Colt Terry, Green Beret

8. Rotation and Ishigaki

8 Rotation and Ishigaki W      from his first tour in Vietnam in March, , he was assigned as commander of the st Special Forces (Airborne) Parachute School. The st Special Forces (Airborne) had arranged with the U.S. Army to teach parachuting to navy underwater demolition teams (UDTs), marine reconnaissance teams, and army and air force volunteers. Enlisted men and officers from all over the Far East and the U.S. West Coast trained at their school. Colt’s superior officer, Colonel Garrett, reported to Gen. “Small” Paul Caraway, so called because he was quite short. Caraway was a West Point graduate, and both of his parents were U.S. senators. Despite his potentially privileged past, both the enlisted men and the officers thought of him as a good general. He had conducted a number of projects to help the people of Okinawa as goodwill gestures, particularly on the outlying islands. In April, , General Caraway summoned Colonel Garrett to his office. Colt heard later (from Garrett) that during this meeting, the general had declared that Special Forces were overrated and that he was not impressed just because they jumped out of airplanes. Garrett knew that Caraway had been deriding Special Forces for some time and was surprised when the general suddenly seemed to switch gears. He challenged the colonel to demonstrate that his men were as efficient and as disciplined as he claimed. One of Caraway ’s “People to People” projects was incomplete, and he wanted help from Garrett’s men to finish it before the end of his tour. Ishigaki was a tiny outlying island  miles south of Okinawa, with only a small airport and no regular flights. It needed a channel cut through the coral that blocked the harbor—a channel deep enough to allow large ships to enter and pull up to a pier for docking. The ships would bring needed supplies to the island and would transport its local production of sugar cane, pineapples , and other produce to market. The completion of this project would be a great boon to both the small island’s economy and its people’s welfare. The army had hired a Japanese company to build the pier and everything    else needed for a seaport. The company’s work was behind schedule, however , because of the obstructing reef. Ships simply could not navigate in the shallow water. Since Garrett commanded the only underwater demolition units in the Far East, Caraway directed him to send his very best team to the island to blast a channel deep and wide enough for a thirty-ton ship to pass from the open ocean through the coral reef and into the harbor. He told the colonel that he would have whatever he needed in equipment, personnel, and explosives . Caraway added that he would be leaving for the States in forty-five days, so Garrett and his men should start work the following Monday and finish the job in thirty days. The colonel could do nothing but agree to the assignment. Colt would be the key. Garrett left Caraway’s office and told his adjutant to have Captain Terry Aerial view of Ishigaki harbor and channel. A floating pipe with drill head (not visible in this picture) sucked up, chewed up, and spit out the coral debris into the white area, creating new land.     report to him immediately. When Colt received the message, his first thought was that he was in trouble: he knew the general was not keen on Special Forces. A worried Colt arrived at the colonel’s office. Garrett, at six feet, one inch tall, loomed over him. The colonel ordered him to stand at ease while he spelled out the situation. He explained how, “with no disrespect to the general , the son of a bitch had called Special Forces blowhards,” and then described the general’s orders. Colt could hardly believe his ears as the colonel laid out the mission. Garrett instructed Colt, “Take a complete underwater demolition A-team. Don’t just take your team. Handpick the best men from all the teams.” He added: “Set up radio communications to my office and report your progress daily. Requisition whatever you need. We’ll air drop or ship it to you.” Colt recovered enough to ask, “How much time do we have?” The colonel responded without hesitation. “Pick your men this afternoon , call them...