The Viet Cong feared elite, highly effective Allied special forces, particularly the Australian SASR (called "Phantoms of the Jungle") and U.S. Navy SEALs (the "men with green faces"), due to their stealth, ambush tactics, high kill ratios, and effectiveness in deep reconnaissance, often leading to orders to avoid them at all costs, alongside fears of the sheer ferocity of South Korean forces, known for their brutal efficiency, according to a Facebook post and Wikipedia.
TIL That during the Vietnam War, the most feared soldiers by the Vietcong were not US Navy Seals but Australian SASR. The VC referred to SEAL's as "The men with Green faces" whereas SASR known as "The Phantoms of the Jungle.
The most feared American soldier in the Vietnam War, especially by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong, was arguably Master Sergeant Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver, a legendary MACV-SOG operator known for his relentless aggression, skill, and near-superhuman ability in deep reconnaissance, with the NVA even putting a bounty on him. Other figures like sniper Carlos Hathcock and Medal of Honor recipient Roy Benavidez also became symbols of fear and legendary status due to their extreme bravery and lethality.
Calling them the “men with green faces” because of the face camouflage they used, the VC feared SEALs and often put bounties on their heads. After about six years of heavy involvement in Vietnam, the relatively small group of SEALs accounted for 600 confirmed VC killed and 300 more almost certainly killed.
German soldiers generally held a mix of fear, deep respect, and admiration for Australian troops in both World Wars, recognizing them as exceptionally tough, cunning, and tenacious fighters, with figures like Erwin Rommel praising their fighting spirit and describing them as magnificent in attack and defense, though some German press also dismissed them as a small population incapable of sustaining a major war effort.
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel held great respect for Australian soldiers, viewing them as tough, skilled, and formidable fighters, especially in attack, famously stating he'd use Australians to take hell and New Zealanders to hold it, though some historians question the exact phrasing while confirming his admiration for their fighting prowess in North Africa, documented in his letters.
WW2 soldiers carried condoms primarily for disease prevention (STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea) and for practical combat uses, such as keeping sand and mud out of their rifle barrels, protecting small items, or even as makeshift waterproof bags, although the weapon-protection use is sometimes exaggerated in popular culture. The military distributed them widely (often in "prophylactic kits") to maintain troop strength, recognizing the significant manpower lost to venereal diseases in past conflicts.
While most people haven't heard of them, MACV-SOG was an elite organization tasked with the Vietnam War's most dangerous missions.
Own Your 3-Foot Space In Navy SEAL training, there's a simple but profound principle: Own your 3-foot space. It means focusing on what's directly within your control—your actions, your attitude, your effort—no matter how chaotic the environment around you becomes.
As the most common cause of death outside the first 24 hours in Vietnam was secondary to sepsis, understanding the bacteriology of war wounds was of vital importance.
Roy Benavidez: Unkillable Vietnam War Hero.
Before his iconic starring role on on "Magnum, P.I.," Tom Selleck served as an infantry soldier in the Army National Guard during the Vietnam War.
On 2 May 1968, Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.
Collectively the United States often called them the Viet Cong. It was commonly shortened to VC, which in military alphabet code was spoken as Victor Charlie. It was further shortened to just Charlie. American soldiers called them Charlie, they called themselves liberators.
The US army had superior conventional weapons but they were ineffective against a country that was not industrialized and an army which employed guerrilla tactics and used the dense jungle as cover.
A prime example is the box breathing technique, famously used by the Navy Seals, known as the 4-4-4-4 method. This simple yet effective method involves a cycle of inhaling for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 4 seconds, exhaling for 4 seconds, and then pausing for 4 seconds before the next inhalation.
Yes, the 8-minute Navy SEAL nap is a real, popular power-napping technique popularized by former SEAL Jocko Willink, involving elevating your legs above your heart for about 8-10 minutes to achieve quick alertness and energy without grogginess, by improving circulation and promoting relaxation for a fast reset. While not a replacement for full sleep, it's used to combat fatigue during intense schedules.
The idea is that when your mind tells you you're done and can't go any further, you are only at about 40% of your actual capacity. Push for that extra 60% when your mind is telling you to quit, that you're “at your limit.” Because you're most likely not.
Vietnam's Deadliest Sniper Carlos Hathcock May 20, 1942 -Feb 22 1999 American soldier. Regarded as the deadliest sniper of the Vietnam War. He has 93 confirmed kills and an estimated 300-400 total kills.
Neither SAS nor SBS is definitively "more elite"; they are equally elite but specialized, with the SAS focusing on land/air and the SBS on maritime/amphibious roles, both part of the UK's UK Special Forces (UKSF) and sharing the same rigorous Joint Special Forces Selection process, with SBS adding extra maritime training like swimmer-canoeist skills. Think of them as the Army's and Navy's top-tier counterparts within the same elite special forces framework.
What drugs did soldiers use in the Vietnam War? According to a 1971 report by the Department of Defense, 51 percent of the armed forces had smoked marijuana, 31 percent had used psychedelics, such as LSD, mescaline and psilocybin mushrooms, and an additional 28 percent had taken hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin.
'Bad' girls have always known how to look after themselves. Barrier methods were always very popular. A halved, emptied lemon skin placed over the cervix worked well, for example, as did sponges soaked in natural spermicides such as vinegar.
By the end of the war, approximately 7,000 of the 10,500 SIS staff were female. These women on the home front contributed to the Allied victory by successfully breaking codes and deciphering enemy messages. The women cryptologists were held to strict secrecy and would become one of the best-kept secrets of WWII.
The Bible literally has zero to say on condoms.