Presidential Unit Citation Award | MACV-SOG | US Army
The Presidential Unit Citation (Army) was awarded to MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group), during a ceremony at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina on April 4, 2001. The citation is awarded to units for extraordinary heroism in action. The unit award is equal to the individual award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. military’s second highest award for valor, with the Medal of Honor being number one.
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT
THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
HAS AWARDED THE
PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION
TO THE
STUDIES AND OBSERVATION GROUP
UNITED STATES MILITARY ASSISTANCE
COMMAND, VIETNAM
FOR
EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN MILITARY
OPERATIONS AGAINST AN ARMED ENEMY
24 January 1964 to 30 April 1972
GIVEN UNDER MY HAND IN THE CITY OF WASHINGTON
By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I have today awarded
THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION (ARMY)
FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM
TO THE
STUDIES AND OBSERVATIONS GROUP,
UNITED STATES MILITARY ASSISTANCE COMMAND, VIETNAM
The Studies and Observations Group is cited for extraordinary heroism, great combat achievement, and unwavering fidelity while executing unheralded top secret missions deep behind enemy lines across Southeast Asia. Incorporating volunteers from all branches of the Armed Forces, and especially, U.S. Army Special Forces, Special Operation Group’s ground, air and sea units fought officially denied actions which contributed immeasurably to the American war effort in Vietnam. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Special Operations Group reconnaissance teams composed of Special Forces soldiers and indigenous personnel penetrated the enemy’s most dangerous redoubts in the jungled Laotian wilderness and the sanctuaries of eastern Cambodia. Pursued by human trackers and even bloodhounds, these small teams out-maneuvered, out-fought and out-ran their numerically superior foe to uncover key enemy facilities. rescue downed pilots, plant wiretaps, mines and electronic senors, capture valuable enemy prisoners, ambush convoys, discover and assess targets for B-52 strikes, and inflict casualties all out of proportion to their own losses.
When enemy counter-measures become dangerously effective, Special Operations Group operators innovated their own counters, from high altitude parachuting (HALO jumps) and unusual explosive devices, to tactics as old as the French and Indian War. Fighting alongside their Montagnard, Chines Nung, Cambodian and Vietnamese allies, Special Forces-led Hatchet Force companies and platoons staged daring raids against key enemy facilities in Laos and Cambodia, overran major munitions and supply stockpiles, and blocked enemy highways to choke off the flow of supplies to South Vietnam.
Special Operations Group’s cross-border operations proved an effective economy-of-force, compelling the North Vietnamese Army to divert 50,000 soldiers to rear area security duties, far from the battlefields of South Vietnam. Supporting these hazardous missions were Special operations Group’s own United States and South Vietnamese Air Force transport and helicopter squadrons, along with U.S. Air Force Forward Air Controllers and helicopter units of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. These courageous aviators often flew through heavy fire to extract Special Operations Group operators from seemingly hopeless situations, saving lives by selflessly risking their own. Special Operations Group’s Vietnamese naval surface forces – instructed and advised by U.S. Navy SEALS – boldy raided North Vietnam’s coast and won surface victories against the North Vietnamese Navy, while indigenous agent teams penetrated the very heartland of North Vietnam. Despite casualties that sometimes became universal, Special Operations Group’s operators never wavered but fought throughout the war with the same flair, fidelity and intrepidity that distinguished Special Operation Group from its beginning. The Studies and Observations Group’s combat prowess, martial skills and unacknowledged sacrifices saved many American lives, and provide a paragon for american future special operation forces.
Read about the award in its entirety at the URL that follows: http://www.specialoperations.org/macvsog_puc.html