COL (Ret.) William S. Reeder is a legendary aviator who has made contributions to survival, evasion, resistance, escape (SERE) training and the attack helicopter community. His 30-year career included two combat tours in Vietnam flying armed OV-1 Mohawk reconnaissance airplanes and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters.
On May 9, 1972, he was leading a team of AH-1 Cobras supporting two Vietnamese ranger battalions and their American advisors. He was shot down, his co-pilot/gunner killed. Severely wounded, he evaded the enemy but was eventually captured spending nearly a year as a prisoner of war (POW).
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My father was a SPUD and flew these missions a few years after COL Reeder, though, my father’s Mohawk’s were not armed. It sounds like COL Reeder was there at the beginning of this program in Vietnam. My father knew many of the same people COL Reeder talks about in the book. I am even named after “The Astronaut”!
My father was there at the end and helped to shut down the unit at the end of the war – he turned out the lights when they left. Great podcast and book! I shared both with my father. He and I are now having great conversations about his experiences in this Secret War. It would be really interesting to hear Jocko interview my father about his experiences and how the unit shut down in 1972 as the war was winding down.
Colonel Reeder was not only an outstanding pilot, but also a model of resilience and resilience in difficult circumstances. His contributions to the SERE program helped thousands of service members better prepare for dangerous situations in war.
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That’s an incredible story of resilience. Hearing about Col. Reeder’s experiences makes you appreciate the training and skills involved in those high-pressure situations. It almost sounds like something you’d see in a wild, fast-paced game, something totally different, like a chicken jockey clicker, but obviously with much higher stakes.