Robert B. Rheault
Encyclopedia
Robert B. Rheault (born 1925) is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces who served as commander of the First Special Forces Group
in Okinawa
, and the Fifth Special Forces Group
in Vietnam
from May to July 1969. Rheault was best known for his role as commander of the unit responsible for the 20 June 1969 execution of South Vietnam double agent, Thai Khac Chuyen, who compromised intelligence agents involved in Project GAMMA
operating in Vietnam and Cambodia
.
in suburban Boston
; his father had served with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
prior to immigrating to the United States in 1924, and his mother was from a prominent Boston family. Rheault spoke French from an early age and attended Phillips Exeter Academy
, graduating in 1943. He graduated in 1946 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
, and engaged in post-graduate studies at the University of Paris
, and earned a master's degree in international relations at George Washington University
.
but he went on to win the Silver Star
in combat in Korea in 1953, attaining the rank of captain. After Korea, Rheault taught French at the U.S. Military Academy for several years in the mid-1950s, attaining the rank of major. Rheault attended the Special Forces Qualification course, the Q-Course, in 1961, and his initial Special Forces assignment was with the 10th Special Forces Group in Germany. He would later command the 1st Special Forces Group on Okinawa before being assigned to Vietnam to take command of the 5th Special Forces Group. Colleagues said of Rheault that he was one of the most respected and beloved officers ever in Special Forces, a "must promote" to General Officer rank if his command, and career, had not been ended prematurely by the Green Beret Affair.
All U.S. Army Special Forces, in 1969, operated under the control of 5th Special Forces Group, headquartered at Nha Trang
, on the southeast coast of South Vietnam
, and there was a close relationship with the CIA that complicated the chain of command and philosophy of rules of engagement
. Colonel Rheault took command of 5th in May 1969 and his unit was charged with seeking out leaks in a CIA-directed espionage ring as part of Project GAMMA
. Colonel Rheault along with six of his Special Forces officers and a sergeant were arrested by the U.S. Military under the orders of General Creighton Abrams
and threatened with court-martial charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, arising from the alleged extrajudicial killing of Thai Khac Chuyen, a Vietnamese a double agent
for both the Americans and the North Vietnamese.
The investigation and court-martial
, held by the U.S. Army in Vietnam, rapidly became engulfed in a firestorm of media publicity. Most of the American public, and the Special Forces, believed that Colonel Rheault and all involved had been made scapegoats for a matter that reflected poorly upon the Army.The view that there was no wrongdoing by the soldiers was probably best stated by Rheault's 11 year-old son, Robert, Jr. who upon learning of his father's arrest said, "What is all the fuss about? I thought that was what dad was in Vietnam for...to kill Viet Cong". However, the prosecution provided testimony showing that Chuyen was shot by Rheault's officers and his body dumped into the South China Sea
. Further, they argued that Rheault was most certainly aware of the provisions of the Third Geneva Convention
on the treatment of prisoners of war and Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
. He not only approved the execution of Chuyen but he approved the cover story that Chuyen was to be said lost on an undercover mission designed to prove his loyalty to South Vietnam
and the United States. Judge Advocate General Captain John Stevens Berry, called General Abrams and CIA officials to the witness stand, but both declined to testify. Finally in September 1969 the Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor announced to all that all charges would be dropped against the soldiers since the CIA, which the interests of national security had refused to make its personnel available as witnesses. Thus a fair trial was not possible. On October 31, 1969, upon ascertaining that further military commands and promotions were not likely, Colonel Rheault requested immediate retirement from the Army. All others charged in the affair also had their careers effectively ended, so all left the service soon afterwards.
After the war, Francis Ford Coppola
, director of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now
said that the character Colonel Walter Kurtz in the film was loosely based upon Rheault, whom he had become aware of through the 1969 news accounts of the Green Beret Affair.
Upon retirement from the military, Rheault served as an instructor, program leader, and later, acting president of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound
School in Rockland, Maine
; retiring from the school in 2001 after 32 years of service. He now serves on the board of directors of The Apprenticeshop, a traditional boat building and maritime school in Rockland. He also serves on the board of directors of the The Warrior Connection, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of military veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
student from New York, and they had three children: Susanne; Michelle; and Robert B. "Skid" Rheault, Jr. Like her husband, Caroline Young Rheault was fluent in French. She frequently traveled to and maintained a residence in France, and was a respected artist and book illustrator in Martha's Vineyard
. Rheault resides in Owls Head, Maine
with his second wife, Susan St. John. Rheault's son Robert B. Rheault, Jr. (born 1958) is a marine biologist and businessman with a doctoral degree in oceanography
from the University of Rhode Island
.
1st Special Forces Group (United States)
The 1st Special Forces Group is a U.S. Army Special Forces unit that was activated on 24 June 1957 at Camp Drake, Japan.-Unit history:It was among the first groups of the Special Forces to be officially formed. The group is responsible for operations in the Pacific...
in Okinawa
Okinawa Island
Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...
, and the Fifth Special Forces Group
5th Special Forces Group (United States)
The 5th Special Forces Group is a United States Army Special Forces unit that was activated on 21 September 1961 during the Cold War.-Unit history:...
in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
from May to July 1969. Rheault was best known for his role as commander of the unit responsible for the 20 June 1969 execution of South Vietnam double agent, Thai Khac Chuyen, who compromised intelligence agents involved in Project GAMMA
Project GAMMA
Project GAMMA was the name given to Detachment B-57, Company E , 5th Special Forces Group , 1st Special Forces, U. S. Army in Vietnam from 1966 to 1970. It was responsible for covert intelligence collection operations in Cambodia....
operating in Vietnam and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
Early life and education
Robert Rheault was born 31 October 1925 to Charles A. and Rosamond Rheault in WestwoodWestwood, Massachusetts
Westwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,618 at the 2010 census. In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Westwood 13th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Boston Magazine listed Gay Street in Westwood on its...
in suburban Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
; his father had served with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
prior to immigrating to the United States in 1924, and his mother was from a prominent Boston family. Rheault spoke French from an early age and attended Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
, graduating in 1943. He graduated in 1946 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, and engaged in post-graduate studies at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, and earned a master's degree in international relations at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
Military service and post-military career
Rheault missed World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but he went on to win the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
in combat in Korea in 1953, attaining the rank of captain. After Korea, Rheault taught French at the U.S. Military Academy for several years in the mid-1950s, attaining the rank of major. Rheault attended the Special Forces Qualification course, the Q-Course, in 1961, and his initial Special Forces assignment was with the 10th Special Forces Group in Germany. He would later command the 1st Special Forces Group on Okinawa before being assigned to Vietnam to take command of the 5th Special Forces Group. Colleagues said of Rheault that he was one of the most respected and beloved officers ever in Special Forces, a "must promote" to General Officer rank if his command, and career, had not been ended prematurely by the Green Beret Affair.
All U.S. Army Special Forces, in 1969, operated under the control of 5th Special Forces Group, headquartered at Nha Trang
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
, on the southeast coast of South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, and there was a close relationship with the CIA that complicated the chain of command and philosophy of rules of engagement
Rules of engagement
Rules of Engagement refers to those responses that are permitted in the employment of military personnel during operations or in the course of their duties. These rules of engagement are determined by the legal framework within which these duties are being carried out...
. Colonel Rheault took command of 5th in May 1969 and his unit was charged with seeking out leaks in a CIA-directed espionage ring as part of Project GAMMA
Project GAMMA
Project GAMMA was the name given to Detachment B-57, Company E , 5th Special Forces Group , 1st Special Forces, U. S. Army in Vietnam from 1966 to 1970. It was responsible for covert intelligence collection operations in Cambodia....
. Colonel Rheault along with six of his Special Forces officers and a sergeant were arrested by the U.S. Military under the orders of General Creighton Abrams
Creighton Abrams
Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. was a general in the United States Army who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968–72 which saw U.S. troop strength in Vietnam fall from a peak of 543,000 to 49,000. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1972 until shortly...
and threatened with court-martial charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, arising from the alleged extrajudicial killing of Thai Khac Chuyen, a Vietnamese a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
for both the Americans and the North Vietnamese.
The investigation and court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
, held by the U.S. Army in Vietnam, rapidly became engulfed in a firestorm of media publicity. Most of the American public, and the Special Forces, believed that Colonel Rheault and all involved had been made scapegoats for a matter that reflected poorly upon the Army.The view that there was no wrongdoing by the soldiers was probably best stated by Rheault's 11 year-old son, Robert, Jr. who upon learning of his father's arrest said, "What is all the fuss about? I thought that was what dad was in Vietnam for...to kill Viet Cong". However, the prosecution provided testimony showing that Chuyen was shot by Rheault's officers and his body dumped into the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. Further, they argued that Rheault was most certainly aware of the provisions of the Third Geneva Convention
Third Geneva Convention
The Third Geneva Convention, relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was first adopted in 1929, but was significantly updated in 1949...
on the treatment of prisoners of war and Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Uniform Code of Military Justice
The Uniform Code of Military Justice , is the foundation of military law in the United States. It is was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power . ....
. He not only approved the execution of Chuyen but he approved the cover story that Chuyen was to be said lost on an undercover mission designed to prove his loyalty to South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and the United States. Judge Advocate General Captain John Stevens Berry, called General Abrams and CIA officials to the witness stand, but both declined to testify. Finally in September 1969 the Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor announced to all that all charges would be dropped against the soldiers since the CIA, which the interests of national security had refused to make its personnel available as witnesses. Thus a fair trial was not possible. On October 31, 1969, upon ascertaining that further military commands and promotions were not likely, Colonel Rheault requested immediate retirement from the Army. All others charged in the affair also had their careers effectively ended, so all left the service soon afterwards.
After the war, Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, director of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
said that the character Colonel Walter Kurtz in the film was loosely based upon Rheault, whom he had become aware of through the 1969 news accounts of the Green Beret Affair.
Upon retirement from the military, Rheault served as an instructor, program leader, and later, acting president of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound
Outward Bound
Outward Bound is an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor educationorganization with approximately 40 schools around the world and 200,000 participants per year...
School in Rockland, Maine
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
; retiring from the school in 2001 after 32 years of service. He now serves on the board of directors of The Apprenticeshop, a traditional boat building and maritime school in Rockland. He also serves on the board of directors of the The Warrior Connection, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of military veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Family life
In 1947 Rheault married Caroline "Nan" Young (1927–2006), a Vassar CollegeVassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
student from New York, and they had three children: Susanne; Michelle; and Robert B. "Skid" Rheault, Jr. Like her husband, Caroline Young Rheault was fluent in French. She frequently traveled to and maintained a residence in France, and was a respected artist and book illustrator in Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
. Rheault resides in Owls Head, Maine
Owls Head, Maine
Owls Head is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,601 at the 2000 census. A resort and fishing area, the community is home to the Knox County Regional Airport...
with his second wife, Susan St. John. Rheault's son Robert B. Rheault, Jr. (born 1958) is a marine biologist and businessman with a doctoral degree in oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
from the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
.