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50s Frogs
Magazine Vol 12
Page 2
Provincial
Reconnaissance Units
CDR Roger
Clapp, USN Retired
In 1962 SEAL Team ONE and Two were established. Almost immediately, SEAL Team One began providing advisors to the Biet Hai, the Junk Force of
Vietnam.
It was not until 1966 that SEALs were deployed to Viet Nam to conduct direct action mission. After somewhat of
a slow start, SEAL platoons went on to become very successful in
defeating Viet Cong. In fact, they were so successful that General
Westmoreland referred to the SEAL
platoons
as being "most effective fighting force in my command."
In addition to the SEAL platoons, SEALs served as advisors in a number of Vietnamese
forces such as the LDNN's (the Vietnamese SEALs), Bien Hai, and the Kit Carson Scouts. While some were more |
successful than others, there is one group that SEALs advised that was more successful.
This unit is rarely written about because
it was managed and funded by the CIA. This Group was the Provincial
Reconnaissance Unit or more commonly referred to as PRUs. Many people,
especially those who were involved with both feel that the PRUs were much
more successful than the SEAL Platoons.
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