Harold Charles WhittakerStaff SergeantDET B-50, 5TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP, SPECIAL FORCES Army of the United States 19 March 1937 - 29 February 1968 Scituate, Massachusetts Panel 42E Line 012 |
 
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The database page for Harold Charles Whittaker
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Uncle to
William (Billy) G. Miller (deceased Dec 1987)
Harold (Hap) Miller (deceased Feb 2000)
and myself,
Our Father, 2 Feb 2005
Uncle Chuck participated in Operation Daniel Boone,
From a nephew, From a nephew, Scott Miller juno588@yahoo.com |
A Note from The Virtual WallAlthough by the beginning of 1967 the North Vietnamese Army controlled much of eastern Cambodia, the US political leadership continued to be sensitive to the international accords which "guaranteed" Cambodian neutrality. These two concerns - the undeniable North Vietnamese control of the border region in Cambodia and the American political sensitivity - collided at the SVN-Cambodian border itself. The military recognized that unless NVN/VC activities in Cambodia could be disrupted there was little hope for military success, while American sensitivity to increasing numbers of American casualties forced the political leadership to recognize that something had to be done. "Daniel Boone" was the answer.On 22 May 1967 the Pentagon authorized limited cross-border operations into the northeast corner of Cambodia, using US-South VN Special Forces, in a program code-named �Daniel Boone� which started on 01 June 1967. Run out of the 5th Special Forces' Detachment B-50 (known as Project Omega), by year's end 99 long-range reconnaissance patrols had been conducted along the border region. Of those, 63 were conducted in Cambodia. "Daniel Boone" patrols were not expected to engage in overt combat with NVA/VC troops - although as a matter of self-defense they very frequently did - but rather to collect intelligence on enemy activities. The intelligence data was then used to target other forces against enemy camps and supply lines. Cross-border excursions were conducted under cover of secrecy for both military and (predominantly US) political reasons. When word of these operations finally leaked out, anti-war protestors around the word, and especially in the United States, pounded the United States unmercifully while ignoring entirely the presence of large NVA/VC forces in Cambodia. |
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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Last updated 08/10/2009