Son Tay Raiders Share Lessons Learned

Reproduced with permission from the Fort Leavenworth Lamp.

By Jennifer Walleman, Fort Leavenworth Lamp staff writer

The Son Tay Raider Association, formed in 1990, acts as a way for veterans of the Operation Ivory Coast mission to stay connected to one another. The group meets every couple of years for reunions, meetings and to participate in other activities. For the first time, the raiders met in Kansas City and spoke about their 1970 mission at Fort Leavenworth Oct. 3 in the Lewis and Clark Center.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick St. Clair, vice president of the Son Tay Raider Association and member of the Blueboy assault element group during the raid, was the primary speaker. In the audience providing added input were around 30 Vietnam prisoners of war and Son Tay raiders.

The complete story on the Son Tay Raider Association visit to Fort Leavenworth can be found at the Fort Leavenworth Lamp here.

Col. Arthur Simons, namesake of the Arthur D. Simons Center for the Study of Interagency Cooperation, led the Son Tay raid in 1970. More information about Col. Simons can be found here.