached to the team was also killed (the first Australian combat casualty in Vietnam), as were 55 of the camp’s South Vietnamese and Nung defenders. Despite having nearly every advantage over the defenders at Nam Dong, the VC were unable to overrun the camp’s inner perimeter. The communists melted back into the jungle before reinforcements could land, but left the battlefield littered with scores of their dead.
65 Nung and Vietnamese were wounded, as were nine Green Berets — all but Beeson, Daniels, and Gregg. The members of ODA-726 — one of the most-decorated units in U.S. military history — reunited at the White House on 5 December 1964 when Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Donlon the Medal of Honor (featured image).
Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
MSgt Gabriel P. Alamo (posthumous)
Sgt. John L. Houston (posthumous)
Silver Star
Sgt. 1st Class Thurman R. Brown
Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device
Recommended reading: Heroes of Vietnam: The Battle for Nam Dong by Roger Donlon (Saturday Evening Post)
Mr. Boucher these men were defending their lives while in a military situation duly authorized by the government of the United States. They were not assaulting innocent civilians. Time to give up these false opinions about our military in Viet Nam
War criminals, all of them.