SOG Prairie Fire Stories #4: Ken 'El Cid' Bowra

It is our very great honour to present the first-ever filmed interview with Major General (Ret.) Ken 'El Cid' Bowra, who helped create our new Arma 3 DLC game. Find out more: sogpf.com
General Bowra served 33 years in the US Army, mainly in Special Forces, including as Commanding General US Special Forces (Airborne). In 1970 he served in MACV SOG as a 1-0 Recon Team Leader of RT Idaho and RT Sidewinder. As a retired General officer, he brings a truly unique perspective to the role of recon team leader, and the operations of SOG in the secret war.
Kens biography on Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth...
A fascinating insight into the life of MACV SOG Special Forces operating in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

[@4325air]

I'm proud and honored to say that Ken Bowra and I were roommates at The Citadel during our senior year. During our Army careers we were stationed together several times. We were in the same Ranger class in late '70, and subsequently assigned to the 82nd Airborne. I lost track of Ken in 1971 when he transferred over to SF, thence to SOG. I was transferred to Korea, and I applied for SF. On return to the US in Dec '73 I joined 5th Group at Bragg. Imagine my shock when I was walking down the hallway of the team rooms, and there was...Ken! ODA commanders in the same company, same battalion, same group. What were the chances? I later took over the HALO team that Ken had commanded. There is no finer soldier, not to mention a true friend and brother in arms. You guys are so very, very fortunate to have him on your Arma 3 DLC team!

[@SavageGameDesign]

and boy do we know it! He's a great leader and mentor for our team. We are all inspired by his leadership, charisma and deep humanity. Thanks for passing on this connection, it's really great to see his classmate coming over to see, his debut public interview on film. We are so honoured and proud to have been able to record it with him (and Maisie). DOL!

[@johnnyfryar]

'01

[@gregbailey1753]

Go Dawgs! El Cid 87!

[@oof9788]

I'm a Junior '25 in Steven's Barracks right now sir. If you don't mind my asking what company were y'all in? And any advice for a soon-to-commission LT, sir?

[@4325air]

@@oof9788 Ken Bowra and I were '70. Ken was from "G" Company and I was from "E" Company. Both of us on Regimental Staff. I have so much advice for a new 2LT of infantry. But the most important would be: Listen to your platoon sergeant and learn from him. You are ultimately responsible for everything your platoon does and fails to do, and you make the final decisions. But actively ask for and be totally willing to listen to his recommendations. You are not being weak or indecisive when you ask him, "Here's the mission. What are your thoughts? What do you recommend?" And ask the squad leaders the same thing. You have to establish that relationship, that trust all your soldiers and your NCOs must have in you. He has to know that you respect his experience. My platoon sergeant was SFC John P. Layne in 3/C/2-325 in the 82nd Airborne. All the platoon sergeants were great, and their job was to train the 2LTs. The smart 2LTs listened to their SFCs. Be confident, but be humble. As Clint Eastwood's character said in one of the "Dirty Harry" films, "A man's gotta understand his limitations." Don't buck the 1SG. Learn from him. Once you are a 1LT you will have a lot more cred, but be careful with the 1SG. He and the company commander are tight, at least in good, solid companies. Step across The Line with "Top", and you may find yourself having a one-way "chat" with the company commander. When I retired after 26 years, one of the first ceremony invitations I sent was to my first 1SG when I arrived as a newly-minted 2LT, What a great mentor 1SG Doug Howard was! Lastly, you have to recognize and learn what is "Sergeant's Business" and what is "Officer's Business." A good NCO can teach you that critical aspect of infantry leadership--when you need to get involved and when you leave things up to him. John went on to the rank of CSM of the Fort Benning jump school. I credit that wonderful NCO--and my later 1SG's and CSM's--with any success that I had as a company commander, battalion commander, and at O-6 level. Too many times, my terrific NCOs and their resourcefulness saved me from dumb decisions made in the heat of a moment! Want a role model? Watch CPT Dick Winters in the series, "Band of Brothers." What a great leadership study. Best wishes! Go 'Dawgs!

[@KW86.]

Captain Bowra, was my Captain in 275th ranger battalion, bravo Co, 2nd patroon, 2nd squad. First Sergent Conrad.

[@polkbritton]

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bowra this past year and can say he is a very kind and generous man.

[@jblank4251]

Such a wealth you guys of Savage Game Design got with these interviews for this 'DLC'.... You guys , Savage went the extra mile, of contacting these men of experience and time in. This is a true treat for a man that is interested in the geo politics and individuals of my nation that served over there during this era of our history. I myself have studied,what I could find, a man by the name of Jerry 'Mad Dog' Shriver. His stories have captured my interest for the longest....I'm getting off topic. Good job Savage Game Design in your thorough interviews and recognition of these men...That DID. A real treat.

[@daker1941]

The slideshow after the talk was treasure. I salute all that served.

[@SavageGameDesign]

more to come!

[@gabrielitagiba8751]

Savage Games, these interviews are amazing. Thank you for doing this and congrats on making the best dlc ever for arma. Fantastic.

[@SavageGameDesign]

Thank you! besure to check out our community at community.sogpf.com

[@IceTactics]

Speaking with MG Bowra was an absolute honor and a very rare opportunity. He so well exemplifies the traits that make Army General Officers such incredible leaders: extremely intelligent, well spoken, and a deeply caring and passionate person about his work and his Soldiers. Thank you Sir for all of your guidance and support for this project! We are so proud to help tell the SOG story!

[@SavageGameDesign]

Well said Ice

[@NotThatGuyPal.]

“We initiated contact about two years ago” typical operator vocab... BASED.

[@Operator11B]

Tell this gentleman thanks for sharing his stories and knowledge with us all

[@waynegriswold8953]

SOG prairie fire is the most amazing and eye-opening experience i have every played! What I mean by that is that I have learned so much from listening to John Stryker Meyer in the SogCast and a ton of other other guys that served in Vietnam that it starts to paint a picture of what life was like in that war. But it does nothing in comparison to actually reproducing missions in Eden and simulating them! To actually see how little you can see in a triple canopy jungle with brush that is so thick that you can be laying down and have enemies walking right next to you and you can't see them and only hear them really brings to life how scary and difficult times were over there. I can't count how many times I have failed trying to complete the campaign missions that come with the CDLC. Thank you guys for spending the time to make SoG prairie fire so absolutely amazing!!!!!!!

[@SavageGameDesign]

It sounds like we hit the mark there with you. If you need team-mates for the campaign, join SOGPF discord (google that for link)

[@stefsterlikeaboss]

i cant wait for this content to drop, buying it the second its out(i have 20 quid waiting on my account)

[@Acidfalck]

You can buy it tomorrow. Thursday the 6th

[@AShyBiBlob]

Four hours remaining!

[@budgibson185]

You guys are doing amazing work

[@SavageGameDesign]

Thanks Bud. It was about time someone really went for it and told the SOG story in more depth and in this kind of media

[@budgibson185]

@@SavageGameDesign could not agree with you anymore!! You guys are doing the world a great service capturing these warriors stories

[@MartinSoundLabs]

that is chilling that they had that POW's records when interrogating him in Hanoi....

[@n__rtu8324]

Great interview once again - This man demands respect without even saying a word - Also MIKEFORCE game mode is incredibly immersive, played 24+ hours this week alone

[@stonekar]

This was INCREDIBLE to listen to. THANK YOU Savage Game Design for capturing this history and these stories.

[@northeastohio5150]

That famous phrase, look out for Murphy and his laws.

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

I know a guy who was special forces,and he said he could make a mortar tube out of bamboo.

[@shirleyle3931]

This is my 3rd one of these, Totally Enthralling Episodes, Hopefully there are more! Great Work!

[@7879386]

Will definitely watch. Hopefully the content soon follows.

[@SBPTeam]

Tommorow. We can't wait!

[@MartinSoundLabs]

I will never hear "Peace Train" the same way again!

[@IceTactics]

Same!

[@sqike001ton]

To put this into perspective you had a a lieutenant and the team leader carrying a Soviet made light machine gun there is something ever so slightly crazy about the team leader and officer carrying the radio and the light machine gun

[@lazaruslong6382]

Makes perfect sense to me. The RPD was an excellent MG,and unless the team leader prefers to carry the radio,the new guy ALWAYS gets the radio,regardless of rank. Our camp commander was LTC Abt and had earned a Silver Star during the Korean War as a tanker,but had no CIB,and wanted one. Who can blame him? After all,he pretty much had to be the only SF LTC running around that didn't have one. Anyhow,he asked SSG Joe Walker if he could go on a mission with him because going with Joe pretty much guaranteed a gunfight before it was over because he LOVED gun fights and always picked the hottest targets. He also had a 12 man recon team instead of the standard 6 man team,and carried a 60 mm mortar as a personal weapon. Anyhow,Joe told me he told the LTC he could go,but he would have to carry the radio and agree to be under Joe's command with no interference. The Colonel agreed,so off they went. It just so happened that it was my turn to draw radio duty on Leghorn when they were inserted,and I just happened to be on radio watch when RT California gave their noon sitrep. The Colonel was talking to me on the radio when I suddenly heard a bunch of AK/RPD fire,and the radio went silent. Talk about panic at the base camp! They got some aircraft circling around in the air above where the teams last known location was,and Joe can up on the USAF Pilot survival radio that we all carried. They were,of course,stolen from the USAF. When you pulled the antenna up it automatically sent out an emergency locator signal to every US aircraft flying within range,and it wasn't long before RT California had all the air support in the world circling around above them while they extracted from the emergency LZ. Come to find out the team was on the noon pot time when the Col was giving the sit rep,and the first bursts took out the radio,and even shot the mic cord in half,and the Col didn't get a scratch. He damn sure EARNED his CIB,though. In case I haven't made this clear enough,REGARDLESS of rank,you can only have ONE team leader,and that team leader IS the boss. There was never any question about this.

[@sqike001ton]

@@lazaruslong6382 I worded that horribly what I thi I I was trying to say was having your radio and the machine gun on the same guy doesn't seem like a good idea the MG's attract fire and having to make radio calls means down time on the MG I might have had a few too many adult beverages when I made that comment I think the team would have better having the w assets split between 2 people

[@lazaruslong6382]

@@sqike001ton What you failed to understand was we ALL carried machine guns. In SOG,anybody could carry any weapon they wanted. Even the standard M-16 and CAR-15 were machine guns,but a lot of guys opted to carry RPD's,and Hatchet Force platoons went in with M-60's. AND........,ALL the ammo you could carry without falling down.

[@lazaruslong6382]

Why? Somebody had to carry them. When Joe Walker, a SSG,agreed to take the LTC Camp Commander,LTC Abt out on a mission into Laos with his team,the condition was the Colonel carry the radio and agree to be shot if it looked like they were going to be captured. I happened to be on Leghorn the afternoon that LTC Abt was giving the noon sit-rep,and had the radio handpiece shot out of his hand,causing RT California to lose radio contact. There were some worried people running around the FOB for a while,there.. LTC Apt was a tanker during the Korean War,and IIRC,he won a DSC there. Still,he did not a CIB,and his SF MOS was infantry,so he wanted to go on a SOG mission to earn his CIB. SOG officers were NOT slackers.

[@KatalistProductionsKozzySasha]

This expansion is amazing, so much fun. Great job! Also loving these videos!

[@budgibson185]

CCS doesn’t get ANY coverage! They had two men that may have done over 100 missions. Not to mention they had a 20th sos group always getting into something wild

[@SavageGameDesign]

Don Haase served at CCS, we have a full interview of his on the channel

[@mcmawada1]

@@SavageGameDesign Nothing on B56??? if so could I have a link? Thanks

[@SavageGameDesign]

@@mcmawada1 No we don't yet have any B56 interviews sorry.

[@Antibong]

Ask how many kills they got

[@MartinSoundLabs]

great interview, great questions, guys!

[@MikeSmith-go8wk]

This is incredible stuff

[@LuckyLarry33]

Beautiful outro

[@atilla6612]

BRILLIANT

[@Rebel-Rouser]

Didnt he take over RT Idaho when Meyer rotated out?

[@SavageGameDesign]

We are collecting questions for our live discussion with 5 MACV SOG legends this Friday / Saturday (24-25 September 2021) here sogpf.tiny.us/run

[@cenkcdemir]

today is the release day and not a single gameplay video we have seen so far.

[@JDMilitaria]

I'm legit waiting on steam for it to be available right now.. its stuck on "Less then an hour"

[@SavageGameDesign]

everyone was heads down in the jungle, hiding from the NVA... plenty up now on our channel playlists

[@cenkcdemir]

@@SavageGameDesign lol thanks I have been already playing it since the release

[@brockrutledge9241]

hbo should do a mini series of mac v sog

[@aleksanderviksund9445]

Loosing sound on 1 hour and 9 mins... awsome dude

[@MartinSoundLabs]

yeah i just lost sound

[@psnpacific]

The "girls" from Tungsing send their best to Ken Bowra...

[@northeastohio5150]

You guys should try and look up Henry Dick Thomas, he was also on one of Jocko's, 205 title would be R&R.

[@benyoung552]

Thompson

[@smsmoof8128]

@@benyoung552 and 1 helluva SOB, unbelievable stuff he was in the middle of.

[@SavageGameDesign]

You can see us discussing the game with Dick here :) He's a big supporter! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5_ci52qopZ5fdE

[@tfred2129]

Did the younger dude with the flags up, serve with the 173rd or 2ID

[@SavageGameDesign]

yes both.

[@jasonharding96]

Hey. I remember your voice you play El CID

[@SavageGameDesign]

Do you mean Sam our voice actor, or El Cid himself? As both played him in the SOG video game, Sam in several missions, and Ken in person at the end of the Oscar 8 campaign finale.

[@marksollitt3650]

Please tell him than u for his service

[@tadlovelace6787]

👍

[@toda1rw477]

why did the sound cut out at 1:08:58? did savage game design censor their guest or was it a technical difficulty?

[@SavageGameDesign]

It was an oversight by the team, didn't check it thoroughly before upload.

[@OhItsThat]

Is there a release date?

[@mistamojorising]

Tomorrow ;)

[@ChrisInThailand]

@@mistamojorising about 3 hours from this reply.

[@JDMilitaria]

@@ChrisInThailand Still not out yet :c

[@Acidfalck]

@@JDMilitaria one hour and 30 min