In this issue:
From the Archive:
Hal Moore and the Randall Knife
In his article from September 2017’s Sentinel, Jack Williams focuses on the legendary Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his acquisition of a rare Randall knife. The narrative takes us through a history replete with torpedoed transports, Nuremberg trials, marriages, air-mobile training, DSC awards, and more as it explores the world of the iconic knives and their ties to military figures. With characters like Col. Louis Compton (Moore’s father-in-law), Bo Randall, Gen. Gavin, and Gen. Westmoreland, the story of the Randall’s journey is a reminder of the importance of personal relationships and the power of tradition in the military.
SOGCast
Untold stories of MAC-V SOG. Vietnam. The Secret War.
Episode 037: Jim Suber – Brother of SOG MIA Recon Green Beret’s Decades of Pain
John Stryker Meyer, call sign—Tilt, interviews Chapter 78 member Jim Suber, brother of SFC Randy Suber. SFC Suber, One-One of RT Oregon, along with SSGT Ronald Ray, the One-Zero of the recon team, were declared MIA in November 13, 1969. Jim’s story offers a perspective of SOG from the side of the families when a warrior went MIA.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other major podcast providers. Video episodes are available on our YouTube channel SOGCast playlist.
Click to view or download
print edition (pdf)
ON THE COVER: On POW/MIA Recognition Day we stand to honor the nation’s Prisoners of War and Missing in Action troops. POW/MIA Recognition Day is commemorated on the third Friday of every September, which falls on September 15 this year. In the cover photo, a member of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Black Daggers participates in the National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at the Pentagon in 2019. (Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class James K. Lee/Department of Defense)
From the Editor:
Our cover shot is to highlight that September 15 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day. There are 1578 MIAs from the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia still to be returned.
Chapter member Jim Cragg has put together a collection of resources available to SF past and present, to help us all take advantage of V.A. benefits.
SOAR XLVII Las Vegas will be in October again this year, in Las Vegas. Registration is now open to members, Special Operators, and guests.
Chapter member and author Jim Morris has seen a lot of changes in the tools available to Green Berets in the field since his days serving with Project Delta and elsewhere. In “Terp in an App,” he describes an unbelievable tool that is making its way to becoming available to downrange operators. It is creating a lot of anticipation about how well this Joint Acquisitions Task Force product from SOCOM could immediately make the whole team more effective.
Marc Yablonka shares two book reviews that were run in the Hmong Daily News earlier this year. Nightmare in Laos and Standing Ground describe the horrors Kay Danes and her husband Kerry endured for a year in 2000–2001 Laos. Only publicity and the Australian Government enabled their release.
Since Greg Walker has been contributing to the Sentinel, I kept seeing references to his 1994 work, At the Hurricane’s Eye. I decided it was time for me to purchase and read it, figuring it would tie some elements of SF history together. Well, it certainly did, and I found myself enjoying the whole book and writing a review. A recurring theme was Stormin’ Norman Shwartzkopf’s finally finding a comfort zone in how to use SF know-how and dedication to help accomplish his overall mission, a microcosm of SF’s struggle for “Regular Army” acceptance.
In “Burying the Dead with Dishonor Part 2,” Greg Walker shares with us some of the investigative reporting that he still does. The need for secrecy to accomplish the mission in El Salvador caused many incidents to be covered up, many times to the detriment of the families involved. You can read Part 1 in the July Sentinel.
Then Greg tells us how SF’s Mike Echanis joined Chuck Norris’s school and guided them into his own personal combat methods, which are the basis of what is still taught today. The school has posthumously awarded Mike a 5th-degree black belt.
And please enjoy our July Chapter 78 meeting pics.
How Miller
Sentinel Editor
SENTINEL Awards
- Awarded best Special Forces Association Monthly Newsletter at SFA National Convention June 2011 and 2014
- Awarded Golden Quill at SFA National Convention June 2015 and June 2016
- Best Newsletter Award for 2017 from Special Forces Association National Board of Directors at the International Convention in Fayetteville, NC
- Special Forces Association (SFA) Cross Arrow Award for Excellence, 2018, First Award Presented by SFA in this category
- The War Reporters Award, Presented by Alex Quade – (War Reporter and Film Producer) for Chapter 78 Sentinel’s Commitment documenting Special Forces History, July 2018
- The Golden Arrows for Excellence in Newsletters 2019 awarded by SFA National
- The Golden Arrows for Excellence in Newsletters 2020 awarded by SFA National
The Sentinel is published monthly by Special Forces Association Chapter 78, Southern California — art direction and design by Debra Holm, Dinwiddie Holm Graphics. The views, opinions and articles printed in this issue do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Army or the United States Special Operations Command, the Special Forces Association, or Special Forces Association Chapter 78. Please address any comments to the editor at sfachapter78@gmail.com.
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