Uncommon Valor is an uncommon 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 Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and USAF 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 NVA ammunition, attempting to rescue downed U.S. pilots, and other black ops missions.
In the event that SOG men were killed or captured while operating "across the fence," the U.S. government would deny any knowledge of their activity. In many cases, SOG teams were inserted by helicopter under enemy fire and were pursued by NVA trackers for days from the moment they first put boots on the jungle floor. The recon teams often engaged platoon to division-sized enemy forces until the surviving members could be extracted. Some entire teams were wiped out in the process. MACV-SOG documented in 1969 that their ratio of NVA soldiers killed to each Green Beret lost was 150 to 1-the highest documented kill ratio of any American unit in the war.
Uncommon Valor follows the recon company housed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) 2 at Kontum, from its creation in the spring of 1966 through January 1970. During that time, 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.
Each of the five Kontum Medal of Honor recipients was cited for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" while tending to the welfare of wounded comrades. Some of these five perished in the course of the mission for which they were later honored. 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.
Industry Reviews
Finalist for the 2018 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards. "No book is more aptly titled than Uncommon Valor: The Recon Company that Earned Five Medals of Honor and Included America's Most Decorated Green Beret. This is an in-depth analysis of the American warriors who staffed the most covert and unique small-unit operations of the Vietnam War.... Moore deserves high marks for interviewing more than 100 SOG operatives in the course of researching this book, which could easily serve as a subject for a score of movies or several TV series if we were not in a time of political correctness. It is a must-read for the serious student of unconventional warfare." --Association of the United States Army "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 "Uncommon Valor is a solid historical reference for anyone researching MACVSOG at Kontum, Forward Operation Base-Two (FOB-2), or U.S. Special Forces operating during the Vietnam War 'across the fence' in Laos or Cambodia.... Veterans of the MACV-SOG will find the stories in Uncommon Valor familiar because many of the descriptions and exploits of the men and their patrols could only have come from the men themselves in memoirs, personal interviews, and official reports. Academics will appreciate Uncommon Valor because Moore appropriately cites his details, and the appendix is a superb reference of the men assigned to FOB-2/CCC. The book has enough action for the armchair historian to make this book a true page-turner." --The Journal of Military History "The Special Forces world in Vietnam is often cloaked in secrecy even today; this work brings out their actions in clear, action-packed prose." --Military Heritage "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 "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.)
