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Jerry Michael Tate Shriver: September 24, 1941 – June 10, 1974 

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✪ Jerry Michael Tate Shriver, also known by his nickname “Mad Dog,” was a Master Sergeant in the United States Army who served in MACV-SOG in the Vietnam War. He took part in operations along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, in Cambodia, and Laos from 1966 to 1969. He also served in West Germany as part of a long-range patrol unit and in Taiwan. Shriver participated chiefly in classified special operations missions in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, leading Montagnard soldiers and conducting reconnaissance missions.

The men who served with MSG Jerry “Mad Dog” Shriver, would tell you he was more of a warrior than a soldier: a man wholly obsessed & dedicated to warfare and violence; the distilled essence of war in its most primal, basic nature. He was the best ally to have and the most dangerous enemy to face. The men who fought and served alongside Shriver could describe him best. Medal of Honor recipient Jim Fleming, described Shriver as, “the quintessential warrior-loner, anti-social, possessed by what he was doing, the best teammate, always training, constantly training.”

Jerry Michael Tate Shriver was born to Dale Leroy Shriver and Dorothy Madelyn Shriver on 24 September 1941 in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. His family, along with two brothers and three sisters moved to Sacramento, California, while he was still in high school.

In 1962, at the age of 21, Shriver enlisted in the United States Army. After completing basic training, he attended the United States Army Airborne School. After briefly serving in the 101st Airborne Division, he joined the 7th Army’s Long Range Patrol Company and was sent to West Germany to serve near the border with East Germany. He was also deployed to Taiwan in 1964 and Vietnam in 1966 as part of the 5th Special Forces Group.

Shriver initially served with Project Omega (Detachment B-50), a Special Forces reconnaissance unit created to provide I Field Force, Vietnam with a long-range patrol capability similar to Project DELTA. Although transferred to MACV-SOG in November 1967, Project Omega was originally independent of that organization. By then, Shriver had become a team leader (1-0 in SOG) commanding Recon Team (RT) Brace. On one occasion when his platoon was surrounded by the Viet Cong, in a now-famous radio transmission to his base, he coolly remarked, “No, no… I’ve got ’em right where I want ’em—surrounded from the inside.” He was also known to favor short-barreled shotguns and submachine guns instead of carrying long rifles such as the M16.

Shriver was eccentric. When he wasn’t training or fighting he would often be seen walking around CCS (Command and Control, South) in a blue velvet smoking jacket and derby hat. Not surprisingly, he was also always armed. It wasn’t unusual to see him with four to six pistols or revolvers on his person. Shriver was also often seen with his dog, a large German shepherd named Klaus, who he adopted at some point during an adventure in Taiwan. When he wasn’t on mission, he was seen walking about the base with Klaus at his side.

Shriver respected and cared deeply about his Montagnards, and they in turn came to revere him. He didn’t care at all about money. Except for what he spent on essentials and food, nearly all his money he earned during his deployments to his men and their families. He’d collect food, clothes, and other donations from soldiers to give to the Montagnards’ villages who so bravely supported him. While he did have some American friends, Shriver spent most of his time with his Montagnards. He was the only American at CCS (Command and Control, South) who lived in the Montagnard barracks. He’d routinely eat with them and drink from the communal pot of Rượu cần, a type of alcoholic fermented wine.

On October 8, 1966, while operating in the jungle, Shriver heard two nearby rifle shots and immediately alerted a supporting aircraft and his team’s base; warning the mission might be compromised. Discovering a trail intersection, he posted two men to guard it while leading the rest of his team down an alternate path. Shortly afterward, the security team spotted a Viet Cong unit following them and opened fire, wounding one enemy fighter and driving the others away. Shriver quickly pursued the injured soldier, leading his men back into the forest. When he spotted the wounded combatant attempting to escape, Shriver made a full 360-degree turn and seized him without firing a shot. He then proceeded to maneuver his team toward a landing zone, with two sizable enemy groups advanced from opposite directions. Although his prisoner initially escaped, Shriver chased him down once more, ultimately stopping him with a precise gunshot. Attack helicopters soon arrived afterward, driving off the remaining Viet Cong.

On October 23, 1967, Shriver led a reconnaissance team across the border into the Fishhook region of Cambodia, where they discovered an abandoned company-sized bivouac camp. The camp had been hastily relocated deeper into the country, forcing the team to push farther than planned. Four armed helicopter missions were flown to assist with their exfiltration, though the outcomes of these missions remain unclear. That afternoon, while commanding a reconnaissance operation deep inside enemy territory, Shriver distinguished himself with exceptional bravery. After the team was resupplied, a small hostile force spotted them. Hoping to capture a prisoner, Shriver attempted to lure the enemy closer. Another NVA soldier approached from a different direction and identified the group as a reconnaissance team. Shriver opened fire, triggering a firefight as enemy forces—now numbering roughly a platoon—moved in.

To avoid revealing their precise location, Shriver ordered his men to throw hand grenades rather than engage in sustained gunfire. Soon, the team found itself backed against a large lake and surrounded on three sides. Informing the Forward Air Controllers of their perilous situation, Shriver reported an enemy platoon was closing in and shouted the rest of their company would soon arrive. Two USAF gunships were dispatched, and under Shriver’s direction, they unleashed rockets and mini-gun fire on NVA soldiers positioned barely thirty meters away. Throughout the intense battle, Shriver calmly adjusted the supporting fire to within twenty meters of his team until the enemy was finally forced to retreat.

Shriver and his unit remained active throughout 1967, frequently conducting reconnaissance missions deep into Cambodia’s Fishhook region. On several occasions, they narrowly escaped encirclement by NVA forces, aided by Shriver’s tactical expertise. On May 13, 1967, during a reconnaissance and ambush patrol as part of Omega Recon and Reaction Patrol Team “Stud,” Shriver was wounded but assumed command of the patrol, exposing himself to enemy fire while organizing a defensive perimeter. His actions resulted in twelve enemy casualties with minimal losses to his team. His reputation grew to the point that Radio Hanoi mentioned him in their propaganda broadcasts; providing battle details and even announcing a $10,000 bounty on his head (equivalent to approximately $85,000 today). By the end of 1967, reports credited him with a kill count exceeding one hundred enemy soldiers.

Shriver remained in Vietnam for most of 1968. From January to May, he continued conducting operations before taking a mandatory summer leave in the United States, where he spent time with fellow Green Beret Larry White. During this leave, Shriver purchased weapons, including a lever-action rifle chambered for the .444 Marlin cartridge, and mailed them back to his base for future use.

After returning to Vietnam, Shriver participated in a mission on November 4, 1968. When his reconnaissance team landed on a remote strip, they encountered an enemy force estimated to be the size of a battalion. Leading a squad of three soldiers, Shriver initiated a fierce attack that killed four and wounded twenty-six enemy combatants. He directed gunship fire while simultaneously providing cover for his radio operator and coordinating with the aircraft. As a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter arrived to extract the team, it came under heavy machine-gun fire. Shriver guided his men to an alternate landing zone, calling in additional gunship strikes during the movement. Rope ladders were dropped for extraction, and as the last man aboard, Shriver attached himself to a ladder with a snap link and continued firing at the enemy while hanging from the helicopter until it cleared the danger zone.

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On April 24, 1969, Shriver and a team of U.S. and Montagnard troops were inserted by helicopter into Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, and immediately came under heavy fire near their initial rallying point. During the firefight, Shriver was last seen moving toward a tree line before radio contact was lost. Mad Dog Shriver was never seen again. The team was forced to evacuate without him. He was declared missing in action and later promoted in absentia to the rank of master sergeant. Despite subsequent search efforts, no trace of Shriver was ever found, and the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of his death in 1974. As of April, 2026, Shriver’s remains have still not been recovered. ✪