Description
Vietnam War US Hatchet Recon Team Company A Command and Control Central Patch
Bought by a collector in the mid 1990’s
Condition as pictured
Hatchet Team attached to Company A, Rapid Reaction, Exploitation Company CCC (Command and Control Central) operating out of Kontum – Rapid Reaction Exploitation Force / SLAM COMPANY. The Hatchet Teams were the most aggressive of all Recon Units that operated within Special Op’s. Charged, literally with ‘Picking a Fight’ the Hatchet teams were Platoon Sized and contained up to 10 US Special Forces Operatives and up to 40 Indigenous Special Forces Operatives. Very much less clandestine than the ‘Recon Teams’ the Hatchet Teams were inserted and extracted via Helicopter usually clearing their own LZ for pick-ups within ‘ Hot Enemy Areas ‘ well behind enemy lines. The attrition rate of the Hatchet Teams was high with on more than one occasion extractions accounting for less than 50% of Personnel that commenced operations. The Indigenous Forces that operated within the Hatchet Team, Hatchet teams were also dropped into areas where the Smaller Recon Teams had located large enemy forces (Exploiting promising situations, hence Exploitation Team). Also used in the pursuit of Captured US POW’s known to be en-route to rear units. In general Hatchet Teams were considered to be free-Lancers and operated in the True Sense as ‘Aggressive Harassment Teams’. On numerous occasions during the Vietnam War the North Vietnamese Government accused the Hatchet teams operating out of Forward Operating Bases of using Sarin Gas.
