Book Review: Kontum: Command and Control

27 February 2006

Vietnam special forces veteran Frank Greco recently published Kontum: Command & Control as a follow up to his highly acclaimed first book Running Recon.

Greco enlisted in the Army after dropping out of college and after completing his basic infantry and parachute training joined Special Forces. Whilst assigned as a typist to the 7th SF group at Fort Bragg in late 1968 he a submitted request to serve in Vietnam. Two weeks after that request he received his orders and departed for his mission in early April 1969.

For the first 8 months of his tour he was a member of SOG (Studies and Observation Group) Recon Team Colorado running missions across the boarder in Laos, whilst stationed at CCC (Command and Control Central) in Kontum.

Greco assumed control of the CCC photo lab for the remainder of his time In-Country, processing and developing top-secret reconnaissance photographs as well as taking part in numerous low-level recon flights across the border.

Greco's original work, Running Recon, was an account of his and other veteran's experiences in SOG and featured more than 700 photographs that were taken and developed during his time at CCC.

Kontum: Command and Control uses the same successful format as Running Recon and contains around a 100 photographs within its 80 pages. Some of the photos are full color versions of the black and white images in Running Recon, whilst others are never before seen SOG photographs.

The book has a number of good aerial images of the Ho Chi Minh trail, as well as plenty showing Recon teams just prior to mission departure. In addition to the photographs a few SOG veterans have contributed some of their personal accounts, which make for interesting reading.

Whilst Kontum: Command and Control is less comprehensive and features fewer original photographs than Running Recon, it is nonetheless a valuable supplement to the original book and a worthwhile addition to any SOG library.

A limited edition hardback, (165 copies - of which only 90 remain at the time of this review) maybe purchased directly from the author.

Running Recon is available from Amazon.com (affiliate link)

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