Friends Told Him Not to Volunteer for SOG | Dick Thompson
Playlists: MACV-SOG, Vietnam

At 21, Dick Thompson volunteered for MACV-SOG despite being warned it would make him a walking dead man. In this excerpt from his Valor Luncheon remarks, he recalls the secret war in Southeast Asia, the men who served beside him, and a wounded teammate whose sense of humor never quit.

Inside the Siege of Khe Sanh: A Veteran’s Firsthand Account
Playlists: Chapter Meeting Presenters, MACV-SOG, Vietnam, Meet SFA Chapter 78

Chapter 78 member and retired Army Major Hammond “Ham” Salley, an experienced presenter with the Freedom Committee of California, shares firsthand memories of serving near Khe Sanh during the 1968 siege. Using photographs and maps, he describes life under fire, resupply challenges, and key events including the Tet Offensive and Operation Pegasus. Chapter 78 recorded his presentation to preserve his experiences for future generations.

Solve Problems First: Sean Singleton On Defense Technology
Playlists: Chapter Meeting Presenters

How does promising technology become a capability the military can use? Sean Singleton, a former U.S. Air Force officer with experience in acquisitions and innovation, spoke to Chapter 78 about defense innovation, private investment, and the challenges of getting new technology into the field. He also discussed In-Q-Tel, the Defense Innovation Unit, and military procurement.

Humility Is Not a Weakness: A Green Beret’s Lesson in Resilience, and Recreating Purpose
Playlists: Chapter Meeting Presenters

What happens when an injury changes the future you planned? Retired Special Forces medic Ben Ruzicka shares how he rebuilt his life after a serious injury and found a new direction as an illustrator and children’s book author. Speaking to SFA Chapter 78, Ben talks about persistence, humility, and finding a new path when life takes an unexpected turn.

Ben generously donated his artwork to support a Chapter 78 fundraiser (Mary Sue, represented in the thumbnail). Visit his website at benruzicka.com to learn more.

SOGCast 056: Just Another Day in SOG. With Robert “Bru” Taylor.
Featured Channel: Jocko Podcast — SOGCast
Featured Playlist: SOGCast

In this episode of SOGCast, John “Tilt” Stryker Meyer interviews MACV-SOG veteran Robert “Bru” Taylor, who ran missions out of CCN. Named for the Bru Montagnard tribesmen he fought alongside, Taylor shares the reality of operating across the fence — where extreme danger was simply “just another day in SOG.”

Advanced Force Operations in Iraq with 10th Special Forces Group | Mark Giaconia | Ep. 129
Featured Channel: The Team House
Featured Playlist: More SF History, GWOT

Mark Giaconia spent 15 years in the Green Berets, and his memoir, One Green Beret, covers it all: working alongside Russian Spetsnaz near Kosovo, living among locals in postwar Bosnia, and helping prepare the Kurdish Peshmerga for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including the battle known as Operation Viking Hammer.

In this conversation with The Teamhouse, Mark reflects on those missions and on the personal evolution that followed, from hard-charging soldier to computer scientist.

A Green Beret’s First-Hand Account of Operation Viking Hammer | Ep. 254
Featured Channel: Mike Ritland
Featured Playlist: More SF History, GWOT

Mike interviews Mark Giaconia who discusses his two decades in the Army, going from infantry to the Green Berets. Mark looks back on his time in 1990s Bosnia, where his team lived among locals in remote villages, collected intelligence, and had some tense encounters with Serbian police. He also covers his path to Iraq, his reaction to 9/11, and what it took to get through Ranger School.