American volunteers in the Rhodesian Bush War

There were a number of American volunteers in the Rhodesian Bush War who fought with the Rhodesian Security Forces. These men were nick-named the Crippled Eagles by author Robin Moore, who offered a house in Salisbury as a meeting place for the Americans who served in all units of the security forces, but never had their own unit. The name "Crippled Eagle" and their badge was meant to symbolise what they considered their abandonment by the US government. Robin Moore and Barbara Fuca tried to publish a book with the same title, but because of the political controversy the book was refused by publishers and appeared only in 1991, when it was published as The White Tribe.

Background

One of the reasons for many of the American citizens who joined the Crippled Eagles was the Soldier of Fortune reports about both the Rhodesian Bush War and the means of entry into the Rhodesian Army. From 1976 to 1980 almost every issue contained one or more articles about the ongoing conflict. The first issue of the magazine in 1975 actually contained two such articles, prompting some Americans to travel to Rhodesia. After 1980, their attention turned to Angola, Soweto and other hotspots around the world.

Approximately 400 Americans, some with previous combat experience in Vietnam and other theatres, others with none, volunteered to fight in the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War as ordinary soldiers, earning a pay packet in local currency equal to that of a Rhodesian regular, under the same conditions of service. The Americans suffered seven combat fatalities and many others were wounded in combat, some maimed for life. Five served in Rhodesia's most prestigious unit, the Selous Scouts.

The United States' Neutrality Act prohibits American citizens from enlisting with foreign militaries or working as mercenaries for other governments. Despite this, the United States government did little to slow the flow of volunteers to Rhodesia. There is evidence that the Departments of Justice and State tacitly encouraged Americans to volunteer for Rhodesia as part of efforts to prevent the country's collapse prior to a negotiated solution to the war. The Carter Administration considered taking steps to stop Americans serving with Rhodesia, but this did not result in any policy changes. The activities of Americans in Rhodesia were widely publicised in the United States, leading to protests.

Many of the American volunteers wrongly believed that their government opposed their presence in the country, with articles in Soldier of Fortune and works by Robin Moore also claiming this. In 1976 Moore established what he called the "Unofficial US Embassy" in Salisbury, and began hosting events for the American volunteers as well as doctoral students. He encouraged the volunteers to call themselves 'Crippled Eagles' due to the perception that they were being harassed, or could be harassed, by their government. He also sold t-shirts, sew-on patches and other merchandise using the 'Crippled Eagle' motif and wrote a book that argued that Rhodesia was not racist which included profiles of foreign volunteers.

In 1975, American volunteers Craig Acheson and Joe Belisario were arrested in Botswana, while doing a job for the Rhodesian Security Forces. Both men were leaders in the fanatically anti-communist group known as Veterans and Volunteers for Vietnam, an organization which vowed to keep sending Americans to keep fighting in the Vietnam War after the withdrawal of American forces. Acheson and Belisario were both convicted of firearm charges and each sentenced to six months in prison.

Like the other foreign volunteers in Rhodesia, the Americans often received a hostile reception from their comrades in Rhodesian units. This led to some of the Americans deserting before the end of their contract.

Members killed

During the course of its existence the following seven American citizens died in Rhodesia:

Notes

Citations

Works cited

• Voß, Klaas (January 2016). "Plausibly deniable: mercenaries in US covert interventions during the Cold War, 1964–1987". Cold War History. 16 (1): 37–60. doi:10.1080/14682745.2015.1078312. S2CID 155764949.
• White, Luise (2021). Fighting and Writing: The Rhodesian Army at War and Postwar. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. ISBN 9781478021285.

Further reading

• Coey, John Alan (March 1988). A Martyr Speaks (First ed.). Fletcher, North Carolina: New Puritan Library. ISBN 978-0-932050-41-0.
• Moore, Robin (1980). The Crippled Eagles. Manor Books. ISBN 978-0-532-23366-4.
• Horne, Gerald (December 2000). From the Barrel of a Gun: The United States and the War against Zimbabwe, 1965–1980. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-4903-3.

1. Foreign volunteers in the Rhodesian Security Forces
2. Rhodesian Bush War
3. Rhodesian White People's Party
4. Harold Covington
5. Robert C. MacKenzie
6. Steven Hatfill
7. Thomas W. Chittum
8. 7 Independent Company (Rhodesia)
9. Rhodesia
10. List of foreign volunteers
11. Rhodesian Security Forces
12. Dave Barr (motorcyclist)
13. Rhodesian Air Force
14. Police Support Unit
15. Body count
16. Peter Walls
17. Rhodesian Armoured Corps
18. British South Africa Police
19. Southern Rhodesia in World War II
20. Soldier of Fortune (magazine)