Operation Tailwind | LT Col. Dick Thompson & Col. Barry Pencek

From 11 to 14 September 1970, a MACV SOG Hatchet Force (United States Army Special Forces and Montagnards) made a covert incursion into southeastern Laos during the Vietnam War.
Col. Barry Pencek flew USMC AH-1 Cobras on that mission, codenamed Scarface 20.
Lt.Col. Dick Thompson served with MACV SOG as a recon team leader on 20 covert missions in Laos and Cambodia.

In this unique podcast, the two men discuss critical air support viewed from ground level and up in the cobras, and explain the history of the operation, featured in Barry's book. Dick also has a book due out very soon about his 20 insane recon missions in enemy territory - SUBSCRIBE to receive notice of several future podcasts discussing Dick's book!

BOOK LINKS:

Operation Tailwind by Barry Pencek available now:
https://www.amazon.com/Operation-Tail...

Codename Dynamite by Henry "Dick" Thompson PhD will be available here soon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Henry-L...

TIMESTAMP:

00:00:47 Introductions
00:01:52 Barry’s book “Operation Tailwind”
00:02:34 Dick’s book “Codename Dynamite”
00:03:32 Why should we know about the Vietnam war?
00:04:54 Coming home and why we wrote our books
00:06:52 Calling air support and delivering it
00:10:49 How close is close air support?
00:15:08 Don’t shoot the Orange hats!
00:17:01 How to identify good guys
00:19:26 How fast is support needed
00:20:43 Anxiety for a pilot with troops in contact
00:22:58 Rockets and guns hit high in the trees
00:25:43 Air package for a SOG mission
00:28:55 Genesis of Operation Tailwind
00:31:10 Setbacks and starting the mission
00:32:59 Troops on the ground
00:35:33 A Prairie Fire emergency is declared
00:35:58 First CH53 goes down
00:37:18 Poor weather trying to get them out
00:39:08 Bernie Bright stands up in a firefight to guide the helos in
00:40:36 Last CH53 takes off on one engine
00:42:35 Second CH53 crash lands
00:45:38 CNN hear of the operation and it gets declassified
00:46:29 What defence do black ops have with no paperwork?
00:48:39 Made up stories
00:50:39 CNN reasons for the story
00:52:29 Gen. Perry Smith hears of the story plus the aftermath
00:56:04 Dicks thoughts on Barry’s book
00:56:24 What is the media and the American peoples attitudes to the vietnam war?