On Thanksgiving Day in 1968, while many were savoring traditional meals of turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, six members of the elite MACV-SOG unit found themselves deep in the dense jungles of Vietnam, executing a high-risk mission against 30,000 enemy soldiers.
For these troops, this dangerous Thanksgiving represented the unconventional manner in which they had to observe the holiday that year, far from their homes.
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group) was a secretive American unit established in 1964. This elite force was comprised of volunteers from various branches, including Green Berets, Navy SEALs, CIA operatives, specially trained Marines, Air Force Commandos, and local allies.
Operating under a veil of secrecy, MACV-SOG carried out missions in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and North Vietnam, while the U.S. government publicly maintained that American forces were only engaged in South Vietnam. To preserve this cover, team members avoided wearing identifiable American uniforms or insignia.
A key component of MACV-SOG’s operations was reconnaissance, with a particular focus on the Ho Chi Minh Trail—a vital supply line stretching from North Vietnam, through Cambodia and Laos, and into South Vietnam.
John Stryker “Tilt” Meyer
John Stryker “Tilt” Meyer was one of the fearless men who volunteered to be an operative with MACV-SOG. He initially enlisted with the US Army in 1966, and soon after was accepted to Airborne School, where he was airborne certified.
By the following year, he’d graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course, eventually becoming a member of MACV-SOG’s Spike Team (ST) Idaho. Meyer detailed much of his time in Vietnam in two books, Across the Fence: The Secret War In Vietnam (2003) and On the Ground: The Secret War in Vietnam (2007).
He was also one of the MACV-SOG commandos involved in the Thanksgiving Day mission in 1968, serving as a reconnaissance leader for a team of six. Aside from Meyer, ST Idaho consisted of four local mercenaries – Sau, Hiep, Phuoc and Tuan – as well as fellow American, John “Bubba” Shore.
30,000 missing enemy troops
By November 1968, U.S. Intelligence continued to closely monitor the movements of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in the wake of the Tet Offensive earlier that year. This offensive, which began in January, saw unexpected attacks by the NVA and Viet Cong on urban centers, with the goal of inciting rebellion among South Vietnamese civilians and pressuring the U.S. to reduce its military presence in the region.
Following the Tet Offensive, concerns intensified when three NVA divisions disappeared, triggering immediate efforts to locate them. ST Idaho was assigned this critical task. The 1st, 3rd, and 7th NVA divisions, with a combined force of around 30,000 troops, were part of a larger 100,000-strong force under close American surveillance. Their disappearance near the Cambodian border raised alarm that they might be preparing for an attack on Saigon.
MACV-SOG’s Thanksgiving mission
The task was simple enough: ST Idaho would enter Cambodia and locate the missing troops, after which they’d relay the information back to headquarters.
On Thanksgiving Day 1968, Meyer and his men waited in Bù Đốp Special Forces Camp, where the MACV-SOG team were delivered a Thanksgiving feast of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry rolls. A helicopter then arrived to deliver the men to Cambodia. This presented its own challenges, as they were only allowed to be brought 10 kilometers into the country via air and would then need to travel the remaining two kilometers on foot.
ST Idaho quickly disembarked the Huey and began their mission, searching for the missing NVA troops in the dense jungle. It didn’t take long for them to notice smoke, which they confirmed was from the soldiers they were looking for. The camp appearing empty, the MACV-SOG commandos began taking pictures and searching for important documents.
It appeared as though they’d successfully completed their mission – and rather quickly. Unbeknownst to them, however, they’d just walked into the middle of a 30,000-strong NVA encampment.
30,000 North Vietnamese versus six commandos
Sau was the one who alerted Meyer to the looming danger, saying gravely, “Beaucoup VC! Beaucoup VC!” Though Meyer had only five months of experience with MACV-SOG, compared to Sau’s three years, he trusted his instincts.
Soon after, North Vietnamese forces began advancing from both directions and opened fire. The MACV-SOG team swiftly planted a Claymore mine and retreated. The enemy pursued closely, but ST Idaho countered with grenades and carefully placed trip-wired Claymores.
Their rescue arrived in the form of US Air Force Bell UH-1P Hueys from the 20th Special Operations Squadron. The helicopters responded with M60 machine guns and M134 miniguns against the encroaching enemy soldiers. As the chopper reached the pickup point, the six men hurried aboard, setting a final Claymore at the edge of the landing zone.
Making it out of the Thanksgiving Day mission alive
Meyer later described the mad dash in his book, writing, “We had been moments away from a very violent death and we killed an untold number of NVA soldiers – soldiers who continued to earn our undying respect. I took no pleasure in killing the enemy. It was simply us or them.” They made it, however, with the Huey taking off before the NVA troops could reach them.
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Successful in their mission, although a little worse for ware, the first thing ST Idaho did upon their return to base was visit the mess hall for a well-deserved second Thanksgiving dinner. Soon after, they were tracked down by the MACV-SOG officer who’d sent them on the mission, asking if they would join him for yet another Thanksgiving feast and discuss the mission. Meyer and Shore obliged, debriefing him over the well-earned meal.
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