#88 - John Stryker Meyer Breaks 20-Year Silence on Vietnam's Secret War

Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoaS6eftXdY John Stryker "Tilt" Meyer was a Green Beret team leader with MAC-V SOG, running top-secret recon missions across the fence into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. His six-man teams faced hundreds of enemy soldiers in triple-canopy jungle, extracted under heavy fire every single time, and carried the weight of stories they couldn't tell for two decades. In this raw conversation, John shares what it means to earn a Green Beret, how faith carried him through moments when the math said he shouldn't survive, and why he's spent years making sure the courage of his brothers, especially the 98 Green Berets still missing in action, is never forgotten. We talk about the NVA soldier who touched his boot and walked away, the Christmas Day extraction where helicopter blades held back flames, divine intervention in the jungle, losing his son in 2020, and the sacred duty to get the story right. This is about vulnerability under fire, brotherhood that transcends decades, and what happens when you finally break a silence that lasted 20 years. ABOUT THE GUEST John Stryker "Tilt" Meyer is a Green Beret veteran who served with MAC-V SOG during the Vietnam War, running classified cross-border recon missions from 1968-1969. He is the author of "Across the Fence," "On the Ground," and "SOG Chronicles," and hosts the SOGcast podcast preserving the stories of America's most classified Vietnam-era unit. John's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-Stryker-Meyer/author/B002A510S4 John's SOGcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIEQamvEuqUfaXqwhSzl3ogh1CWYwbzY2 John's Website: https://www.jstrykermeyer.com/ RESOURCES MENTIONED Books by John Stryker Meyer: "Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam" "On the Ground: The Secret War in Vietnam" "SOG Chronicles: Volume One" Recommended Reading: "Code Name: Dynamite" (Book 1 & 2) by Dick Thompson "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" by Lynn Black "The Dying Place" by Nick Brokhausen & Dave Maurer CHAPTERS: (00:00) Trailer (01:05) Intro (01:41) Meet John Stryker Meyer (04:57) Joining the Secret War (08:16) The Weight of Secrecy (13:11) Surviving Intense Missions (22:39) The Role of Indigenous Soldiers (31:55) Trust Between Ground and Sky (35:59) Remembering Fallen Comrades (40:10) Surviving the Jungle (44:08) Faith and Divine Intervention (47:08) The Journey to Storytelling (52:11) Publishing and Podcasting Success (01:00:00) The Legacy of Green Berets (01:05:45) Reflections on Patriotism and Current Threats (01:11:56) Family Pride and Future Generations (01:15:06) Rapid Fire Questions SPONSORS ElevenLabs: Thanks to ElevenLabs (⁠⁠https://elevenlabs.io⁠⁠) for supporting this episode and powering Tim’s voice. SOCIAL: Website: https://nlupod.com/ X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/nlutimgreen Facebook:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/NLUpod Instagram:⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/nlupod LISTEN ON OTHER PLATFORMS Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-left-unsaid/id1734094890 Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/Nothing-Left-Unsaid/B0CWTCRKGZ Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/id6405921?country=us Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1734094890 iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-nothing-left-unsaid-155769998/ PERSONAL Tackle ALS: ⁠⁠https://www.tackleals.com Tim Green Books: ⁠⁠https://authortimgreen.com Tim's New Book - ROCKET ARM: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062796895/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices