It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of this legendary man – When you find out who he was, it’s impossible not to be moved – story-veterans.com

During the Vietnam War, Gritz led Detachment B-36 of the 5th Special Forces Group, part of the elite MIKE Force. His unit operated in the III Corps region of South Vietnam near the Cambodian border, conducting high-risk missions that included cross-border operations. Among his most frequently cited achievements was the recovery of a black box from a downed Lockheed U-2 spy plane in Cambodia in 1966.

After leaving active duty, Gritz remained vocal about prisoner-of-war issues, claiming involvement in covert missions aimed at rescuing American POWs in Laos, though none resulted in confirmed recoveries. His life and postwar activism later became the subject of the 2017 documentary Erase and Forget.

Gritz’s public profile extended far beyond his military record. In the early 1990s, he entered politics and ran for president under the Populist Party in 1992. He also became associated with militia movements and elements of the Christian Patriot movement, drawing both support and controversy.

One of his most visible roles came during the 1992 standoff at Ruby Ridge in Idaho. The confrontation between federal agents and Randy Weaver’s family resulted in the deaths of Weaver’s wife and son. Gritz traveled to the scene at the request of federal authorities to help mediate.

“It was just a terrible scene,” he later recalled in an interview. “Weaver hadn’t fired a shot at anybody. And yet, his son was dead.”