MACV Recondo School

[sfmike]

In January, 1968, I graduated from the MACV RECONDO School in Nha Trang, RVN. This school was the hardest school offered by the US Army. It was 20 days long and culminated with an actual Combat Mission!

RECONDO

One of the most prestigious qualifications that could be earned by soldiers during the Vietnam War was to graduate from the Recondo School.

The inspiration for the school was the successful Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) training program provided for personnel from Detachment B-52 of the 5th Special Forces Group (Project Delta). The Project Delta course was established in May 1964 and the effectiveness of its techniques quickly led to student application requests from regular Army units. By August 1966 soldiers from conventional units accounted for 52% of each class.

Cognisant of the success of Project Delta course, General William Westmoreland1 directed that Special Forces organize and conduct a three-week course of instruction on LRRP techniques for selected personnel from U.S and FWMAF2 units. The resulting MACV Recondo3 school was opened in Nha Trang by Westmoreland in September 1966 and Major Edward Rybat was named as its Assistant Commandant and Detachment Commander of the school staff4.

Student selection was deemed to be critical to the success of the LRRP program and a result the school implemented the following stringent selection criteria:

Each student must:

• Be a volunteer
• Possess a combat arms MOS (Military Occupational Speciality)
• Be in excellent physical condition
• Have a minimum of one month in-country
• Have six months remaining in Vietnam
• Have an actual or anticipated assignment to a LRRP unit
• Be proficient in general military subjects

Having been accepted each student was required to bring to the school three sets of Jungle Fatigues, three sets of underwear, three towels, two pairs of Jungle Boots and his M-16 or CAR-15 rifle. He was then issued with the following specialist equipment:



Amount

Type


1 each

STABO Harness


1 each

Navy KABAR Knife or
M-16 / CAR-15 Bayonet


1 each

First Aid Pack w/ Bandage


2 each

Morphine Injection


2 each

One Quart Canteen w/Cover and one bottle of Water Purification Tablets


2 each

M-16 Ammo Pouches


2 each

Fragmentation Grenades


1 each

Smoke Grenade


1 each

Smoke or CS Grenade


2 each

Snap link / D-Ring


1 each

6-foot rope Swiss-Seat (for rappelling)


1 set

Camouflage Jungle Uniform or Indigenous Tiger Stripe Uniform


1 each

Camouflage Jungle Hat


1 each

Indigenous Poncho


1 each

Ground Sheet


1 pair

Heavy Duty Leather Gloves


1 each

M18A1 Claymore Mine


each

Rations: Indigenous (VN), LRP (US), C (US)


18 each

M-16 Magazines


1 each

Indigenous Rucksack


1 bottle

Insect Repellent


1 each

Map with protective plastic wrapper


1 each

Notebook with protective plastic wrapper


1 each

Pill Kit containing:
12 Tablets: DARVON
12 Tablets: Codeine
6 Tablets: Dextroamphetamine
12 Tablets: Cold
8 Tablets: Chloroquine-Primaquine, Anti-Malaria
12 Tablets: Polymagma
24 Tablets: Tetracycline


1 set

Pen Flare gun


1 each

Signal Mirror


1 set

SOI (Signal Operation Instruction) with protective plastic wrapper


1 each

Lensatic Compass



After being suitably equipped students began a gruelling course of instruction that lasted 20-days and encompassed 310.5 hours of training,

De Oppresso Liber, & RLTW.

SFMike

 

[sfmike]

Recondo Cont.

 

[F.CASTLE]

This school was the hardest school offered by the US Army. It was 20 days long and culminated with an actual Combat Mission!

Sounds like the penultimate method of testing a students acquired knowledge... Talk about baptism by fire.

 

[beachgirl]

Thanks for sharing that. I like learning about SpOps training programs.

 

[Purple]

...MACV RECONDO School...This school was the hardest school offered by the US Army.

Ever hear of the MACVSOG 1-0 schools at Kham Duc and Long Thanh?

And so it goes...

Purple

 

[JustAnotherJ]

Very very cool. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Purple]

Here is an article from Green Beret magazine published circa 1970 by 5th SFGA in RVN.



Here's the cover of my copy of the MACVSOG 1-0 school's handbook from Long Thanh.



Purple

 

[sfmike]

Thanks for sharing this Purple!

 

[SimonPreacher]

I k is this is an old post and I am brand new to this forum, but am very interested in the MACV-SOG 1-0 training school carried out at the Long Thanh camp.

Was their a mix of students from CCN, CCC and CCS or was only for one CC.

As the Recondo handbook has been reissued, what sort of differences were there between this and let say the Jungle expert courses in Panama.

Thanks