Operation Tailwind

Memoirs of a Secret Battle in a Secret War

De: Barry Pencek

Narrado por: Dan Nachtrab

The Studies and Observations Group was a covert American military unit in Vietnam that specialized in clandestine cross-border operations in Laos and Cambodia. In September 1970, sixteen Green Berets and one-hundred-twenty Montagnard mercenaries departed on Operation Tailwind, the largest and deepest raid in SOG history. Their mission was to disrupt and distract the enemy in support of a larger CIA operation that originated in the White House.

Over the next four days, as their ammunition dwindled and casualties mounted, these soldiers, and the aircrews overhead that went to extraordinary lengths to keep them alive, achieved the improbable if not the impossible.

Twenty-eight years after Tailwind concluded, CNN produced a documentary about Tailwind, called “Valley of Death,” accusing the participants of war crimes, specifically using nerve gas to kill women, children, and American defectors. This broadcast created a media firestorm that reached around the world.

In Operation Tailwind: Memoirs of a Secret Battle in a Secret War, Barry Pencek gives an incredibly detailed account of the four-day running battle and does a thought-provoking deep dive into the failure of journalistic ethics at CNN that created a media debacle. Besides being one hell of a war story, Operation Tailwind provides a great example of the need for the highest integrity in journalism and should be required reading for all J-school students.

©2022 Barry D Pencek (P)2023 Barry D Pencek

Fake News at its Worst

A superbly written, exquisitely researched account of one of the most egregiously, patently false acts of rotten journalism ever committed. The author, a Marine Cobra Pilot, flew during Operation Tailwind and knows, first hand, the truth of that mission. He begins the book with a description of his climb, from youth to his Gold Wings of a Naval (Marine) Aviator and into the cockpit of an AH-1G Cobra attack helicopter (a climb with which this retired Marine Cobra Pilot is intimately familiar. He goes on to describe his tour in Vietnam that culminates in that action in Laos in 1970, during which a Studies and Observation Group company (Hatchet Force) serves as a diversion for a larger CIA operation. One can feel the action as he puts you into his aircraft and flies you through the intense anti-aircraft fire, listening to the radio traffic between the SOG Company Commander and the USAF Forward Air Controller, and firing rockets, mini-gun, and 40mm grenade launcher rounds to protect the extraction Heavy-Lift CH-53s as they attempt, then finally succeed, in extracting the SOG force. Barry then moves to that journalistic travesty, “Valley of Death.” Reading this will not only set the record straight about that operation, but, perhaps, provide insight into the biased journalistic malfeasance we experience today. Definitely a “must read.”

Truth over CNN

This is a true story, of American warriors, an attempted smear by CNN, and the truth wins out.

How self serving the media really is.

This story reinforced my personal thoughts on how disingenuous and dangerous cable news can be. I liked that the author was actually a participant in Tailwind and had firsthand knowledge of the operation, If one ever wonders why the military in general distrusts the media this book does a great job of explaining it.

Review / Facts of Op Tailwind

Simply Outstanding!
The superior performance of SF during the Vietnam War.
Wayne Caudill, SGM (Ret)

Another example of journalists gone rogue

Though the combat descriptions lack the details of many well written Vietnam books, the extent to which the author went to expose CNN and Time magazine are commendable in the extreme. The small price paid by the media hardly is a deterrent for similar practices as we have most recently witnessed the author correctly points to Huntley. Brinkley and Jim Lehrer and Robin McNeil as icons of journalism.

Outstanding book

I've met Barry Pencek. I, too, was a Marine pilot in Vietnam, around the same time he was there, but in a different flying capacity. I flew what he refers to as "fast movers," but many of my comrades were helicopter pilots, which is what this book is about in part.

Barry's book is amazing in its detail, the obvious research, and the vivid portrayal of American fighting men at their best, their sacrifices, and their devotion to duty in a war that was ugly and remains so to this day. His writing is such that I felt myself back there, could almost see, feel, and smell, the countryside that so many fought and died in.

He writes incisively, sharp, clear, and factual. The depth of detail, the names of those involved, the details of this secret operation, and his follow up on the distortions of the media, particularly CNN, buttressed with the truth, is a book worth reading several times over...as I have. Well done, Barry! Semper Fi, my friend and Marine Corps comrade! Lyle Prouse

I saw a lot of my experiences when he first arrived in country.

Good story well written. The book draws you in wanting to know more about the author.

Well Researched

Well researched and the author makes a great case as to how the media (CNN) created a false narrative with manufactured "facts" to back it up. I too flew in Vietnam but knew little of the war in Laos. Highly recommend this audio book.

Excellent! Immersive!

This memoir offers a provocative account of a covert battle, the use of nerve gas, CNN’s ethical reporting failures, and the courageous men involved in Operation Tailwind. This is a powerful and detailed narrative of their actions, as well as the military and government operations surrounding this secret mission.

The author, Barry Pencek, carefully details his role in Operation Tailwind from before his enlistment to after his retirement. He writes with clarity and conciseness, infusing the content with authentic dialogue and logical deductions. His narrative and dialogue flow smoothly, enriched by historical incidents, and the quotes he brings to the narrative are rich in emotion, patriotism, and pride. He immerses the listener completely from beginning to end.

The narrator, Dan Nachtrab, delivers a strong voice reflective of the strength of each character. His delivery is deliberate and resonates with patriotism throughout. His cadence vividly and poignantly captures the emotions and inner strength of each character.

This book brought back my memories of the Vietnam War, Kennedy, Kissinger, and more just from the simple yet powerful words promoting civic action and public service: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. A compelling and emotional book that deeply engages and immerses the listener.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Great read!!

Such an epic mission, in a chaotic time. I love SF stories, but it was great to hear it from a pilots point of view.