Shawn Ryan Show

#276 Nick Brokhausen - The Deadliest Stories From Vietnam with MACV-SOG

February 2, 2026

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  • Nick Brokhausen and Shawn Ryan agree that the structure of modern Special Operations could benefit from returning to the decentralized, independent operational philosophy of the historical OSS. 
  • Brokhausen's early military experience included serving with the Marines, a tour in Korea during the Pueblo incident, and extensive training in Special Forces (Q Course) covering a wide array of foreign and US weaponry. 
  • Upon arriving at MACV-SOG's CCN in Vietnam, Brokhausen immediately recognized the intense, non-glamorous reality of the unit, noting that out of nine new arrivals, only three remained in active recon roles a year later due to high attrition. 
  • Nick Brokhausen was assigned to Recon Team Habu after an aggressive initial briefing with the Recon Company Commander, Larry T. Manus, who was later described as the best officer he served under. 
  • The introduction to RT Habu involved immediate, intense displays of team culture, including a member shooting a beer out of another's hand and the team's immediate acceptance of Brokhausen despite his assignment method. 
  • Brokhausen's first mission with RT Habu in the A Shau Valley was an extremely intense linear reconnaissance that immediately resulted in heavy contact, demonstrating the high-risk nature of MACV-SOG operations. 
  • The speaker expressed profound sadness and anger over the abandonment of South Vietnamese allies (Yards) following the American withdrawal from Vietnam, mirroring later concerns about the Afghanistan withdrawal. 
  • The transition back to civilian life after intense combat service was characterized by severe decompression, alienation from non-military peers, and a strong urge to return to the operational environment. 
  • The speaker's post-military life involved extensive global activities, including environmental projects, working with foreign counter-terrorist units in Berlin, and later, private security/rescue operations documented in his book "Vagabonds". 

Segments

OSS Lineage and SO Structure
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(00:05:16)
  • Key Takeaway: A white paper suggested restructuring Special Operations into an OSS-like entity with centralized purchasing and warrant officer ranks to enhance independent action.
  • Summary: The OSS was originally designed for clandestine strategic intelligence gathering, recruiting businessmen and foreign nationals with specific regional knowledge. Its transition into the CIA diminished some of the original operator expertise. A recent white paper proposed consolidating all special operations into an OSS-style organization, making members warrant officers to facilitate action without massive oversight and reduce inter-service redundancy.
Early Life and Hunting Skills
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(00:22:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Brokhausen developed strong wilderness survival skills early in life trapping and hunting in North Dakota and Minnesota.
  • Summary: Nick Brokhausen grew up poor in North Dakota on a farm before moving to Minnesota where his stepfather ran a bar/hotel. He spent his youth hunting, fishing, and running a trap line with his brother to earn money for school clothes. This early experience instilled proficiency in tracking and understanding animal habits in the woods.
Marine Corps and Korea Tour
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(00:27:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Brokhausen’s initial military service was in the Marines, which taught him discipline and operating under pressure before he transferred to the Army.
  • Summary: Drafted into the Marine Corps, Brokhausen served a tour in Vietnam and then was stationed in Korea with the 2nd Division during the Pueblo incident. He participated in sweeps hunting for North Korean commandos who attempted to assassinate the South Korean president. This service instilled discipline and the ability to endure suffering, which aided his subsequent transfer to the Army.
Special Forces Qualification Course
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(00:49:04)
  • Key Takeaway: The Special Forces Q Course was highly intensive, involving survival training, comprehensive weapons instruction (US and foreign), and specialized MOS training like medic or engineer.
  • Summary: Phase One at Camp McCall focused on basic patrolling and survival, including instruction from a crusty E7 who taught them to cook animals wrapped in mud. Weapons training covered everything from the Bren gun and RPD to mortars and recoilless rifles, requiring proficiency in assembly/disassembly in the dark. Special Forces medics received over a year of training, including live tissue practice, making them highly respected practitioners.
Bolivia MTT Deployment
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(01:03:58)
  • Key Takeaway: While instructing Bolivian Rangers, Brokhausen encountered a brutal bandit group, later co-opted by communists, and was nearly caught smuggling Inca artifacts and excess coca product.
  • Summary: Brokhausen deployed with the 6th Group to Bolivia to instruct Rangers on using indirect fire against bandit groups terrorizing the countryside through extreme violence. He discovered an Inca grave and took two terracotta figures, while also accumulating excess blocks of coca paste given to him as an altitude aid. Customs confiscated the coca base material upon his return to Bragg, but he successfully smuggled the artifacts.
Arrival at MACV-SOG CCN
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(01:07:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Brokhausen’s assignment to MACV-SOG’s CCN was voluntary, contrasting with his expected assignment to the Mike Force, and his arrival was marked by immediate chaos.
  • Summary: After arriving in Vietnam, Brokhausen’s orders were changed from the Mike Force to the voluntary CCN unit due to the intervention of a friend. His introduction to the FOB4 compound involved seeing a Cobra helicopter on fire and being greeted by ragged veterans drinking wine. He quickly realized this was not a typical ‘show camp’ but a high-risk environment.
Assignment to RT Habu
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(01:13:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Nick Brokhausen was assigned to RT Habu after challenging Recon Company Commander Manus about the unit being voluntary.
  • Summary: Brokhausen was assigned to a recon team after a briefing from the Sergeant Major emphasizing the voluntary nature of the unit. Recon Company Commander Larry T. Manus, described as having a thick neck and square face, immediately ejected a soldier who wanted to quit. When Brokhausen questioned the voluntary status, Manus assigned him to RT Habu as a consequence for being too astute.
Introduction to RT Habu Members
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(01:15:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Larry Manus was a highly respected officer who protected his men and took responsibility for their actions.
  • Summary: Brokhausen praised Manus as the best officer he served under, noting Manus protected the team from administrative issues. Manus once confiscated a stolen half-track simply because its whip antennas slapped when he braked hard. Brokhausen’s assignment to Habu was cemented by Manus’s disdain for quitters.
First Impressions of RT Habu
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(01:17:11)
  • Key Takeaway: The initial meeting with RT Habu members, including Mac and Jimmy Johnson, demonstrated the team’s aggressive and unconventional nature.
  • Summary: Upon entering the hooch, Brokhausen was immediately questioned about his interaction with Manus. Mac shot a beer out of Castillo’s hand with a silenced .22 to illustrate the environment. Castillo warned the new guy not to keep anything valuable around Mac or Jimmy Johnson, as they would destroy it.
Brokhausen’s Role and Team Dynamics
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(01:18:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Brokhausen and Mac McLaughlin formed a long-lasting partnership on RT Habu, initially deceiving Manus about Brokhausen’s radio capabilities.
  • Summary: Brokhausen and Mac clicked immediately, staying together for 11 months; they convinced Manus that Brokhausen stuttered when excited, allowing Mac to carry the radio as the 1-0. They were later joined by Robert Cook, nicknamed Cookie, a professional Ranger who called everyone ‘Stretch.’
Bright Light Mission Aftermath
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(01:22:15)
  • Key Takeaway: A Bright Light mission to recover bodies in the A Shau Valley resulted in the team being pinned down by NVA forces after a helicopter crash killed two team members.
  • Summary: Danzer was the 1-0 when a Bright Light team went in after Doc Watson and Baby Jesus Lloyd were killed when their extraction helicopter lost power and hit a cliff. The team spent the night on the plateau after failing to recover the bodies, only to be immediately engaged by three companies of NVA at dawn. The ensuing firefight forced the team to rappel down the cliff face.
Cliff Newman’s Heroism and Award Denial
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(01:25:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Cliff Newman took command after Danzer was blown off the cliff and was responsible for saving the remaining survivors, though his Medal of Honor recommendation was politically blocked.
  • Summary: Cliff Newman, a 1-0, took command after Danzer was blown off the cliff, successfully patching up Horton’s leg and covering the ridge against NVA attempts to descend. Newman’s actions earned him a Silver Star, and efforts to upgrade it to a Medal of Honor were approved under the Biden administration but subsequently killed by the new administration for political reasons.
Racial Prejudice in Awards Process
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(01:27:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Racial prejudice within the Army’s armor corps historically led to the downgrading or denial of high awards, exemplified by Colonel Paris Davis’s delayed Medal of Honor.
  • Summary: The discussion referenced Paris Davis, who performed actions worthy of a Medal of Honor but initially received a Silver Star due to racial prejudice from the armor corps leadership. Davis retired as a colonel, and his Medal of Honor was only awarded recently after advocacy efforts succeeded.
Race Relations Training Anecdote
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(01:28:50)
  • Key Takeaway: A politically charged race relations class was disrupted when an Apache NCO reacted violently to the instructor’s condescending lecture.
  • Summary: Brokhausen and an Apache NCO attended a mandatory race relations class led by a Boston College associate professor with dreadlocks. When the instructor condescendingly lectured on political correctness, the Apache NCO woke up, pulled a Bowie knife, and threatened the instructor, leading to both NCOs being sent back to their unit.
MACV-SOG Weapon Modifications
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(01:54:01)
  • Key Takeaway: MACV-SOG operators frequently modified weapons, such as sawed-off RPDs and custom 12-gauge shotguns loaded with brass coins, for close-quarters combat effectiveness.
  • Summary: The RPD was favored when sawed off because it maintained cyclic rate better than an M60, sounding like a .50 caliber. Brokhausen commissioned a sawed-off 12-gauge coach gun loaded with buckshot and Vietnamese five-dong brass coins, which proved devastatingly effective at close range by cutting targets in half.
Nightmares and PTSD Management
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(02:00:04)
  • Key Takeaway: The most haunting memory for Brokhausen was killing a 15 or 16-year-old NVA soldier with an entrenching tool, a memory that surfaces during periods of exhaustion or illness.
  • Summary: Brokhausen manages traumatic memories by actively pushing them back, noting that the psychiatric industry is often unhelpful due to security clearance concerns. He described a recurring nightmare involving the young soldier he killed, who was the age of his own younger brother. The conversation touched upon the potential of psychedelic mushrooms (5-MeO-DMT and Ibogaine) as a treatment for PTSD and addiction, which one guest had successfully used to quit drinking.
Prisoner Snatch Mission Failure
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(02:11:12)
  • Key Takeaway: A prisoner snatch mission ended in failure when the captured NVA lieutenant bit the extracting team member, leading to the prisoner’s death mid-air.
  • Summary: RT Habu successfully captured a senior lieutenant intelligence officer after killing his three escorts, but the extraction went wrong. The prisoner swung underneath the helicopter, bit Kuhman in the face, and Kuhman fatally stabbed him to stop the attack. The team joked about how they lost the bonus money for the capture, but Kuhman maintained that killing the VC was the priority.
Downed Pilot Recovery Operations
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(02:23:47)
  • Key Takeaway: MACV-SOG teams frequently conducted Bright Light missions to recover downed personnel, sometimes finding survivors in horrific circumstances.
  • Summary: Brokhausen participated in recovering downed pilots, including one incident where a door gunner survived a helicopter crash but was later found trying to strangle the co-pilot in the hospital because the crew had reported him dead and taken his M60. Another recovery involved an Air Force pilot who was burned to death, jammed halfway out of his ejection seat.
Wreckage Extraction Aftermath
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(02:26:27)
  • Key Takeaway: A recovered pilot attempted to kill his co-pilot after being abandoned by the recovery team who took his M60.
  • Summary: A pilot who survived an aircraft rollover was rescued, but the recovery team left him behind and took his M60 weapon. Later, while recovering in the hospital, this pilot tried to strangle the co-pilot. The underlying cause was the perceived betrayal by the team who reported him dead and took his gear.
Horrific Pilot Fatality Discovery
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(02:27:14)
  • Key Takeaway: A deceased pilot was found jammed against the ejection seat, having partially ejected and subsequently burned to death.
  • Summary: During a mission involving an F-4 recovery, one pilot was found dead, still partially in the aircraft. His ejection sequence had failed halfway, stopping the seat’s deployment. The pilot was burned to death from the waist down by the rockets and ejection seat fire.
Leaving Vietnam and Allies
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(02:28:25)
  • Key Takeaway: The speaker felt deep sadness leaving Vietnam, considering staying with his Montagnard allies whom he viewed as family.
  • Summary: The departure from Vietnam was emotionally difficult, leading the speaker to contemplate abandoning the civilized world to remain with the Yards. There was significant concern that the South Vietnamese allies would be abandoned and mistreated by the American command and the South Vietnamese government. This concern prompted the team to steal ammunition and equipment to supply the Yards before the final pullout.
Post-War Ally Support Efforts
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(02:30:03)
  • Key Takeaway: The speaker actively raided abandoned American supply depots to transfer materiel to the Yards for their defense.
  • Summary: The speaker and pilots coordinated to fly sling loads of stolen equipment, including mortars and machine guns, to the Yards’ location at Mylock. This was done to give the allies a fighting chance after the Americans left. The abandonment of massive amounts of equipment by large American units in places like Quan Tri fueled these efforts.
Return Visits and Finding Yards
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(02:31:02)
  • Key Takeaway: The speaker returned to Vietnam twice, once for an environmental project and later to locate surviving Montagnard comrades.
  • Summary: The first return trip was for a contract involving treating waste with anaerobic microbes to produce methane and nitrogen fertilizer. On a subsequent trip, driven by rumors of re-education camps, the speaker found two of his Montagnard teammates living as beggars. Both men were missing an arm due to the North Vietnamese chopping off limbs bearing SCU tattoos.
Admiration for Warrior Culture
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(02:35:39)
  • Key Takeaway: The Yards are described as the finest natural warriors who prioritize the protection of their tribe above all else.
  • Summary: The speaker holds a strong affinity for the Yards’ primitive culture, noting how quickly they adapted to modern weaponry. Their core cultural tenet is that of a warrior whose first duty is the protection of the tribe. This warrior ethos is shared by other groups the speaker has worked with globally.
Coming Home and Readjustment
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(02:39:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Returning home involved total decompression and shock, leading to immediate restlessness and an inability to connect with civilian life.
  • Summary: The return was marked by shock and an inability to relate to high school friends or extended family, though immediate family provided support. Within two weeks, the speaker felt ‘itchy feet’ and sought out familiar operational environments, such as returning to Fort Bragg for training.
Post-War Relationship Failures
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(02:41:46)
  • Key Takeaway: The inability to trust anyone who had not shared combat experiences led to relationship difficulties and heavy drinking.
  • Summary: The speaker struggled to form personal relationships post-service, distrusting those who hadn’t experienced combat, which mirrored issues seen in friends’ marriages. This led to heavy drinking as a coping mechanism against the difficulty of giving up the adrenaline high of combat. The first marriage ultimately failed due to the speaker’s prolonged absences for training and an inability to settle down.
Violent Domestic Collapse
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(02:46:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The first marriage ended catastrophically after the speaker returned from training to find his house empty, leading to violent confrontations in California.
  • Summary: Upon returning to government housing after a training assignment, the speaker found all furniture gone and his clothes piled up. After seeking help from a friend, an attempt to reconcile in California resulted in the speaker assaulting his ex-wife’s new boyfriend and subsequently striking her father, causing a heart attack.
Escape to Berlin and Healing
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(02:48:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Assignment to Berlin provided a necessary, demanding, and exciting environment that facilitated significant personal healing.
  • Summary: With assistance from contacts, the speaker evaded warrants in Boston by flying to New York and then securing travel orders to Berlin. The demanding environment, constant use of German, and exciting work with German counter-terrorist units (SCK) served as the primary healing process.
Berlin Misadventure with Microcar
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(02:53:56)
  • Key Takeaway: A purchase of a Messerschmitt KR200 microcar ended with the speaker and the seller crashing into the Havel River while evading police.
  • Summary: The speaker bought a Messerschmitt from a bar owner named Gunther and immediately drove recklessly, attracting two police escorts. The speaker attempted to escape by driving the small vehicle off-road into a forest trail system, but instead drove through a hedge and into the river. The German police diving team was called out to recover the two men, who were drunk.
Post-Military Business Ventures
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(03:05:29)
  • Key Takeaway: The speaker co-authored books detailing his post-military life, including rescue operations in conflict zones like Chechnya, Algeria, and Guatemala.
  • Summary: The speaker wrote two books about his time in MACV-SOG and a third, ‘Vagabonds,’ detailing post-military adventures with his partner, Jeff Miller. These adventures included rescuing kidnapped children and industrialists, sometimes utilizing advanced tracking methods provided by former KGB contacts.