“I said [to myself], Logan, if you’re going to make it, you need to get out of here now.” (Video interview, 01:03:40.0)

Logan D. Fitch

Logan Fitch at time of interview War: Cold War; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Army; Army Unit: 85th Ordnance Battalion; Detachment A, Berlin Brigade; B Company, 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division; 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D); J6 Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam; 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade Service Location: Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Ord, California; Hanau, Germany; Fort Irwin, California; Fort Benning, Georgia; Berlin, Germany; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Mainz, Germany; Bad Tolz, Germany; Nacogdoches, Texas; also: Saigon, Vietnam; Fort Bliss, Texas; Xuan Loc, Vietnam; Landing Zone English, Vietnam Rank: Major

A self-described “wild kid,” Major Logan D. Fitch enlisted in the Army in 1961 at the age of 17, seeking escape from his small town life in Colorado. Thus began a storied military career, one that would involve service in Vietnam, becoming an officer, and eventually, to command of a squadron of the elite Special Forces known as Delta Force. In 1980, he served as Squadron Commander during Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to extract the hostages being held at the American embassy in Tehran. His oral history includes his thoughts on what went wrong during the operation, as well as recollections of his Vietnam combat experiences, Ranger training, and as a Military Freefall Parachutist.