Beyond the Battlefield: Episode 4 of Military Tales Unveils the Heroic World of a MACV-SOG Medic

The “Military Tales” YouTube channel continues its gripping exploration of the Vietnam War’s clandestine operations with “Episode 4 – Doc Padgett – MACV SOG Medic – Interview.” This powerful installment features an in-depth conversation with Doc Padgett, a medic who served with MACV-SOG and offers a firsthand account of the intense realities faced by these elite special operations teams. From his initial desire to be the “best there was” to his harrowing experiences as a “chase medic” during Operation Tailwind, Padgett’s story provides a compelling and deeply personal glimpse into a little-known aspect of the conflict.

Padgett’s journey to MACV-SOG began with a desire for challenge and service. Inspired by the concept of Special Forces, the Green Berets, and their focus on unconventional warfare behind enemy lines, he volunteered for the military. Despite being told that Special Forces chooses its members, Padgett’s determination led him through basic training, airborne school, advanced infantry training, and ultimately selection for Special Forces medical training. His motivation for becoming a medic was clear: he wanted to “do the most good for my country, make friends with the indigenous, and still be a Special Forces soldier”.

After deployments to Special Forces “A-camps” and a year and a half with the Mobile Strike Force (a unit that actively sought engagement with the enemy), Padgett eventually “volunteered for SOG, special operations group”. His role within SOG took a particularly dangerous form as a “chase medic”. When SOG teams in contact needed extraction and unfortunately had casualties, Padgett would be on the first helicopter to attempt retrieval. His mission was to reach the wounded, provide immediate treatment in the helicopter, and stabilize them for transport to a medical facility. As he poignantly states, often the landing zones (“LZs”) were “hot,” but they went in anyway.

The episode delves into Operation Tailwind, a deep penetration into the Ho Chi Minh Trail area of Laos. Padgett recalls that, to the best of his knowledge, it was “about thirty kilometers in”, an area where no large-scale effort had been made to block the trail. During Tailwind, Padgett served as the chase medic during extraction attempts. He recounts the intense situation where their CH-53 Marine helicopters faced heavy fire. In a dramatic sequence, while attempting to pull wounded personnel into the helicopter, under heavy fire, their helicopter was struck by a B-40 rocket which went through the bottom and into the gasoline tank. Despite this catastrophic damage, they managed to fly a short distance before crash-landing in a North Vietnamese fortification complex, which was thankfully unoccupied. Padgett estimates he had been in Southeast Asia for “probably two to two-and-a-half years already” and only with SOG for a couple of months before Tailwind. He was fortunate to survive and continue his service. He also recalled the “pretty heavy anti-aircraft” fire during the initial insertion into Laos, comparing it to scenes from World War II movies.

Years later, in 1997, during a mission in Kazakhstan – the first American unit invited into the former Soviet republic – Padgett had an extraordinary encounter. His interpreter, a young lieutenant, noticed his Special Forces combat patch. Upon learning Padgett had served in Vietnam, the interpreter revealed that his father was a Russian advisor to the North Vietnamese anti-aircraft artillery units that had been shooting at them. Padgett described it as a moment where they realized it was a “very, very small world”.

The conversation touches upon the remarkable connections within the military community, even across former enemy lines. Padgett mentions how former SOG operators are now meeting with members of the North Vietnamese units that were tasked with hunting them. These meetings are proving beneficial for POW/MIA recovery teams, as the former adversaries can share information about locations and actions to account for missing personnel on both sides. While acknowledging the lack of “love for the Communists,” Padgett emphasizes that they can still relate as “fellow soldiers”. He even mentioned a specific North Vietnamese unit called the Binh Thanh regiment, which was specialized in hunting SOG teams through tracking, locating, and radio direction-finding.

Padgett also briefly discussed his time with the Mobile Strike Force, highlighting its mission to actively seek out and engage the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong, contrasting it with the reconnaissance teams in SOG who aimed to avoid detection. He shared a powerful anecdote from his time with the Mobile Strike Force where a close air support pilot in an A-1 Skyraider delivered devastating fire incredibly close to his position to save his unit from an overwhelming attack. He vividly remembers the pilot’s skill and courage, noting how the pilot’s wingtips and canopy were almost level with him during the strafing run.

Finally, Padgett clarified the meaning of CCC, which stood for Command and Control Central, one of three basic operational bases for MACV-SOG in 1970-71, operating out of the Wisconsin area to launch missions into Laos and Cambodia.

“Episode 4 – Doc Padgett – MACV SOG Medic – Interview” is a deeply moving and informative episode that sheds light on the incredible bravery and sacrifices of MACV-SOG medics. Doc Padgett’s firsthand account, filled with intense combat experiences and surprising human connections, offers a valuable historical perspective on the “secret war” in Southeast Asia and the extraordinary individuals who served in it.