Alan Hoe - The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces

AMERICAN WARRIORS

Throughout the nations history, numerous men and women of all ranks and branches of the U.S. military have served their country with honor and distinction. During times of war and peace, there are individuals whose exemplary achievements embody the highest standards of the U.S. armed forces. The aim of the American Warriors series is to examine the unique historical contributions of these individuals, whose legacies serve as enduring examples for soldiers and citizens alike. The series will promote a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the U.S. armed forces.

Series editor: Roger Cirillo

An AUSA Book

ALAN HOE

Foreword by
GENERAL PETER J. SCHOOMAKER, USA (RET.)

Copyright 2011 by The University Press of Kentucky

Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky,
Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown
College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead
State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University,
Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville,
and Western Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.

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15 14 13 12 11 5 4 3 2 1

Maps by Dick Gilbreath

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hoe, Alan.

The quiet professional : Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army special forces / Alan Hoe ; foreword by General Peter J. Schoomaker.

p. cm. (American warriors)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8131-3399-7 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-0-8131-3400-0 (ebook)

1. Meadows, Richard J., 1931-1995. 2. United States. ArmyOfficersBiography. 3. United States. ArmyCommando troopsBiography.

4. United States. ArmyCommando troopsHistory. 5. Special forces (Military science)United StatesHistory. I. Title.

UA34.S64H64 2011

355.0092dc23

[B] 2011019760

This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

To the American soldierwherever he serves.

If hed been younger, Id have wanted him for a son. If hed been older, Id have wanted him for a dad. But he wasnt either, so I had to settle for being his friend and confidant.

Colonel Elliott P. Sydnor, USA (Ret.),
in his eulogy at Meadowss funeral,
August 1, 1995

God and the soldier we adore
in time of danger not before.
The danger passed and all things righted,
God is forgiven and the soldier slighted.

Found on a scruffy piece of much-traveled paper
in Dick Meadowss military effects. He noted that
it was said to have been quoted by a veteran
of the Earl of Marlboroughs army. It is probably
a misquote of the following epigram
by Francis Quarles (15921644).

Our God and soldiers we alike adore
Evn at the brink of danger, not before:
After deliverance, both alike requited,
Our Gods forgotten, and our soldiers slighted.

Most of us share some level of admiration and respect for the great achievers whom we read about in history or otherwise observe from a distance during our lifetimes. Some of us have been fortunate enough to meet and get to know some extraordinary people of whom legends are made. For whatever reason, I have had the honor and privilege of being surrounded by very special people for most of my adult professional life. Standing out... not really above (because he wouldnt want it that way)... but alone, in the unique way that he lived and worked, was Dick Meadows.

Dick and I shared a special friendship, nurtured by his desire to mentor and coach those willing to strive for excellence, and by my respect for him as a master craftsman of our business and my need to learn from the best.

Alan Spike Hoe knew Dick Meadows like very few others. Their professional association, growing to deep friendship, spanned over five decades beginning at Bradbury Lines in Hereford, the home of the famed British Special Air Service. The SAS was founded by Sir David Stirling during World War II in the deserts of North Africa. The rough counterpart of the U.S. Special Forces (Green Berets), the SAS gained much fame and respect on the road of hard knocks in the Dhofar Wars, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dick Meadows was a natural fit. As a Special Forces noncommissioned officer, Dick spent an exchange tour in Hereford and was given command of an operational troop. Command of these premier units is normally reserved for badged commissioned officersofficers who have successfully completed the arduous SAS Assessment, Selection, and Training Programnot sergeants.

It was also during this period that Dick met Pam, his future wife, the daughter of the often feared regimental sergeant major. This is clear evidence that Dick was living the SAS motto, Who Dares Wins!... going boldly in every aspect of his life.

Spike was witness to all of this and more. He is uniquely qualified to report accurately on the extraordinary life of Dick Meadows, and does so brilliantly in the pages of this book. Spike captures the essence of this exceptional man, his friend, and the soldier/warrior role model from whom so many of us benefited.

Having known of the legendary Dick Meadows for several years, I met him for the first time in early 1978 when he was helping Colonel Charlie Beckwith form a special mission unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, of which I was a part. In true fashion, Dicks approaches were both subtle and often tangential. Before I knew it he had me under his wing, involving me in strange little assignments and activities designed to develop a young captain of nine years service into a special operator and leader of very special men. He was a master teacher, patient yet demanding, and always probing, coaching, and coaxing a little more from his charges. He was never a cheerleader or backslapper. His rare compliments were like nuggets of 24-karat gold... and they didnt come easily. Among our ranks were a few veterans of World War II, Korea, and many from Vietnam. No one got any slack from Dick, and to be sure some didnt like it. But he had walked and survived a tough path and everyone knew it. He was the youngest master sergeant in the Korean War and the first direct battlefield commission that General Westmoreland awarded in Vietnam. He drove himself harder than anyone else, was always competitive at everything he tried, and most often he was the best at whatever he did, from handball to military free fall parachuting. His operational exploits from the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the Son Tay raid into North Vietnam to his daring work in Tehran during the 19791980 hostage crisis are incredible stories in their own right. His later accomplishments in Peru and elsewhere, where he continued to serve, are equally daunting and daring.