Overview of #276 — Nick Brokhausen: The Deadliest Stories From Vietnam with MACV‑SOG (Sean Ryan)
This episode features Nick Brokhausen — Green Beret, MACV‑SOG recon team veteran (RT Habu), author (We Few; Whispers in the Tall Grass; Vagabonds), and entrepreneur — in a long-form conversation with host Shawn Ryan. They cover Nick’s life from small‑town childhood through Marine and Army service, intensive Special Forces training, covert recon and “hatchet” missions inside Laos and North Vietnam, vivid combat stories (ambushes, bright lights, prisoner snatches, downed pilot recoveries), the human cost of war (PTSD, loss, survivor guilt), postwar life (Berlin, business, returning to Southeast Asia), and his writing/entertainment projects (a planned screen adaptation titled American Ronin).
Key topics covered
- Nick’s background: rural Midwest upbringing, early skills in woodscraft/trapping, draft into Marine Corps, later transfer to Army Special Forces.
- OSS history and Special Forces lineage: origins of OSS → CIA; argument to return to OSS‑style centralized unconventional warfare; proposed white paper recommendations for consolidation and standardization.
- Special Forces training and Q‑Course: phases of selection, survival, weapons/heavy‑weapons training, medic training, Methods of Instruction.
- MACV‑SOG structure and the scale of operations: small recon teams, Hatchet Force, high attrition, clandestine launches from remote sites, coordination with SEALs and CIA assets.
- Recon team life (RT Habu): team composition, Montagnard (“yards”) partners, mission tempo, tactics (linear recon, bright lights), weapons experimentation (sawed‑off RPDs, altered shotguns).
- Notable missions and anecdotes: the Ash Hill firefight; prisoner snatch that went wrong; downed pilot recoveries; bright light raids; recovery and loss stories.
- Combat effects: vivid sensory recall (noise, smell, gore), coping with killing and survivors’ guilt, nightmares and “ghost” memories.
- PTSD and treatment discussion: skepticism of some psychiatric approaches; personal positive experience with psychedelic‑assisted therapy (microdosing/ceremonial use of psilocybin, ibogaine, 5‑MeO‑DMT) and its effect on alcoholism and PTSD.
- Postwar life: difficulty reintegrating to U.S. civilian life; time in Berlin as recovery and resettlement; business ventures, environmental projects, and risky rescue/recovery work in global hotspots.
- Writing and media: books written for comrades and public; royalties and cult following; a planned streaming adaptation (American Ronin).
Major stories & vivid moments (highlights)
- Transition to SF and MACV‑SOG: Nick describes voluntary but brutal selection, then being assigned to RT Habu by recon company commander (Larry T. Manis).
- First recon mission (Ash Hill caldera): immediate heavy contact after insertion; intense close‑in fighting and rapid ammunition expenditure.
- Prisoner snatch: team captures a suspected intelligence officer; on lift, the bound captive breaks loose, bites/attacks an American on the sling and is killed — mission payment and morale ramifications.
- Downed aircrew recoveries: several insertions to retrieve survivors; horror of burned aircrew, traumatic rescue experiences.
- Weapon modifications: sawed‑off RPDs and custom coach‑gun loads (brass coins layered with buckshot) for jungle combat — practical adaptation to terrain and close fights.
- The monkey anecdote: CCN hooch monkey provokes the dogs; team "solves" the problem during a storm — a raw example of camp culture.
- Return trips to Vietnam: Nick went back twice — worked on an anaerobic waste/methane project and tracked down and aided former Montagnard teammates who'd been punished (arm amputations for SOG tattoos).
- Chechnya rescue: complex ISR and rescue operation involving Russians, isotopic tracking of medications, and Spetsnaz participation — example of international private security operations.
- Berlin healing: immersion in busy, multilingual life, counter‑surveillance work with German SEK units, motorcycles and chaotic “Messerschmitt” joyride (ended in river).
Notable insights & quotes
- On inter‑generational operators: “The same spirit, the same drive, the same professionalism is still there” — he lauds modern SOF innovation while noting some one‑dimensional mission specialization after Iraq/Afghanistan.
- On special operations organization: supports re‑centralizing special ops under an OSS‑style model to reduce redundancy, unify procurement, and empower decentralized action.
- On trauma care: personal endorsement of psychedelic‑assisted therapy — “It changed my life… I haven't had a drop of booze in almost four years” (Nick).
- On wartime brotherhood: “They were our family… we were stealing shit for them … At least give them a chance to fight” — speaks to obligation felt toward Montagnard/indigenous fighters.
- On returning home: “You have nothing in common with your high school friends… Charlottesville of decompression and shock” — succinctly captures veteran reintegration struggles.
Practical takeaways and recommendations
- Specialized units should preserve decentralized operational authority near the point of action; over‑centralization and service competition can hoard assets and reduce effectiveness in active theaters.
- Standardization (weapons, parts, procurement) reduces redundancy and logistical burdens — practical for modern SOF planning.
- Psychedelic‑assisted treatments (psilocybin, ibogaine, 5‑MeO‑DMT) show promise for PTSD and substance dependence and merit consideration in veteran care (though regulatory and controlled environments are required).
- Cultural and tribal partners (Montagnards, Sedang, Rade, etc.) proved indispensable; current policy and withdrawals should better account for allied non‑American forces at risk.
Books, projects & media to follow
- We Few: U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam (Nick Brokhausen) — memoir of MACV‑SOG.
- Whispers in the Tall Grass (sequel) — further accounts.
- Vagabonds — post‑service adventures and business/rescue stories.
- Planned screen adaptation: American Ronin (based on Vagabonds) — intended streaming series; projected writing/production timeline discussed (writing spring, filming possibly fall; release late 2026 if on schedule).
Who should listen and why
- Veterans, current SOF/LEO, policy wonks: for firsthand operational detail, lessons on joint unconventional warfare, and critique of SOF organizational structure.
- Military history readers: for granular MACV‑SOG mission accounts, team makeup, and equipment improvisation.
- General audience interested in human costs of war and comeback stories: for candid discussion on reintegration, PTSD, and postwar careers.
Final notes
- Tone: wide‑ranging, candid, often darkly funny, frequently graphic — Nick blends technical detail (weapons/tactics) with unvarnished human memory.
- Content warnings: descriptions of combat wounds, death, torture, sexual violence by insurgent groups, and frank discussion of drug use and trauma therapies.
- Episode value: long, oral‑history style interview that balances tactical specificity with hard personal lessons about trauma, loyalty, and adaptation — useful both as primary source testimony and for provocation on how we organize, support, and treat modern unconventional warriors.