Overview

Uncommon Valor is a look into the formation and operation of an advanced Special Forces recon company during the Vietnam War. Code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG was the most covert U.S. military unit in its time and contained only volunteers from such elite units as the Army's Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and Air Force Air Commandos. SOG warriors operated in small teams, going behind enemy lines in Laos and Cambodia and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, tasked with performing special reconnaissance, sabotaging North Vietnamese Army ammunition, attempting to rescue downed U.S. pilots, and other black ops missions. During that time, Forward Operating Base-2's (FOB-2's) recon company became the most highly decorated unit of the Vietnam War, with five of its men earning the Medal of Honor and eight earning the Distinguished Service Cross-America's second highest military award for valor. Purple Hearts were earned by SOG veterans at a pace unparalleled in American wars of the twentieth century, with casualties at times exceeding 100 percent. One, Bob Howard, was wounded on fourteen different occasions, received eight Purple Hearts, was written up after three different missions for the Medal of Honor, and emerged from Vietnam as the most highly decorated soldier since World War II's Audie Murphy.

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9781591145745

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Reviews

By interviewing more than 100 veterans during his research, Moore has compiled a rare snapshot into the daily combat operations of a Special Forces forward operating base. The United States government denied SOG's existence until awarding us the Presidential Unit Citation in 2001 for 'unheralded top secret missions behind enemy lines across Southeast Asia.' Fast-paced and exciting, Uncommon Valor finally reveals the patriotism and raw courage displayed by so many of my brothers-in-arms, including five who earned the Medal of Honor. --Warren W. Bud Williams, Major, USA (Ret.) Steve Moore's new SOG book Uncommon Valor is well researched, well written, and is a must-read for any Special Forces warrior or SOG historian/afficionado. --John Stryker Meyer, SOG Green Beret, One-Zero of RT Idaho, and author of Across the Fence

Stephen L. Moore's Uncommon Valor is a triumph -- a masterfully researched narrative filled with tremendous characters and firefights that will send readers' pulse rates soaring from the first page. --James M. Scott, author of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist Target Tokyo and Rampage By interviewing more than 100 veterans during his research, Moore has compiled a rare snapshot into the daily combat operations of a Special Forces forward operating base. The United States government denied SOG's existence until awarding us the Presidential Unit Citation in 2001 for 'unheralded top secret missions behind enemy lines across Southeast Asia.' Fast-paced and exciting, Uncommon Valor finally reveals the patriotism and raw courage displayed by so many of my brothers-in-arms, including five who earned the Medal of Honor. --Warren W. Bud Williams, Major, USA (Ret.) Steve Moore's new SOG book Uncommon Valor is well researched, well written, and is a must-read for any Special Forces warrior or SOG historian/afficionado. --John Stryker Meyer, SOG Green Beret, One-Zero of RT Idaho, and author of Across the Fence

Stephen L. Moore reminds his readers that war is so much more than black and white and invites us into the daily life of what it was like to be selected for this elite Kontum based recon company.... Reading through this book is like being allowed to sit in on the interviews themselves: there are no filters and no barriers between you and the warriors. What you see is what they got. Being able to have such an inside look on such a top-secret organization is something of a rarity. --DEFENSE.info Uncommon Valor: The Recon Company That Earned Five Medals of Honor and Included America's Most Decorated Green Beret is a Vietnam War history book for the ages.... It's highly informative.... Even those familiar with SOG might be enlightened by the insights provided by Moore's nearly one hundred interviewees. --The VVA Veteran Stephen L. Moore's Uncommon Valor is a triumph -- a masterfully researched narrative filled with tremendous characters and firefights that will send readers' pulse rates soaring from the first page. --James M. Scott, author of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist Target Tokyo and Rampage By interviewing more than 100 veterans during his research, Moore has compiled a rare snapshot into the daily combat operations of a Special Forces forward operating base. The United States government denied SOG's existence until awarding us the Presidential Unit Citation in 2001 for 'unheralded top secret missions behind enemy lines across Southeast Asia.' Fast-paced and exciting, Uncommon Valor finally reveals the patriotism and raw courage displayed by so many of my brothers-in-arms, including five who earned the Medal of Honor. --Warren W. Bud Williams, Major, USA (Ret.) Steve Moore's new SOG book Uncommon Valor is well researched, well written, and is a must-read for any Special Forces warrior or SOG historian/afficionado. --John Stryker Meyer, SOG Green Beret, One-Zero of RT Idaho, and author of Across the Fence

Finalist for the 2018 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards. Stephen L. Moore reminds his readers that war is so much more than black and white and invites us into the daily life of what it was like to be selected for this elite Kontum based recon company.... Reading through this book is like being allowed to sit in on the interviews themselves: there are no filters and no barriers between you and the warriors. What you see is what they got. Being able to have such an inside look on such a top-secret organization is something of a rarity. --DEFENSE.info Uncommon Valor: The Recon Company That Earned Five Medals of Honor and Included America's Most Decorated Green Beret is a Vietnam War history book for the ages.... It's highly informative.... Even those familiar with SOG might be enlightened by the insights provided by Moore's nearly one hundred interviewees. --The VVA Veteran Stephen L. Moore's Uncommon Valor is a triumph -- a masterfully researched narrative filled with tremendous characters and firefights that will send readers' pulse rates soaring from the first page. --James M. Scott, author of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist Target Tokyo and Rampage By interviewing more than 100 veterans during his research, Moore has compiled a rare snapshot into the daily combat operations of a Special Forces forward operating base. The United States government denied SOG's existence until awarding us the Presidential Unit Citation in 2001 for 'unheralded top secret missions behind enemy lines across Southeast Asia.' Fast-paced and exciting, Uncommon Valor finally reveals the patriotism and raw courage displayed by so many of my brothers-in-arms, including five who earned the Medal of Honor. --Warren W. Bud Williams, Major, USA (Ret.) Steve Moore's new SOG book Uncommon Valor is well researched, well written, and is a must-read for any Special Forces warrior or SOG historian/afficionado. --John Stryker Meyer, SOG Green Beret, One-Zero of RT Idaho, and author of Across the Fence

Author Information

Stephen L. Moore, a sixth generation Texan, is the author of 18 previous books on World War II and Texas history and is a contributing writer for the Dallas Morning News. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he studied advertising, marketing, and journalism. Steve lives north of Dallas in Lantana, Texas, with his wife and three children.

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