CAP Môt: the story of a marine special forces unit in Vietnam, 1968-1969

The Marines’ Combined Action Platoon program—CAP—was one of the most innovative approaches to pacification used in Vietnam. From experience in other civil wars in Haiti, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, the Marine Corps believed that firepower alone would not subdue the enemy, that the people had to be won over. Consisting of a volunteer rifle squad, a Navy medical corpsman and a locally recruited platoon of Popular Forces (PF), the CAP lived among the villagers 24 hours a day for the express purpose of protecting and helping them to survive the dangers of their enemies. They also were to help them improve their health and their daily lives.Unlike other forces in Vietnam, the CAP forces did not arrive by helicopter in the morning and leave at night. The only time a CAP marine left the jungle was when he was rotating home, wounded or killed. They became part of village life and aided the local residents in many ways. The marines became familiar with the local terrain, could bring in heavy fire power when necessary, instilled discipline and confidence in the PF forces, and won the loyalty of many Vietnamese villagers.This book tells the story of Goodson’s personal experiences as a CAP Marine in the jungles of Vietnam.“I entered the CAP Marines with the misconception that I would be training a bunch of jungle natives who knew nothing about the methods and strategy of true combat. It took only a few short days... to realize that the person who really needed to listen and learn was yours truly... The Vietnamese... could spot booby traps on the darkest of nights. I learned from them to rely heavily on my own senses, to ferret out the enemy—to discover... that I could actually smell the presence of the enemy... Rumors had portrayed the South Vietnamese soldier as a weak, unreliable coward that no one could trust. I soon discovered that was far from the truth.” —from the PrefaceMore..... The Marines Combined Action Platoon programCAPwas one of the most innovative approaches to pacification used in Vietnam. From experience in other civil wars in Haiti, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, the Marine Corps believed that firepower alone would not subdue the enemy, that the people had to be won over. Consisting of a volunteer rifle squad, a Navy medical corpsman and a locally recruited platoon of Popular Forces (PF), the CAP lived among the villagers 24 hours a day for the express purpose of protecting and helping them to survive the dangers of their enemies. They also were to help them improve their health and their daily lives. Unlike other forces in Vietnam, the CAP forces did not arrive by helicopter in the morning and leave at night. The only time a CAP marine left the jungle was when he was rotating home, wounded or killed. They became part of village life and aided the local residents in many ways. The marines became familiar with the local terrain, could bring in heavy fire power when necessary, instilled discipline and confidence in the PF forces, and won the loyalty of many Vietnamese villagers. This book tells the story of Goodson's personal experiences as a CAP Marine in the jungles of Vietnam. Based on actual experiences during Barry Goodson's tour of duty in Vietnam from July of 1968 to June of 1969, CAP Mot is the riveting story of one Marine Special Forces unit: "CAP" for "Combined Action Program," and "Mot" for the word "one" in the Vietnamese language. A CAP unit was comprised of six to eight men who lived in the jungles of Vietnam with no firebase or compound for security. Their responsibilities were two-fold. They were to become involved in the everyday The ominous cloud of the reality of "Operation Mead River" was still shadowing me the day I received word that Top Sergeant Bentley wanted me to report to his quarters.