Tiger Force
Encyclopedia
Tiger Force was a task force
of the United States Army
, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division
, which fought in the Vietnam War
.
The platoon-sized unit, approximately 45 paratroopers was founded by Colonel David Hackworth in November 1965 to "outguerrilla the guerrillas." Tiger Force was a highly decorated unit, and paid for its reputation with heavy casualties. In October 1968, Tiger Force's parent battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation
by President Lyndon B. Johnson
, which included a mention of Tiger Force's service at Dak To
in June 1966.
In October 2003, the Toledo Blade
reported on members of the Tiger Force unit, alleging that they had committed numerous war crime
s, murdering, raping, and mutilating large numbers of noncombatant women and children.
, a reporter at the Toledo Blade
newspaper, obtained unreleased, confidential records of U.S. Army commander Henry Tufts. One file in these records referred to a previously unpublished war crimes investigation known as the Coy Allegation. To investigate this further, Sallah obtained access to a large collection of documents produced by the investigation held at the National Archives
in College Park, MD.
Sallah found that between 1971 and 1975 the Army's Criminal Investigation Command had investigated the Tiger Force unit for alleged war crimes committed between May and November 1967. The documents included sworn statements from many Tiger Force veterans, which detailed war crimes allegedly committed by Tiger Force members during the Song Ve Valley and Operation Wheeler
military campaigns. The statements, from both individuals who allegedly participated in the war crimes and those that did not, described war crimes such as the following:
The investigators concluded that many of the war crimes indeed took place. Despite this, the Army decided not to pursue any prosecutions.
For instance, when Capt. Harold McGaha first landed in the Operations area where the Tigers were waiting, he was taken aback. He noticed that several were wearing what he recognized as human ears. It wasn’t a secret at the base that some soldiers were mutilating bodies. This was not isolated to Tiger Force, but according to some reports, occurred to varying degrees in other Army infantry and Marine units.
Violence and murder were both recognized and encouraged by military officials. Col. Morse ordered troops to rack in a body count of 327 casualties in order to match the battalions infantry designation, 327th, however by the end of the campaign soldiers were congratulated for their 1000th kill.
Many members of Tiger Force and other military groups would attempt to resist from the spread of violence against Vietnamese locals. In fact, many soldiers would turn on their team members in order to prevent one from massacring unarmed individuals. Those who would protect locals from being murdered or mutilated could receive punishment from a corporal officer and possibly be ordered to seek psychiatric aid. Many soldiers who were opposed to the violence they were forced to spread had debated reporting their actions to higher officials, many did not out of fear of what their team leaders would do to them.
After studying the documents, Sallah and fellow reporter Mitch Weiss located and interviewed dozens of veterans who served in Tiger Force during the period in question as well as the CID investigators who later carried out the Army's inquiry. The reporters also traveled to Vietnam and tracked down numerous residents of Song Ve Valley who identified themselves as witnesses. Sallah and Weiss reported that the war crimes were corroborated by both veterans and Song Ve Valley residents. The reporters also managed to track down dozens of additional investigative records not included in the National Archives.
In October 2003, the reporters published their findings in a series of articles in the Toledo Blade. Subsequently, the New York Times performed their own investigation, contacting a few Tiger Force veterans and corroborating the Toledo Blade's findings.
Since the Toledo Blade story, the United States Army
has opened a review of the former Tiger Force investigation, but has not yet provided much additional information. On May 11, 2004, Lt. Col. Pamela Hart informed Toledo Blade reporters that she had been too busy responding to prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers in Iraq
to check on the status of the Tiger Force case. The Toledo Blade has not reported on any more recent updates from the U.S. Army.
Reporters Michael D. Sallah
, Mitch Weiss
and Joe Mahr
received multiple awards for their series:
In 2006, Sallah, now an investigative reporter with The Miami Herald, and Weiss, an investigative reporter with The Associated Press, co-authored a book chronicling their findings: Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War (Little, Brown and Company).
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
, which fought in the Vietnam War
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...
.
The platoon-sized unit, approximately 45 paratroopers was founded by Colonel David Hackworth in November 1965 to "outguerrilla the guerrillas." Tiger Force was a highly decorated unit, and paid for its reputation with heavy casualties. In October 1968, Tiger Force's parent battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
by President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, which included a mention of Tiger Force's service at Dak To
Dak To
Đắk Tô is a village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and in the so-called "tri-border" area where the borders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia all come together. Located just north of the Vietnamese town of Tan Canh , Dak To is populated by a Montagnard tribal people known as the Degar...
in June 1966.
In October 2003, the Toledo Blade
The Blade (newspaper)
The Blade is a daily newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, first published on December 19, 1835.- Overview :David Ross Locke gained national fame for the paper during the Civil War era by writing under the pen name Petroleum V. Nasby. Writing under the pen name, Locke wrote satires ranging on topics from...
reported on members of the Tiger Force unit, alleging that they had committed numerous war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s, murdering, raping, and mutilating large numbers of noncombatant women and children.
Investigations of war crimes
In December 2002, Michael D. SallahMichael D. Sallah
Michael D. Sallah is a Pulitzer Prize- winning American investigative journalist from Toledo, Ohio.-Life:He graduated from St. John's Jesuit High School and the University of Toledo, where he obtained his undergraduate degree in journalism....
, a reporter at the Toledo Blade
The Blade (newspaper)
The Blade is a daily newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, first published on December 19, 1835.- Overview :David Ross Locke gained national fame for the paper during the Civil War era by writing under the pen name Petroleum V. Nasby. Writing under the pen name, Locke wrote satires ranging on topics from...
newspaper, obtained unreleased, confidential records of U.S. Army commander Henry Tufts. One file in these records referred to a previously unpublished war crimes investigation known as the Coy Allegation. To investigate this further, Sallah obtained access to a large collection of documents produced by the investigation held at the National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
in College Park, MD.
Sallah found that between 1971 and 1975 the Army's Criminal Investigation Command had investigated the Tiger Force unit for alleged war crimes committed between May and November 1967. The documents included sworn statements from many Tiger Force veterans, which detailed war crimes allegedly committed by Tiger Force members during the Song Ve Valley and Operation Wheeler
Wheeler wallawa
Operation Wheeler/Wallowa was an operation during the Vietnam War. It was an offensive on the part of the Americans, of which the My Lai Massacre by a platoon led by Lt William Calley was part....
military campaigns. The statements, from both individuals who allegedly participated in the war crimes and those that did not, described war crimes such as the following:
- the routine torture and execution of prisoners
- the routine practice of intentionally killing unarmed Vietnamese villagers including men, women, children, and elderly people
- the routine practice of cutting off and collecting the ears of victims
- the practice of wearing necklaces composed of human ears
- the practice of cutting off and collecting the scalps of victims
- incidents where soldiers would plant weapons on murdered Vietnamese villagers
- an incident where a young mother was drugged, raped, and then executed
- an incident where a soldier killed a baby and cut off his or her head after the baby's mother was killed
The investigators concluded that many of the war crimes indeed took place. Despite this, the Army decided not to pursue any prosecutions.
For instance, when Capt. Harold McGaha first landed in the Operations area where the Tigers were waiting, he was taken aback. He noticed that several were wearing what he recognized as human ears. It wasn’t a secret at the base that some soldiers were mutilating bodies. This was not isolated to Tiger Force, but according to some reports, occurred to varying degrees in other Army infantry and Marine units.
Violence and murder were both recognized and encouraged by military officials. Col. Morse ordered troops to rack in a body count of 327 casualties in order to match the battalions infantry designation, 327th, however by the end of the campaign soldiers were congratulated for their 1000th kill.
Many members of Tiger Force and other military groups would attempt to resist from the spread of violence against Vietnamese locals. In fact, many soldiers would turn on their team members in order to prevent one from massacring unarmed individuals. Those who would protect locals from being murdered or mutilated could receive punishment from a corporal officer and possibly be ordered to seek psychiatric aid. Many soldiers who were opposed to the violence they were forced to spread had debated reporting their actions to higher officials, many did not out of fear of what their team leaders would do to them.
After studying the documents, Sallah and fellow reporter Mitch Weiss located and interviewed dozens of veterans who served in Tiger Force during the period in question as well as the CID investigators who later carried out the Army's inquiry. The reporters also traveled to Vietnam and tracked down numerous residents of Song Ve Valley who identified themselves as witnesses. Sallah and Weiss reported that the war crimes were corroborated by both veterans and Song Ve Valley residents. The reporters also managed to track down dozens of additional investigative records not included in the National Archives.
In October 2003, the reporters published their findings in a series of articles in the Toledo Blade. Subsequently, the New York Times performed their own investigation, contacting a few Tiger Force veterans and corroborating the Toledo Blade's findings.
Since the Toledo Blade story, the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
has opened a review of the former Tiger Force investigation, but has not yet provided much additional information. On May 11, 2004, Lt. Col. Pamela Hart informed Toledo Blade reporters that she had been too busy responding to prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers in Iraq
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
to check on the status of the Tiger Force case. The Toledo Blade has not reported on any more recent updates from the U.S. Army.
Reporters Michael D. Sallah
Michael D. Sallah
Michael D. Sallah is a Pulitzer Prize- winning American investigative journalist from Toledo, Ohio.-Life:He graduated from St. John's Jesuit High School and the University of Toledo, where he obtained his undergraduate degree in journalism....
, Mitch Weiss
Mitch Weiss
Mitchell S. Weiss is an American investigative journalist, and editor of the Charlotte Observer. He won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, with Joe Mahr and Michael D. Sallah.-Life:...
and Joe Mahr
Joe Mahr
Joe Mahr is an American investigative journalist, who won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.-Life:He was born in Genoa, Ohio and attended Genoa Area High School and the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University, where he obtained his undergraduate degree in journalism.In 2004,...
received multiple awards for their series:
- In 2003, the reporters won the IREInvestigative Reporters and EditorsInvestigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the quality of investigative reporting. Formed in 1975, it presents the IRE Awards and holds conferences and training classes for journalists. Its headquarters is in Columbia, Missouri, at the University of...
Medal for medium newspapers. - In 2003, the reporters won the Sigma Delta Chi AwardSigma Delta Chi AwardThe Sigma Delta Chi Awards are presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists for excellence in journalism.- History :The Awards, according to the SPJ, did not begin in 1932 when the society chose six individuals for their contributions to journalism. In 1939 the awards program began...
for investigative reporting, for publications with a circulation of 100,000 or greater. - In 2004, the reporters won the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Newspapers.
- In 2004, the reporters won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative ReportingPulitzer Prize for Investigative ReportingThe Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting has been awarded since 1953, under one name or another, for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series in print journalism...
.
In 2006, Sallah, now an investigative reporter with The Miami Herald, and Weiss, an investigative reporter with The Associated Press, co-authored a book chronicling their findings: Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War (Little, Brown and Company).
Partial list of Members 1965-1969
- Lt. Col. David Hackworth, unit founder
- Lt. Col. Harold Austin
- Lt. Col. Joseph Collins
- Lt. Col. Gerald Morse (radiocall = Ghost Rider, retired in 1979) Battalion commander, and not an actual member of the team.
- Capt. Carl James
- Capt. Harold McGaha
- Capt. Bradford Mutchler
- Lt. Gary Forbes
- Lt. James HawkinsJames HawkinsJames Hawkins, from Maysville, Kentucky, was a Battlefield commissioned Second lieutenant and field operations leader of the United States Army Tiger Force commando unit, 1st Battalion , 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade , 101st Airborne Division, during the Vietnam War...
- Lt. James A. GardnerJames A. GardnerJames Alton Gardner was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
(awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
, posthumously) killed in actionKilled in actionKilled in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
, before any of the controversial events - Lt. William F. KernanWilliam F. KernanGeneral William F. "Buck" Kernan was born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He was commissioned in November 1968 from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He holds a bachelor's degree in History, and a master's degree in Personnel Administration. His military education includes the...
- Lt. Stephen Naughton
- Lt. Edward Sanders
- Lt. Donald Wood (whistleblowerWhistleblowerA whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
) - Ssg. John G. GertschJohn G. GertschJohn Gary Gertsch was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
(awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
, posthumously) killed in action - Sgt. James Barnett
- Sgt. Gerald Bruner (whistleblower)
- Sgt. Robert Diaz
- Sgt. William Doyle
- Sgt. Benjamin Edge
- Sgt. Charles Fulton
- Sgt. Kenneth Green
- SFC. Terry Gammage
- Sgt. James Haugh
- Sgt. Leo Heaney
- Sgt. Eric Walker (Implicated in leading nearly all controversial events) missing in action
- Sgt. Ervin Lee
- Sgt. Forrest Miller
- Sgt. Ernest Moreland
- Sgt. Domingo Munoz
- Sgt. Terry Lee Oakden
- Sgt. Cleve Rose {before any controversial events}
- Sgt. Manuel Sanchez Jr.
- Sgt. Harold Trout
- Sgt. Robin Varney
- Spc. Barry Bowman
- Spc. Lonnie Butts (awarded the Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
, posthumously) killed in action, before any of the controversial events - Spc. William Carpenter (whistleblower)
- Spc. Jean Louis Soucy
- Pvt. Michael Allums
- Pvt. Edward Beck
- Pvt. Rion CauseyRion CauseyRion Causey was born in Perry, Georgia, USA, and is presently a scientist and manager at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California....
(whistleblower) - Pvt. Daniel Clint
- Pvt. James Cogan
- Pvt. John Colligan
- Pvt. Harold Fischer III
- Pvt. Jerry Ingram
- Pvt. Kenneth Kerney (whistleblower)
- Pvt. Terrence Kerrigan
- Pvt. Gary Kornatowski
- Pvt. Ralph Mayhew
- Pvt. James Messer
- Pvt. Cecil Peden
- Pvt. Floyd Sawyer
- Pvt. Douglas Teeters
- Pvt. Sam YbarraSam YbarraSam Ybarra was a private in the United States' Tiger Force commando unit, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War.He was raised in Arizona by his Apache mother from the age of five, when his Mexican American father was killed in a brawl...
- Pvt. Jim Raysor
- Joseph Evans
- Platoon Medic Larry Cottingham
- Spec. Richard Russell (awarded 3 bronze stars 1 for valor, 4 purple hearts, army commendation medal and good conduct medal)
- PFC - Sterling Craig Hendricks, Bronze Star, Purple heart, KIA April 19, 1967
- Spec. Dallas rogers (awarded 2 purple hearts, Bronze Star, Arcom medal.)
See also
- Phoenix ProgramPhoenix ProgramThe Phoenix Program |phoenix]]) was a controversial counterinsurgency program designed, coordinated, and executed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency , United States special operations forces, and the Republic of Vietnam's security apparatus during the Vietnam War that operated...
- Operation Speedy ExpressOperation Speedy ExpressOperation Speedy Express was a controversial United States military operation of the Vietnam War conducted in the Mekong Delta provinces Kien Hoa and Vinh Binh...
- Former United States special operations unitsFormer United States special operations unitsFormer United States special operations units are disbanded or otherwise inactive unconventional warfare units of the United States military. Most units were created to fulfill specific duties within a particular conflict, and were disbanded once that conflict ended...
- Vietnam War Crimes Working Group FilesVietnam War Crimes Working Group FilesThe Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files is a collection of documents compiled by Pentagon in the early 1970s during Army investigations into atrocities by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. They detail 320 alleged incidents that were substantiated by United States Army investigators — not...
- War crimes committed by the United StatesWar crimes committed by the United StatesThe United States of America has been accused of committing war crimes at various points throughout its history. Most, but not all contemporary war crimes are defined by the International Criminal Court , the Geneva Conventions, and the associated laws of war under international law...
External links
- Toledo Blade newspaper's investigative report
- Tiger Force veterans' website
- Michael Sallah interviewed on Democracy Now!
- Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss interviewed on NPR's Talk of the Nation
- Michael Sallah interviewed on NPR's On The Media
- Interview with Sallah and Weiss at the Pritzker Military LibraryPritzker Military LibraryThe Pritzker Military Library is a research library for the study of military history in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 2003 by COL James N. Pritzker, IL ARNG to be a non-partisan institution for the study of "the citizen soldier as an essential element for the preservation of...