Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8
“Who Will Go” – Terry Buckler, Cliff Westbrook
“Who Will Go” is the title of a book that was written prior the 50th anniversary of the Son Tay Raid, an attempt to free American POWs held in North Vietnam. The operation, code-named “Ivory Coast”, was executed at night on 21st of November 1970 in the area of the Son Tay prisoner-of-war camp, about 23 miles west of Hanoi, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. A special group led by Brig Gen LeRoy J. Manor (USAF) and COL Arthur D. “Bull” Simons (US Army Special Forces) attacked the object in a distinguished manner. Among the 56 Raiders that took part in this action, only two were wounded. The Americans also lost one F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber and an HH-3E Jolly Green supporting helicopter that carried the Blueboy element commanded by Captain Richard “Dick” Meadows. The helicopter crash-landed into the courtyard of Son Tay prison in a controlled manner, which was part of the plan from the start. Eventually, all the participants of the action along with the crew of the downed Thud returned safely to their bases. The Son Tay Raid did not result in freeing any American POWs – they had been transferred to other facilities shortly before – but it significantly improved the conditions in which they were held. This action also showed to the world the determination of the United States to help its imprisoned military, while becoming a model for future special operations.
“Blueboy”, HH-3 “Banana” Source: https://www.historynet.com/son-tay/
The execution of the raid along with its consequences and the events preceding it are described in detail in the aforementioned book “Who Will Go”. It includes the personal story of Sergeant Terry Buckler of the Redwine Element, the youngest member of the raiding force. He is currently active in veterans’ associations, including the Son Tay Raid Association that groups the Raiders. The second author of the book is Cliff Westbrook, who served in the US Air Force as a B-1 Lancer pilot. His father, Clyde “Nyle” Westbrook, also participated in Operation Ivory Coast as commander of the Lime 02, an HC-130P tanker that supported the aircraft involved in the mission.
“Who Will Go” depicts the path that Terry Buckler followed to serve in the United States Army Special Forces, then volunteering to participate in an action kept initially in great secrecy. In the course of the reading, one can find out how the training of the famous Green Berets was carried out in the 1960s and how the preparations to the Son Tay Raid looked like. The book also provides comparisons to today’s tactics, a detailed equipment list, numerous photographs and sketches, and terminology explanations. Moreover, the authors confronted some myths surrounding the action. One of such stories claimed that the camp mockup used for exercises was teared down every day to avoid being detected by Soviet spy satellites. This, however, was not the case. Some coloration is added to this story thanks to personal experiences of the people involved and humorous elements that appear from time to time. The book is enriched with appendixes presenting post-war veterans reunions, accounts made by the participants of the operation and POWs as well as recollections of USAF personnel whose contribution to the Vietnam War is often marginalized. A compilation of Terry Buckler’s Life Lessons, a collection of his advice, lists of the Raiders and some support personnel are also included.
All this makes the book a very valuable resource not only for Vietnam reenactors and people interested in that war, but also for those fascinated by the history and development of the American special forces.
“Who Will Go: History Repeats”
The book was published by Palmetto Publishing in 2020 and it is available on online platforms offering literature. A copy of “Who Will Go” that was shipped to us from overseas is actually priceless. Its unique character comes from handwritten dedications and autographs of both authors, as well as several participants of the entire action, which include SFC Tyrone J. Adderly (Redwine Element), SFC John Jakovenko (Greenleaf) and Capt Clyde “Neal” Westbrook (USAF, Lime 2). While enjoying such a wonderful souvenir, we would like to extend our best thanks and greetings to the Son Tay Raid Association made of the heroes of the November 1970 operation.