President Reagan Told Elite Operator: I Didn't Know We Had People That Did This
"I had to brief the chief of staff of the army and the navy and President Reagan. They had the mission things from the Korean government with all the stuff that how far we jumped and all that. Reagan came, shook my hand and said I just didn't know we had people that did this stuff. I said I know. Because we were told if something happens, you know, it's plausible deniability. The only proof that I have it was on my OER and EER."
About this episode
John Striker Meyer interviews John Trantanella, a decorated Special Forces operator who participated in the second of only five combat HALO jumps conducted during SOG operations in Vietnam. Trantanella recounts the harrowing May 7, 1971 mission into Laos near the A Shau Valley where team member No Gas was catastrophically injured when toe poppers in his rucksack exploded upon landing, destroying half his buttocks. Trantanella saved Gas by rigging himself underneath as a human stretcher during helicopter extraction. The interview reveals Trantanella's unconventional entry into military service when his Pawnee-Chippewa grandmother had police handcuff the 18-year-old gang member and force him to enlist. His 22-year career included training Indonesian forces after they expelled Soviet advisors, classified missions training Korean CIA operatives using unmarked black aircraft for deniable infiltrations, and personally briefing President Reagan who expressed surprise that such covert capabilities existed. Trantanella accumulated approximately 2,900 freefall jumps and trained elite operators from multiple nations including the current King of Thailand. He describes technical innovations in HALO operations, near-fatal parachute malfunctions, and the extreme compartmentalization of Cold War special operations. The interview provides rare insight into SOG's most elite missions and the subsequent covert training programs that extended American special operations influence across Asia during the Cold War era.
Key takeaways
- John Trantanella participated in the second of only five combat HALO jumps in SOG history on May 7, 1971, jumping from 18,500 feet into Laos with unmarked equipment for plausible deniability
- Team member No Gas suffered catastrophic injuries when toe poppers exploded in his rucksack on landing, destroying his left buttock; Trantanella saved him by serving as a human stretcher during extraction
- Trantanella's Pawnee-Chippewa grandmother had police handcuff the 18-year-old gang member and force him to Army recruiting offices, launching his 22-year Special Forces career
- In 1985-86, Trantanella led classified missions training Korean CIA operatives using completely unmarked black C-130s, helicopters with no identification numbers, and civilian clothes for deniable infiltrations
- Trantanella personally briefed President Reagan on covert Korean operations; Reagan stated he didn't know such capabilities existed, revealing extreme compartmentalization of Cold War special operations
- Over his career Trantanella accumulated 2,900 freefall jumps and trained elite forces from multiple nations including current Thai King, Indonesian military, and Israeli and Lebanese officers
- Trantanella describes technical evolution from MC-1 round parachutes to square parachutes and innovations in HALO training including wind tunnel facilities that revolutionized instruction