This is part of our ongoing SACRED TECHNOLOGY series. Read and share the X post dedicated to this article here: https://x.com/sayerjigmi/status/1997316404349895162 During the Vietnam War, U.S. Special Forces units—including MACV-SOG, the MIKE Forces, and the CIDG program—recruited Indigenous trackers such as the Montagnards (Rhade, Jarai, and Bahnar), Nùng, Khmer Krom, and Hmong scouts. These men were renowned for their extraordinary ability to move through dense jungle, detect danger, read terrain disturbances, and navigate at night with uncanny precision. American advisers often remarked that these trackers perceived subtle environmental cues long before other soldiers registered anything unusual. Over the years, a particular story circulated within military circles: some of these Indigenous recruits allegedly saw their tracking abilities diminish after receiving the standard military haircut. Trainers reported that the men felt less aware, less attuned to their surroundings, …