The Worldwide Directory of Army Special Forces Haunts: Bars, Clubs, and Pubs

The Fort, outside the gate at Ft. Devens, famous for its taco Wednesdays (during the ’70s and ’80s). One famous fort legend is about a 10th Group trooper who rode his Harley into The Fort and did donuts until a sergeant major ran him out. The Mowhawk The Wagon Wheel The Butter Cup Florida:   Captain Tony’s, Key West Sloppy Joe’s, Key West Ricks, Key West The Instructor Lounge, SFUWO, Key West (No longer there, since the ’90s.) The Bad Monkey, Tampa. More of a Spec Ops bar. Sloppy Joe’s, Key West Photo: Captain Tony’s Key West Every rod and bottle (rod and gun club) on every Army post that ever had a Special Forces team step onto it could be on this list, too. Montana The Rialto, the bar in Helena where the 1SSF (1st Special Service Force) used to hang out in their early days. The same bar was used in the movie “The Devils Brigade.” Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, has toes to the 1SSF and is an SF hangout. Reputedly, some members of the local SFA chapter have a stake in the brewery. Texas Betty’s Battalion outside the New Braunfels Gate, Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. Betty’s walls were covered with 300F-1 photos and history. Time Out, San Antonio, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, was very popular with 300F-1 students. Broadway Joe’s, Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, another 300F-1 hangout. I have often wondered how SF medics ever got any medical training done at all with all the beer and women they enjoyed down there. Colorado Southside Johnny’s, Colorado Springs Sufferin’ Bastards, Colorado Springs The B Bar on B Street, Colorado Springs DLI, California Betty’s, Seaside, 1970s Tia Maria’s on Cannery Row Ft. Huachuca, Arizona Sin of Cortez, Sierra Vista, Arizona Special Forces bars in Thailand The Balcony Bar The Cellar Bar, owned by Bill Book, who claimed to be former Navy UDT. Many claim that Bill was a big, loud guy who could not fight at all. Nick’s Number One Steakhouse, Bangkok, a good place to get an enormous Kobe steak. The Opera Hotel, Bangkok. Very popular with SF. Tilac-a-Go-go Soi Cowboy, off Soi Asoke Sukhumvit, Bangkok. The Opera Hotel in Bangkok. An actual hotel, but had a snack bar, a small bar, and a pool. Just about anything a weary SF soldier required could be acquired at the Opera. The Opera is still there and open, and SF guys still stay there. Venus, Lop Buri Tahitian Queen, Pattaya Club Nevada, Pattaya The Three Sisters Bar, Bangkok BJ’s Bar on Walking Street, Pattaya (1980s) Lucy’s Tiger Den, Bangkok Aloha Club, Lo Buri Green House, Lo Buri Sweet Gin Ta Na, Lo Buri Rojana Club, Lo Buri The Club, Camp Pawaii Photo: The Tahitian Queen, Thailand Special Forces bars in Japan The Mule Bar, Yafuso Mama D’s, Naminoue Jacona Basin, Okinawa, boocoo bars BC Street, which had, and has, numerous bars. Yafuso, Fuetema Kadena Circle. Also had lots of good bars. The Brown Derby, Okinawa The Topper Club, Okinawa Hills Club, Okinawa American Legion’s stag bar, Okinawa Coral Hills Club, Okinawa The Turkey Farm, Okinawa Special Forces bars in Europe The Turmkellar, Bad Toelz The PHK (Prinz Heinrich Kaserne) NCO Club, Lenggries, West Germany The Stokerwirt, aka “Wolfies,” Lenggries, West Germany Speakeasy Bar, Berlin The Home Bar, Berlin Biddy Early’s, Stuttgart The Garden of Eden, Bad Toelz, Germany Niagara’s, Leggries, Germany The Special Forces Club, London Special Forces bars in Vietnam House 22 in Da Nang Sylvester’s Lounge, Moc Hoa B-41. Some A Team pukes were allowed. The C-4 team bar, and woe to the FNG who sat on the SGM’s stool. A-424/411 team house, and A-team camp, was the “Scourge of the Delta,” but whether that rep is for their bar or their ops is not clear. The B55 team bar in Nha Tran Delta Club, Nha Trang Playboy Club, Nha Trang House 10, Saigon Sporting Bar, Saigon The Streamer, Nha Trang. C Team bar at Da Nang C Team bar at Nah Trang. The Sporting Bar on Tu Do Street. The Hungry I, a big SF hangout, near the intel school outside Saigon The Green Door, Can Tho The Peanut Bar, Na Trang The original Playboy Club, Nha Trang Delta’s club, Nha Trang San Francisco Bar on Tu Do Street Mama Capriccio’s Restaurant Trang Hung Dao Street in Saigon had a string of SF hangouts. Probably all A camps had a bar in their team house, and some of those developed a reputation. Also, most B and C teams had actual bars in their compounds, usually not too far from the ops center. Many of the bars and clubs on Tu Do traded in black market goods, including hair spray for their girls, and favored SF troops. There were numerous R&R centers, mostly outside RVN, and safe houses, within RVN, all of which had bars. Special Forces bars in Africa Al’s Bar- Kampala, Uganda, mid ’90s The Round Bar, Salima, Malawi. A big SF bar, when SF was in town. The Bull and Bush, Gaborone, Botswana The Lentswe Lodge, Serowe, Botswana The Guildhall, Johannesburg, South Africa Special Forces bars in Laos The White Rose, Vientiane, just recently closed Mimi’s, Luang Prabang Special Forces bars in the Philippines St. Angeles City, the entire strip Olangapo City, the entire strip Special Forces bars in Australia Texas Hotel, an approved R&R center/hotel, in King’s Crossing, Sydney Special Forces bars in Turkey Green Beret Club (forward), Incirlik, Turkey. It was a shit hole, but an SF shit hole. (“Forward” means overseas, not in the U.S. Forward battalions are battalions stationed OCONUS—outside the continental United States.) Special Forces bars in Taiwan In the late ’50s and ’60s: The Black Cat, on “Sin Alley” off of North Chung Sheng Road House 29 Club 63 Oceanic Hotel The OK Bar, Taipei Champaign House Road House Garfield’s In the 1950s and into the ’60s, there were a lot of SF teams operating in and out of Taiwan due to the tensions between Taiwan and China, and other dynamics in the region. Special Forces bars in South and Central America Doctor Zhivago’s, Bogota, Colombia Calipachangōn, San Salvador The Association, Panama Bar Casanova, Colon City, Panama El Moro, Colon, Panama Olympia, Colon Panama VFW 100, Colon The Elks Club, Colon El Crocodillo, the best whorehouse and bar in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Everyone was packing, always. It was right next to the airport, which then (in the 1980s) was listed as the planet’s fourth most dangerous runway to land on. It would be interesting to see similar lists from the SEAL, Ranger, and Recon communities, and possibly even from all other SOCOM units. Even the PJs and CCTs must have their bars and clubs. It might be too soon for MARSOC, though, as that unit is still somewhat in it infancy, and most strip clubs do not admit infants.