05-24-2008, 10:33
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#1
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US Special Forces Soldier in Rhodesian Bush Wars
Interesting article about a self-described US Special Forces soldier that fought in the Rhodesian Bush Wars. If anyone can attest to the veracity of his story, please comment.
Quote:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.p...w&pageId=65173
The last adventurer
U.S. Special Forces vet joined fight against Mugabe
Posted: May 24, 2008
12:30 am Eastern
WorldNetDaily
Editor's Note: Journalist Anthony C. LoBaido has published scores of stories about South Africa and Zimbabwe, the former Rhodesia. LoBaido has spent several years living, working and traveling in southern Africa over the past two decades. In his latest segment, LoBaido brings to light the story of J. Columbus Smith, an American Special Forces veteran who fought in the Rhodesian Bush War.
...How did Rhodesia, once a source of agricultural bounty for Africa, turn into a living nightmare of despair? Perhaps the answer can be found in the combat experience of J. Columbus Smith – an elite U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who joined the Rhodesian Army in a quest to save the beautiful nation from Mugabe. Smith has lived a life few men will ever know. Moreover, he is part of a remnant that personally fought for what was left of Western civilization in the mid 1970s – before the fall of the Berlin Wall, globalization, political correctness and massive Third World immigration.
...Battling Mugabe and his Marxist-Maoist cadres was the job of elite Rhodesian Special Forces soldiers such as Willem Ratte and Bert Sachse. Yet Rhodesia, while abandoned by the West to face Mugabe's terrorists – who in turn were backed by North Korea, China, the old USSR and its communist bloc satellites – was augmented by a team of well-trained, highly motivated American volunteers.
Among these "Amerikaners" was J. Columbus Smith. The son of an Air Force pilot and a first class military brat, Smith earned a journalism degree from Sam Houston State in Texas. He served in the U.S. Army and qualified for the Special Forces. Because of his journalism background, he was appointed public information officer for all the Green Berets in Vietnam.
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SF-TX is offline
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05-24-2008, 12:16
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#2
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I can not confirm or deny that individual, but, I do know personally of one SF trooper that became a Rhodesian SAS trooper and then returned to SF. He was active in the bush wars and there are pictures of him in a couple of books on that war.
He missed Viet Nam by a couple of months thus went to Rhodesia to get into some action. He has some interesting stories of the SAS and his time there.
It is very true that Carter and his ilk screwed the people of Rhodesia as the army was confined to prevent voting pressure but the Mugabe's forces were free to intimidate, and did.
Any rate, while I can not verify that particular individual, I can say yes to SF serving in the Rhodesia army and SAS. Many, as did the individual that i know, went to South Africa for a period as well.
My 2 cent. 
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Hold Hard guys
Rick B.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing it is great on a hamburger but not so great sticking one up your ass.
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Author unknown. 
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longrange1947 is offline
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05-24-2008, 12:49
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#3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by longrange1947
I can not confirm or deny that individual, but, I do know personally of one SF trooper that became a Rhodesian SAS trooper and then returned to SF. He was active in the bush wars and there are pictures of him in a couple of books on that war.
He missed Viet Nam by a couple of months thus went to Rhodesia to get into some action. He has some interesting stories of the SAS and his time there.
It is very true that Carter and his ilk screwed the people of Rhodesia as the army was confined to prevent voting pressure but the Mugabe's forces were free to intimidate, and did.
Any rate, while I can not verify that particular individual, I can say yes to SF serving in the Rhodesia army and SAS. Many, as did the individual that i know, went to South Africa for a period as well.
My 2 cent. |
Charlie D?
TR
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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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05-24-2008, 14:46
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#4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Charlie D?
TR
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Yes, any surprise why they lost
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Sounds like a s#*t sandwhich, but I'll fight anyone, I'm in.
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kgoerz is offline
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05-24-2008, 15:06
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#5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by longrange1947
...I do know personally of one SF trooper that became a Rhodesian SAS trooper and then returned to SF...
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Franz S was one.
Richard
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“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)… There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” - To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)
“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” - Robert Heinlein
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Richard is offline
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05-24-2008, 17:13
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#6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kgoerz
Yes, any surprise why they lost |
Now that was a bit harsh.
He was on my last team when we put 761 back as an active team in 89.
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Hold Hard guys
Rick B.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing it is great on a hamburger but not so great sticking one up your ass.
Author - Richard.
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longrange1947 is offline
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05-24-2008, 17:27
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#7
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I know him real well. Thats what we use to say to him all the time on the Team.
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Sounds like a s#*t sandwhich, but I'll fight anyone, I'm in.
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kgoerz is offline
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05-24-2008, 22:18
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#8
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Guerrilla
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Charlie D is STILL a fricking stud & one of the best guys you will ever meet.
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504PIR is offline
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05-26-2008, 02:10
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#9
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Asset
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Lessons for Contemporary Counterinsurgencies: The Rhodesian Experience
This is a bit off topic, but in the aforementioned article, notice was made to the Rand Corporation putting out a study on the Rhodesian Counterinsurgency. If any of you are interested, you can download a pdf. version of the essay for free here.
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bvoss is offline
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05-26-2008, 08:26
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#10
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I was privileged to take an insurgency course and to do a presentation on the Rhodesian War.
That would have been interesting by itself, but there was a Zimbabwean Major there who had been a guerilla in that same war, and he was assigned to our presentation group.
He had a fascinating story, some of which may have been based in reality, between the one-sided perspective, the propoganda, and the Comrade Mugabe worship.
Definitely interesting to hear another perspective from a participant.
Never mind the back story of how to take a wealthy, food-exporting country with flawed internal policies and liberate it to suffer from famine, repression, failed Marxist policies, decades of dictatorship, etc.
Seems to me that as I recall, Jimmy Carter had his hands all over that one as well. 
TR
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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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05-26-2008, 12:17
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#11
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TR - There was enough reporting of the Rhodesian Army being locked up but Mogabe's Gs able to stand fully armed and tell voters that they had better vote "this way or else." It was reported by actual observers that did not have the "Carter Agenda". Carter squelched the reports and got his accolades as a mater peace broker at the expense of an entire country.
Makes one wonder what the out come would have been if there were similar rules for the Gs as there were for the regular army.
I believe that "Soldier of Fiction" actually had photos of the Gs intimidating the voters and the complaints were ignored by the UN.
Carter and his Merry Band of Idiots brought untold damage to the US and its allies. And there are those that still celebrate the moron.
__________________
Hold Hard guys
Rick B.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing it is great on a hamburger but not so great sticking one up your ass.
Author - Richard.
Experience is what you get right after you need it.
Author unknown.
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