Combat Story (Ep 19): John Stryker Meyer | SOG Operator & Team Leader | Green Beret | Author
About This Episode
Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more
John "Tilt" Stryker Meyer was a pioneer in the special operations community who served two tours as a MACV-SOG operator (what many might call the original Tier 1 unit) and team leader in Vietnam. John led small covert Spike Teams “across the fence” on clandestine operations into Laos and Cambodia in what many now refer to as the secret war in the Vietnam conflict.
John shares what it was like joining this covert world, signing a 20 year secrecy agreement, and how the aircraft that brought him to his first FOB then loaded a small special ops team that was never heard from again.
It was an ominous start, to say the least. In one unbelievable battle, John describes the enemy stacking dead bodies in an effort to get an elevated firing position on John’s team. In another, the enemy uses a tactic where they get so close to the U.S. positions that aircrews won’t be able to drop napalm rounds.
John has three books that chronicle both his stories and those of his fellow SOG operators (listed below) and he’s been featured in various interviews, including several with Jocko Willink, and is currently building his own podcast with Jocko to tell the stories of other members of the SOG community (can't wait!). John and Jocko are also collaborating on a video game based on SOG missions.
It’s amazing John lived through the experiences he shares with us and he’s a living testament to the courage so many showed in Vietnam.
Books
Across the Fence (https://tinyurl.com/8x6vmcx6) On the Ground (https://tinyurl.com/s4rh8n74) SOG Chronicles (https://tinyurl.com/ae3updt7)
Interview with Jocko Willink (one of many) Episode 180 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNyo7DZ0QBY
Show Notes
Author
Chapters
- 0:00Intro
- 3:53“Pushing things a little bit” as a kid. The book, The Green Berets (https://tinyurl.com/3af6sb6m) by Robin Moore influenced John’s decision to join Special Forces.
- 6:21How an eye doctor changed John’s life trajectory and sent him from being a pilot to being a SOG operator.
- 9:51Glad he missed the Korean War because it was so hard. Referenced Pork Chop Hill (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053183/).
- 12:45John’s path from enlisting straight to Special Forces.
- 14:57An “offer” to join the elite.
- 16:55“We go to the safe house that night…” (Reference to MIKE Force https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIKE_Force and Project DELTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_DELTA)
- 22:55First “gut check” while flying in a South Vietnamese H-34 helicopter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_H-34) into his FOB. Spike Team Idaho gets on the helo as John gets off.
- 27:11Description and composition of a “Spike Team” and the “One-Zero” call sign.
- 31:20The mission set for John’s unit in Vietnam, starting with going across the fence.
- 41:24The importance of Situational Awareness in combat.
- 44:11First contact in Vietnam at “Echo 4” that includes hours-long firefights against an enemy stacking dead bodies, calling in danger close air strikes, and having shell casings from CAS burning your neck.
- 55:55First confirmed kill.
- 58:10What is a “Covey” in this war?
- 59:46Carrying a grenade as a last resort to avoid being taken prisoner.
- 1:02:10John shares his appreciation for the Vietnamese pilots who showed amazing bravery.
- 1:07:55Blacking out while attached to a rope attached to a helicopter in flight.
- 1:13:47The relationship with the indigenous forces.
- 1:20:00Being so close to the enemy that they “touched” John’s boot in the middle of the night.
- 1:22:07“The recon gods smiled on me.”
- 1:23:44A Thanksgiving mission to find THREE NVA Divisions.
- 1:32:25Did you ever return to Vietnam?
- 1:36:05A Colonel became the reason John left SOG. It’s a great story of speaking truth to power but also so sad at the same time.
- 1:42:57What did John carry for good luck?
- 1:43:56Would you do it all again?
- 1:46:34Exciting news for what John is working on now, including a new podcast hosted by John to interview other SOG members that Jocko will then share on his social media. Also a video game coming out based on SOG.
