Medal of Honor Recipients and Keith McKim
From George Orwell, in his book 1984: We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.
One of those men is Keith McKim, a man I was honored to meet and talk to recently and the circumstances of this I cannot discuss. Mr. McKim is a former Army Green Beret, recipient of the Silver Star for Valor, Bronze star and purple heart, all received in his service with MAC-V-SOG in Vietnam. He is a motivational speaker, author, poet and also a movie actor, I found out.
He was a team leader of Recon Team Cobra, in the elite, top secret MAC-V-SOG team in Vietnam. This is an anacronym for Military Assistance Group Vietnam, Special Operations Group. Military assistance group. Hmm. Sound safe and calm enough, right? Actually, SOG was a group of elite operators who operated behind enemy lines in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam, fighting communists without assistance from the government, and in fact, the US Government denied their existence at the time. He told me MAC-V-SOG volunteers had a high mortality rate, and in fact there was a 100% chance the operator would be either wounded, or killed. He also says that less than 100 SOG operators are still alive today.
He kindly gave me his Audio CD that he narrates: Vietnam, Green Berets, S.O.G. Medal of Honor Recipients, Part I. He narrated heroic stories of multiple Medal of honor recipients from SOG, in dangerous and harrowing battles against all odds, nearly always outnumbered, maybe 150 to 1, demonstrating uncommon bravery and valor and a brand of selflessness that I think very few men could possess. After listening to this audio-book, I realize how thankful I am and we that men like this protect us, and as we go our ways in life, we should honor the bravery of these men who sacrifices their lives for us in ways we can never imagine.
Keith told me: “A Hero I ain’t.” That is what all these men say. They will not accept that word. So, I gave it anyway, and if you meet him, I suggest you don’t use that word.
I do not usually recommend books or authors on this site, but I make exception here for Keith McKim.
My readers: Even if you do not have a military background, consider buying his electronic audio book on Amazon, or a CD if you have a player. It will open your eyes to uncommon valor and bravery that put their lives at risk for us back home.
© 2026 SRCarson Publications
I am so grateful for and so proud of these brave men. A very heartfelt thank you goes out to Mr. McKim and his fellow SOG soldiers for their incredible sacrifice. It is true… Home of the free BECAUSE of the brave. I eagerly await listening to his audio stories. Thank you Dr. Carson for shining the spotlight on these amazing heroes. And yes I will call Mr. McKim and his team heroes because they have earned the title. And Orwell is right, we can sleep well at night only because of their willingness to be the best of the best. All respect should be showered upon them. Nice tribute. I stand in awe.