Arthur D. Simons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Arthur David Simons |
| Nickname(s) | "Bull" |
| Born | (1918-06-28)June 28, 1918 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 21, 1979(1979-05-21) (aged 60) Red Bay,Florida, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1971 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 98th Field Artillery Battalion United States Army Special ForcesMACV-SOG |
| Commands | 8th Special Forces Group |
| Battles / wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Legion of Merit (5) Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal |
Arthur D. "Bull" Simons (June 28, 1918 – May 21, 1979) was aUnited States Army Special Forces colonel best known for leading theSơn Tây raid, an attempted rescue ofU.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War from aNorth Vietnamese prison atSơn Tây. He also led the successful 1979 rescue of two employees ofElectronic Data Systems from prison in Iran.
Although serving 30 years as an officer spanning three wars, Simons was deemed not to fit the "career mold" for a general officer and did not rise above the rank of colonel. AnAir Force officer who helped plan and execute the Sơn Tây raid wrote of Simons: "He was not out to make a name for himself; he was there to do his duty. He did not attend all the professional advancement schools and did not cultivate any sponsors for his career. He just answered every call because it was the right thing for an American soldier to do."[1]
Arthur David Simons was born in New York City, moving to Missouri in his youth. His family was Jewish.[2] He attended theUniversity of Missouri-Columbia and majored in journalism, entering theROTC program there in 1937. After graduation, he married his girlfriend, Lucille, eventually having two boys, Bruce and Harry. He remained married to Lucille for 37 years until her death on March 16, 1978.
Simons was commissioned asecond lieutenant in theField Artillery Branch in 1941, and was initially assigned to the98th Field Artillery Battalion, a part of one of the Army's pack mule units. In his first assignment as a platoon leader, he as the new lieutenant was so quiet and reserved (he later said he wanted to learn from thesergeants that seemed to know their business well) that one of his sergeants came to believe that Simons was amute. The unit was dispatched to Australia, but immediately diverted toNew Guinea in the early stages of World War II, and Simons thrived in the harsh jungle environment. He was soon promoted to the rank ofCaptain and served as a Battery Commander in the battalion from 1942 to 1943. The mules did not prove suitable in the jungle, and the unit was dissolved in 1943. Simons took his battery to the newly formingRanger Battalion that would come out of the dissolution of his old unit. He soon became the commander of "B" (Baker) Company and later the battalion Executive Officer (XO) of the6th Ranger Battalion under Lieutenant ColonelHenry Mucci. Simons participated in several hazardous landings with the Rangers in the Pacific. He led a team of engineers and Navy personnel tasked to de-mine theLeyte channel before the invasion of the island began in earnest. OnLuzon in the Philippines, he participated in theRaid at Cabanatuan that rescued approximately 500 POWs who were mostly survivors of theBataan Death March.[3] For his actions in the raid he was awarded theSilver Star.[citation needed] He quickly rose to the rank ofMajor and continued to prove his worth as a combat leader. At the conclusion of World War II, Major Simons left the active Army for five years.
Simons was recalled to active duty in 1951 to serve as an infantry instructor and Ranger trainer in the Amphibious and Jungle Training camp atEglin Air Force Base, Florida. Other assignments included a year as a Public Information Officer (PIO, now"Public Affairs Officer" or PAO) atFort Bragg, North Carolina, a job that he despised: He held a low opinion of the media, one that would prove itself in later years and assignments. "The press hasn't done very well for the American soldier," he would later remark. Simons also completed tours with theMilitary Assistance Advisory Group, Turkey andXVIII Airborne Corps before joining the7th Special Forces Group in 1958. In 1960 he served as Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff of theU.S. Army Special Warfare Center. Promoted tolieutenant colonel in 1961, he commanded the 107-manOperation White Star Mobile Training Team in Laos from 1961 to 1962 and was the first commander of the8th Special Forces Group, Panama from 1962 to 1964. From Panama, he was assigned to theMilitary Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), which conducted numerous behind-the-line missions in Southeast Asia.[4]
In 1970, Simons was hand-picked to command the army component ofOperation Ivory Coast, a joint special operations effort to rescue American prisoners of war from the Sơn Tây prison in North Vietnam. While it did not rescue any prisoners (the camp was still used as a military installation but the prisoners had been removed a few months earlier), the otherwise highly-successful operation did force North Vietnam to consolidate all of the prisoners into a few central compounds inHanoi, resulting in a boost in the prisoners' morale and improved treatment. They were also heartened to know that a rescue effort had been attempted. The North Vietnamese were shaken at the ease in which Americans could invade so close to their capital, and no American lives were lost in the operation (and only one minor injury, a sprained ankle). For his outstanding leadership, Simons was decorated by PresidentRichard Nixon with theDistinguished Service Cross at the White House on November 25, 1970.
Simons' nickname "Bull" was taken from a physical training game called the "bull pit", where one soldier climbs down into a pit in the ground, and other soldiers engage in trying to pull the first soldier from the pit. Simon's large physical stature and great strength — even in his fifties, he did 250push-ups every day — made him a formidable challenge to remove from the pit, and the name "Bull" stuck.
Colonel Simons retired from the Army on July 31, 1971, and moved with his wife to a small farm in Red Bay,Walton County, Florida, engaging in livestock farming and doing amateur gunsmithing on the side.
In late 1978, Simons was contacted by Texas businessmanRoss Perot, who requested his direction and leadership to help free two employees ofElectronic Data Systems who had been arrested shortly before theIranian Revolution. Simons organized a rescue mission and ultimately freed the two men from the Iranian prison. All involved returned safely to the United States. The rescue operation was described inOn Wings of Eagles (1983) written by British authorKen Follett.
Three months after the rescue mission, while on vacation in Vail, Colorado, Simons suffered a heart attack. He was transported to Dallas, Texas by a private jet chartered by Perot. He died one month later of persistent heart failure at the age of 60. He is interred in theBarrancas National Cemetery inPensacola, Florida.
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Ross Perot and others founded a scholarship initiative for the children of the casualties from theIranian hostage rescue attempt, and named the fund in honor of Colonel Simons' memory.
In April 2010, the Arthur D. "Bull" Simons Center for Interagency Cooperation[5] was opened as a result of a donation by Ross Perot to the Command and General Staff College Foundation, Inc.[6]
Colonel Simons' great contributions to the army and the Special Forces community are honored with a 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) statue that stands in front of theJohn F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School atFort Bragg, North Carolina.
The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School presents an annual award called the "'Bull' Simons Award" to an outstanding special forces operator.
Colonel Simons was also inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Infantry) Arthur D. Simons, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism while commanding the ground element of a joint United States task force on an operation deep in North Vietnam on 21 November 1970. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, Colonel Simons voluntarily participated as a member of a Joint Task Force with the humanitarian mission of rescuing United States military personnel held as prisoners of war at the Son Tay Prison Compound approximately twenty nautical miles from Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam. In an outstanding display of leadership and personal courage, Colonel Simons led the ground force in the rescue effort. On the ground, the search and rescue element was immediately taken under automatic weapons fire by the enemy. While directing and supervising the operation, Colonel Simons continually exposed himself to enemy fire and, on one occasion, personally took under fire enemy personnel in close proximity to his position. The success of the operation was the direct result of Colonel Simons' calm and competent leadership in an extremely hazardous situation. His professional conduct instilled confidence in his men and resulted in an outstanding operation. Colonel Simons' extraordinary heroism was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit on him and the United States Army.[7]
 Combat Infantryman Badge (2nd Award) |
.svg){kind=icon} Master Parachutist Badge |
 Ranger Tab |
 Special Forces Tab |
 | Army Presidential Unit Citation |
 | Army Meritorious Unit Commendation |
 | American Defense Service Medal |
 | American Campaign Medal |
   | Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal withArrowhead device and three bronzecampaign stars |
 | World War II Victory Medal |
 | Army of Occupation Medal |
  | National Defense Service Medal withservice star |
 | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with one service star |
 | Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze campaign stars |
 | Korea Defense Service Medal |
 | Armed Forces Reserve Medal with bronzehourglass device |
. . . Simons had trouble advancing in an Army vaguely anti-Semitic (Simons was Jewish) . . .
