Secret CommandosBy: John L. Plaster Major John L. Plaster recalls his remarkable covert activities as a member of a special operations team during the Vietnam War in a comprehensive, informative, and often excitingaccount of an important part of the overall Vietnam tragedy (The New York Times). Before there were Navy SEALs, there was SOG. Short for Studies and Operations Group, it was a secret operations force in Vietnam, the most highly decorated unit in the war.