operation BLACKJACK 22 information
for A-219 SF DET
marathon patrol
MGF
From date 661210 to 670112
A-219 SF DET was a US Army unit
MGF was a Civilian Irregular Defense Group unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation BLACKJACK 22
South Vietnam
Location, Buon Mi Ga
Description: This was the second BLACKJACK or mobile guerrilla operation and comprised 12 Special Forces, 6 interpreters, and 173 Montagnards with the Special Forces A-219 Detachment. At 0430H on 9 January, the enemy attacked the patrol base. Although they had the upper hand, their poor marksmanship enabled the SF troops to hold their ground and rally their Montagnards. After sustaining several wounded, the force broke radio silence and requested medevac support. After a 90 minute cross-jungle trek, they reached an LZ. As the evacuation helicopters started to descent, it came under enemy machine gun fire. The ground unit suppressed the fire and the wounded were extracted. Within the next few days, the force determined that it was in the middle of an enemy stronghold and that the enemy was massing forces against it. On the 12th, helicopters extracted the force under the cover of A-1E airstrikes. This operation was the "marathon patrol" in S.L.A. Marshall's Ambush book.
The source for this information was Green Berets at War P:266+
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023