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Mike Vining

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Mike Vining was looking for a change in his military career, and he wanted to put in to be a Special Forces Medic. At that time, Charlie Beckwith was developing a new unit based on his experiences with the British SAS, and Vining’s EOD experience would be a critical part of this new experiment, now known as Delta Force. (15:10)

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Mountain climbing was more than a pastime for Mike Vining, who describes how it served as an escape as well as a professional skill. (3:54)

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In 1983, the U.S. engaged in a mission to rescue a group of medical students on the island of Grenada, which had recently undergone a Marxist coup. The Special Operations community was still young on the heels of Operation Eagle Claw, and Mike Vining discusses his role in the mission. (13:01)

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Mike Vining discusses his upcoming book, “Blasting Through,” where he’ll go into more details about his career, leadership, having and being a mentor, and his thoughts on moral injury. (8:26)

Mike Waugh

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His father was career Army, sent to Saigon in 1954 as part of the initial effort to aid the South Vietnamese after the French withdrew. Mike Waugh noticed as the war heated up all through his college years and when he took an ROTC commission after graduation, he knew he would be going. He got his first choice of assignments, the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell. (5:42)

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Mike Waugh came into Vietnam as a replacement, like so many others. Assigned to an artillery battery as a forward observer, he was immediately sent to assist a MIKE Strike Force, which was Special Forces and Montagnard militia. The enemy never materialized and he learned how the elite troops overcame boredom in the field. (5:15)

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On his thirty day foray into the field with the Special Forces, Mike Waugh thought he would be in a hot area, but it was quiet. The Montagnards on the operation supplemented the C-rations with some delicious food and, when they returned to Pleiku, he was invited to dinner with their commander. (4:12)

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Mike Waugh rotated through nearly every job for a Lieutenant in the artillery unit. At one point, his battery was split and he took three guns to a a nearby spot called LZ Pony. Halfway through his tour, he was moved to battalion headquarters, where he was responsible for the firing of many batteries. (4:20)

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He did not experience anything negative on his return from his first tour of Vietnam. In fact, when he went to see his fiance, every home on the street had an American flag out for him. Unfortunately, his next assignment was not to his liking, so he applied for flight school, which had always been a desire. (3:46)

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The hardest part of helicopter flight school is learning how to hover. Mike Waugh finally mastered it when his instructor uttered an expletive. After his training, he had to take a non-flying assignment as he waited for a likely return to Vietnam. It was good duty because he got to participate in the testing of new technology. (6:14)