Book Description
From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, and more recently from the jungles of Vietnam to the killing fields of Iraq, Americas soldiers of the sea have fought their countrys battles with famed valor, skill, and perseverance in the face of long odds. But where did the U.S. Marines earn their reputation as being the first to fight? It was on the South Pacific Island of Guadalcanal. There, on August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division stormed ashore to begin one of the most difficult and brutal campaigns of military historyand an unbroken string of victories staged across the Pacific. Up the Solomons from Guadalcanal, westward into the islands of the central Pacific, and on to the climactic campaigns of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, these are the legendary battles celebrated in this volume, a lavishly illustrated tribute to the men who led the way against Japan. Nearly 300 combat photographs, many never before published, capture the fighting Leathernecks in training and in battle, landing and mopping up, making inexorable headway through the Pacific theater. Pacific Warriors also gives readers a look at the prewar Corps and its phenomenal growth from a modest two-regiment force to a full six divisions with its own modern air force.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding Visual Presentation of Pacific War.......2006-02-14
Pacific Warriors is one of those rare books that absolutely captures the essence of an era. Eric Hammel's photo selection and text sets the stage and allows the images themselves to tell the story of a generation of Marines who fought the battles in the Central Pacific during World War II. These photos remind everyone that the cost of victory over Japan did not come cheap. The combat cameramen captured the close-range fighting brilliantly, and some of the best war photography ever taken can be seen within the pages of this book. If you have even a passing interest in this topic, you need to own this work. Get it on your bookshelf right away, you will not be disappointed.
Nice overview of the Pacific war........2005-09-19
This book covers the full scope of the island-hopping Marines, with vivid pictures portraying what they went through in World War II. However, if you want to follow one Marine who hit Tulagi, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, and Iwo Jima, I recommend reading "Pacific War Marine."
Book Description
A handy compendium to the most elite fighting force in the world today.
President George W. Bush has told all Americans that the war against terrorism will be like no other war. But what does this mean? Who will fight? How will they fight? What weapons will be used?
Most informed commentators agree that the war against terrorism will be fought largely by "special forces"--that is, by a relatively new community within the American military known as Special Operations Forces, or SOF's. This new "branch" of the armed forces was created in the mid-1980's and is organized under its own unified command, called U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Consisting of special units from the other branches of the armed forces, such as Green Berets, Rangers, SEALs, and Delta Force, this new fighting command is recognized internationally as the most well-trained and well-equipped special operations force in the world. Their missions are varied--combat terrorism, search and rescue, reconnaissance, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping duty, conventional and unconventional warfare.
Despite its international reputation for excellence, Americans know little about this remarkable fighting force. U.S. Special Forces provides a handy and comprehensive compendium of America's SOF's. The book includes descriptions of the units and their operational specialties, their training, and their organization, as well as the equipment and technological gadgetry, weapons, armor, planes, helicopters, and support vehicles of each unit.
Customer Reviews:
good information, good reading.......2006-03-24
this book tells of history of different special operation forces. however it should go into more detail with each, but i guess this makes a good eye opener of what each group is and how they're different. there were some cool things about the air force, but i thought they could've removed the part about coast guard.
So Far So Good........2005-08-16
I'm on the chapter about the 10th Mountain Division and so far this book is a great read. I know a lot about SOF but this book tossed in a few things I didn't know. I've never known much about the 10th Mountain Division. And the Coast Guard spec ops guys aren't really special operations. They're Special Operations Capable. I think the Marin Force Recon is gonna be considered SOF now cause they committed a select few to SOCOM in 02. It's about timeis all I can say. The Navy didn't want SEALs under SOCOM's command but look where it's gotten them. Although they lost a lot of men at Patilla Airfield in Panama, they still accomplished the mission. This is definately a good read for anybody interested in U.S. SOF.
Great Little Book.......2004-01-22
I was suprised at how small this book was, but it's still a very good book on US Special Operations Units. It gives a brief history of each unit, describes the selection and training programs, and lists the missions each unit has taken part in. There is also a section on the equipment and weapons they use. This book and "America's Special Forces" by David Boher are probably the two best books on the subject.
Kind of like a "Special Forces for Dummies".......2003-06-03
I would recommend this book to people who do not have a very good understanding of US Special Forces. For those of us who have a deeper knowledge of the Special Forces that our country employs, I would not recommend this book.
The book reads well and includes chapters on the Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Operations (Combat Controllers and Pararescue Jumpers), Army Special Forces (Green Berets), Delta Force, Marine Force Recon, Army Airborne, Army 10th Mountain Division, Coast Guard Special Operations, and CIA Paramilitary Forces.
The inclusion of the Coast Guard "Special Operations" is a bit suspect as a special operations group, but that chapter is enlightening and informative.
The book does not go into very much detail on any of the special operations forces so I would only recommend this book to someone who wants a very general overview.
One of the major gripes that I had with the book (besides being overly simplistic) is on page 188. In the chapter about the 10th Mountain Division, the book mentions how a "young Lieutenant Bob Dole was badly wounded. After a couple years in a hospital he would go on to be vice president of the United States..." Umm, am I missing something here or was I asleep when Bob Dole was the Vice President?
Anyway, if you are a stranger to the world of US Special Forces, this is a decent book to get started. However, if one already has a pretty decent grasp of the subject, I would recommend looking elsewhere.
Pretty Good Starter.......2003-05-11
I purchased this book just expecting a general overview and thats what I got. If just want to see an overview of all of America's special forces, this is the book for. If you're looking for lots of detail, find something else (recommend Tom Clancy's Special Forces, Airborne, and Marine)
Amazon.com
The seventh in a series of books by Tom Clancy offering in-depth "tours" of the U.S. military, Special Forces surveys the soldiers who "are perhaps America's most professional and capable warriors." Who are they? They are the men--and only men, for women are not allowed to become SF soldiers--who are "specially selected, specially trained, specially equipped, and given special missions and support." The Army Special Forces--known to much of the public as Green Berets--are often the first troops on the scene in a crisis. They're also incredibly versatile: "If you're looking for a Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger, don't expect to find them in today's Army Special Forces." That's because specialized missions--involving anything from psychological operations meant to undermine enemy morale to guerilla warfare in remote jungles--require flexibility. "Specialized missions (paradoxically) require a broad range of general capabilities and skills," which means SF soldiers, "while physically fit, tend to be more balanced (like triathletes) than specialized (like marathoners and weightlifters)."
Clancy and his coauthor, John Gresham, describe how SF soldiers are recruited, trained, and assigned. There are plenty of interesting notes about SF culture: They don't especially like being called "Green Berets," for instance, even though most units carry a copy of the John Wayne movie The Green Berets in their traveling video libraries. They are typically in their 30s, divorced and remarried, intelligent, interested in the news, and able to speak more than one language. There are also lots of details on weaponry, chronicles of training missions, and plenty of maps and pictures. The book ends with a fictionalized account of an SF mission in 2005 and 2006.
Special Forces is replete with Clancy's tough-guy prose: "The overall media presentation of the Army Special Forces has generally been one of contrived crap." And the book is essentially a celebration of a premier fighting force, rather than a critical treatment of it. But this is not necessarily a weakness. Special Forces will appeal to anybody interested in the modern military, and it may bring civilians closer than they'll ever come to these important troops. --John J. Miller
Book Description
They are sent to the world's hot spots-on covert missions fraught with danger. They are called on to perform at the peak of their physical and mental capabilities, primed for combat and surveillance, yet ready to pitch in with disaster relief operations. They are the Army's Special Forces Groups. Now follow Tom Clancy as he delves into the training and tools, missions and mindset of these elite operatives.
Special Forces includes:
• The making of Special Forces personnel: recruitment and training
• A rare look at actual Special Forces Group deployment exercises
• Tools of the trade: weapons, communications and sensor equipment, survival gear
• Roles and missions: a mini-novel illustrates a probable scenario of Special Forces intervention
• Exclusive photographs, illustrations and diagrams
Plus: an interview with General Hugh Shelton, USA, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (and the former Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command-USSOCOM)
Customer Reviews:
Typical Clancy.......2007-01-22
Very dry, almost boring. Typical Clancy writing. I realize it is not a novel but I have read other books on SF and they are much more interesting although not as in depth as Clancy's. This book is a little outdated now. You can probably find more up to date information on SF.
Beyond the Beret: Clancy's book dispels myths about SF...........2004-02-13
Special Forces, the seventh and final entry in Tom Clancy's nonfiction Guided Tour series about America's armed forces, sets its sights on the shadowy -- and often misunderstood -- roles and missions of the men the author calls "the quiet professionals" of the Army's Special Forces command.
Although the public image of the Special Forces stems from such movies as John Wayne's 1968 cornball classic The Green Berets and the Rambo trilogy (Stallone's John Rambo is a former SF veteran who served in Vietnam) and Sgt. Barry Sadler's once-popular "Ballad of the Green Berets," Clancy and his co-author John D. Gresham point out that far from being hell-for-leather, shoot-first-ask-questions-later killing machines, SF soldiers are actually among the best troops in the U.S. Army. They have to be, because their missions -- ranging from blowing up a bridge or weapons factory far behind enemy lines to organizing, training, advising, and assisting foreign armies and police forces of "host" countries "to protect their societies or free them from subversion, lawlessness, insurgency, and terrorism." This means that in addition to their combat roles in Afghanistan and Iraq, SF teams are among the busiest of America's soldiers.
One of the more interesting insights I got from reading Special Forces is related to the role played by SF deployments in El Salvador during the darkest days of that Central American nation's long-running civil war. The Reagan Administration, knowing that any major American military intervention would be very unpopular at home and abroad (a Vietnam II in our own back yard, to put it bluntly), was caught in a decision-making dilemma. Clearly they did not wish El Salvador to "go Red" as Cuba and Nicaragua had in the past, yet they knew the ruling class -- derived from the wealthy class of landowners and other top honchos -- was also very indifferent about the conditions of the Salvadoran poor, particularly those in the countryside. Using the army and national guard -- themselves derived from El Salvador's small middle class -- in repressive and counterproductive ways, El Salvador's government just made matters worse, using indiscriminate tactics and the infamous death squads. Surely, Washington couldn't be too closely linked to a small group of wealthy "patrones" whose only interest was to maintain their lock on power and to ignore the people's legitimate demands for justice and social reform.
The solution? To use Special Forces to gradually change the mindset of the Salvadoran army. It took time, and quite a few of the SF advisers lost their lives in the crossfire between leftist forces and the army. Nevertheless, the Salvadoran officers and soldiers were "re-educated" and, as Clancy writes, "the Salvadoran Army tried acting in other than brutal and repressive ways toward their fellow countrymen, they began to halt activities of their death squads and to actually show respect for basic human rights.
As a result, the rebels lost a lot of support, the Army started winning hearts, minds, and territory, and "by the end of the Cold War [a] peace treaty was a done deal, the civil war had ended, and today there is a coalition government...." Granted, the SF deployments alone were not responsible for this achievement, but they had a major effect in getting the Salvadoran people to see that the way things were being handled by both the government and the rebels were just leading to more bloodshed and chaos.
As in all the Guided Tour series, which are being updated to reflect changes in technology, doctrine, and world realities, Special Forces gives the general reading audience a look at the equipment, training, organization, and the soldiers themselves. There is an interview with Gen. Henry H. Shelton USA (Ret) former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and an experienced Special Operations veteran who served with the Special Forces and also commanded Special Operations Command from 1996 to 1998. There are also overviews of the larger Special Operations Command and, finally, a short fictional account of SF personnel in action.
(Oh, and while the Special Forces troops are proud of their famous headgear, they really don't like to be called "Green Berets." As one of them told the authors, "We are NOT hats!")
A Weak Showing from the 'Master of the Techno Thriller'.......2003-03-08
I should have known when I noticed in the store that this book lacked an index, that I should have put it back on the shelf. The omission of an index in what is purportedly an information resource is generally a bad omen, as illustrated by this book.
The book feels rushed and half-hearted. The information included, whether on weapons systems or unit history is spotty, at best, and missing or incorrect at worst. Delta, which admittedly is not officially operational, rates only a single, offhanded mention. There is a definite biased slant towards Army Special Forces at the expense of other branches, and while it would be expected if this were written by an USASOC denizen, it is inappropriate and unprofessionial in this context.
The photos are grainy and rather oddly chosen and the use of black and white printing, presumably to save money, shows a sincere lack of attention when the book shows different SF unit badges as uniformly gray patches.
This book pales when compared to earlier efforts like Marine or Carrier and comes across as a quickly produced reaction to growing interest in U.S. Special Operations.
He Could Do Better.......2002-04-16
I want to say right at the front that I am a very big fan of Clancy, both his fiction and non-fiction work. After the current war in Afghanistan started and there were descriptions that the start of the fighting was being carried out by Special Forces, I thought this book would be a great educational tool to help me better understand the new reports. The book does give a broad understanding of the different US military Special Forces groups, a run down on training, tactics and weapons, but it did not offer much punch in the writing. I also felt like many chapters were almost cut and paste jobs from the chapters before. Overall I felt that the book could have been about 30 - 50 pages shorter and said the same thing, this disappoints me because those pages could have been filled with more real life examples as to the missions these guys actually perform.
Overall this is a good effort by the Clancy team; it is not as good as the Submarine or Carrier books in this line, but a solid effort. I guess I am just expecting more from one of my favorite authors.
Early Sp. For........2002-02-05
I was in Special Forces Bad Tolz Germany July 1954 to Oct 1956. Most of the books I have read always say that we did not wear the "green beret" till after President Kennedy 1955. We took traning with the French in 1954, at that time they gave us the Green Beret. I have pictures of that. Carl Arndt
Book Description
: Written by an outstanding team of distinguished active and retired special operations officers, historians, and experts, this oversize, in-depth book surveys America's elite forces. From Roger's Rangers in Revolutionary times to the Underwater Demolition Teams of WWII to contemporary specialized commands in the war against terrorism, U.S. Special Operations Forces explores both individual and collective achievements. Hundreds of vintage and recent photographs, maps, and historically inspired paintings complement the text, and a unique medallion-inlaid cover make it both a riveting history and a cherished keepsake.
Customer Reviews:
The War We Are Fighting Today - WAR ON GLOBAL TERROR.......2007-03-06
Any book in the (U.S. Military Series) is a must have. 5 stars doesn't even do these books justice. Even the cover demands respect. This book shows the men and women, whom in the past, have been hidden from the public and forgotten about by the mainstream military, but are now on the front lines of the WAR ON GLOBAL TERROR. You've probably caught some glimpses of them on tv in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. You'll see their name tags or faces blotted out. These individuals are the ones who put their lives on the line for no glory or fame, just for their country and comrades. In most cases... classified missions, for which no public acknowledgment of their accomplishments will be documented or rewarded. I certainly salute them!
Awesome.......2005-08-30
This is awesome, well laid out and a great gift. I especially liked the section on the Navy Seals. I was given one as a gift and liked it so much I ordered one for my Brother in law for his birthday. Worth every dime.
The History of U.S. Special Forces.......2004-04-28
This large coffee-table book should be of special interest to all professional soldiers. Special Forces or Special Operations Forces have only come into their own over the past 20 years, but they have been around for centuries.
The very nature of their operations contributes to the secrecy that surrounds their activities. Their demonstrated skills and competence are envied by other servicemembers. This book demonstrates why there is a special aura about these men. In a very moving introductory chapter by Gen. Peter Schoomaker, written while he was retired, and before he was recalled to his present position as Chief of Staff of the Army, he explains that this book was written and published to provide funds for the education of children whose fathers died in action or in training while with this force. (At the time of this writing, some 300 children have been assisted.)
Five chapters were written by Col. John M. Collins, historian, student and practitioner of special operations. He starts with King Philip's War in 1670, continues through the American Revolution, the Civil War, the frontier wars, the Philippine Insurrection and the Banana Republic affairs. He covers all World War II special operations feats. He also covers the years from 1946 to 1972, including the wars in Southeast Asia. Col. Collins relates the activities of Special Forces leading up to the birth of U.S. Special Operations Command in 1986. He describes Operations Earnest Will, Just Cause, Desert Shield and Desert Storm-the first war with Iraq-and the aid to the Kurds following the attack on them by Saddam Hussein. This latter period of time saw the regeneration of Special Operations.
The next section of the book was written by Ben Schemmer before his death last summer. He described in detail the recent state of U.S. Special Operations.
Col. Collins then provides an understanding of the present U.S. Army Special Operations Command today. Included is a very interesting table on Army Special Operations Forces and where they are located. It also describes Special Operations in Somalia and Afghanistan.
Air Force Special Operations Command is described in the next section of the book, which was written by Col. John Gargus. It covers the establishment of Air Force Special Operations Command in 1990, and recognizes the contribution and outstanding performance of Air Force officers and men over the past 40 years. This section provides a review of each of the Air Force aircraft in the Special Operation fleet and describes their capabilities.
Naval Special Warfare Command is covered in a chapter written by Rear Adm. George R. Worthington, U.S. Navy retired. The admiral presents a "structural snapshot" of the Naval Special Warfare Command. This is followed by a description of Naval Special Operations equipment, training and experiences.
Ben Schemmer provides a further chapter on the theater commands of Special Operations Command. This chapter provides a summary of activities of these commands, highlighting the past 15 to 20 years since the implementation of the Goldwater-Nichols Act and the Nunn-Cohen Amendments to the 1986 Defense Appropriation Act.
Col. Carney contributes a chapter on special weapons, tools and equipment for Special Operations. This section covers new hardware. There are two pages on Special Operations tactical equipment. Many vehicles are pictured and described. Weapons aficionados will find the weapons and vehicles shown in this section exciting. A further section of this book was written by Roxanne Merritt, who works at the Special Operations Center Museum at Fort Bragg, N.C. This section provides a pictorial review and a description of the various museums and memorials that honor the heroes of Special Operations. The memorials are beautifully portrayed. Col. Carney closes the story describing Operation Iraqi Freedom. Special Operations Forces who are participating in the operation have every right to be proud of their contributions.
This book is a work of art and a living history and testament to a group of extraordinary individuals and organizations. Although their contributions have not always been known or appreciated in the past, this book provides them their recognition now. This book is highly recommended for both a casual read or for deep study.
LT. GEN. RICHARD G. TREFRY, USA Ret., served as Army Inspector General from 1978 to 1983. He is a senior fellow of AUSA's Institute of Land Warfare.
SogBoss Praises Special Ops Book.......2003-12-12
I spent more than 12 active duty years in the U.S. Special Operations community, beginning in 1943 as a lieutenant with Wild Bill Donovan's OSS and culminating in 1968 as a colonel in command of the super secret Studies and Observation Group (SOG) in Vietnam, then continued covert activities in retirement. No other book traces Special Operations trends from the distant past to the present and projects into the future nearly as well as masterful presentations in this lavishly illustrated tome, which describes incredible exploits, first on land, then at sea, and finally in the air since the 17th century. The dedication contains the following words from hard-bitten General "Barbwire Bob" Kingston, a Special Operations icon, who wept after he read about those heroic deeds, then asked in wonderment, "Where do we find men like these?" No buyer could possibly be disappointed, given that endorsement. I would give this exciting book six stars instead of five, if permissible.
Air Commando Reviews U.S. SOF.......2003-12-10
The Air Commando Hall of Fame lists me among its distinguished members, but U.S. Special Operations Forces (commonly called SOF) nevertheless helped me put my personal experiences into historical perspective and describes Air Force interactions with Army and Navy Special Operators better than any other book. General Pete Schoomaker's introductory chapter entitled "The Tip of the Spear" sets the stage perfectly for succeeding chapters that explain why previously underappreciated, underfunded, and undermanned SOF have become the instrument of choice wherever and whenever requirements arise for the right politco-military mix of U.S. force and finesse in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Columbia, the Philippines, and other hot spots around the world. The hundreds of extraordinary illustrations, depicting key players and places, supplement superbly written texts. I cannot recommend this captivating survey too highly. It is certainly a "must" for all of us who appreciate what Special Forces are, and were, all about and should be read by those who do not-and should.
Book Description
In the past three decades, the United States government has used special operations repeatedly in an effort to achieve key foreign policy objectives, such as in the overthrow of Fidel Castro in Cuba and the rescuing of American hostages in Iran. Many of these secret missions carried out by highly trained commando forces have failed. In Perilous Options, Lucien Vandenbroucke examines the use and misuse of such special operations through an in-depth analysis of four operations--the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Sontay raid to rescue POWs in North Vietnam, the Mayaguez operation, and the Iran hostage rescue mission. Drawing extensively on declassified government documents, interviews with key decision makers and participants in these episodes, and other primary material, Perilous Options identifies recurrent problems in the way the United States government has prepared and executed such operations. These recurrent problems, outlined by key participants in these four special operations, include faulty intelligence, poor interagency and interservice cooperation and coordination, inadequate information and advice provided to decisionmakers, wishful thinking on the part of decisionmakers, and overcontrol of mission execution from outside the theater of operations. Vandenbroucke also explores the extent to which recent efforts to revitalize the U.S. operations capability have addressed these problems, identifying additional changes that can improve the government's ability to plan, evaluate, and execute such operations.
Book Description
From Vietnam and Laos to Central America and Africa, the U.S. Army Special Forces has won renown for its expertise in guerrilla warfare. Special Forces Handbook--a classic in the field--covers guerrilla tactics and missions, demolition techniques such as improvised incendiaries, air ops, weapons, communications, survival skills and more.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read.......2007-07-04
I love this book. It's condensed, interesting and thought stimulating. I guess some of the novelty comes from knowing that people have actually used this book to liberate peoples we aren't aware of. The book is interesting, but some of the information is definitely sensitive and otherwise strictly for educational purposes.
An Oldie But A Goodie.......2007-02-25
I first saw this book when it was being assembled by stapling the pages together, which were even smaller then than they are in this version. Some information has been added since then but otherwise it is still the same as it was when it was published as ST31-180 in 1965. It is very basic information but still good field information for those who know how to use it, and it is interesting as a historical document. Other than that, I doubt if it is of much interest to civilians without military experience. It would be interesting to know from today's Special Forces soldiers how valuable the manual is in the modern army.
Not reading material.......2005-11-30
This is an army manual. It is not for entertainment and most of it would be to hard for civilians to understand. If you are in S.F. and you need this book you can find it for free through your command or the local tm/mos library, but if I have to tell you that your probably not really S.F.
Good info., just severely limited.......2004-09-30
The manual contains some very good information that is otherwise obscure from the public's view. The main problems are that this information is very limited in the entire substance of the manual which is filled with complicated engineering and demolitions instructions, charts, and diagrams. This information is not pertinent unless someone has the facility and resources to test it out. Likewise, I may not have much familiarity with demolitions, construction, or anything of that nature, but I think that this is more complicated material that only people with expertise would be able to perform. The Rangers Handbook is a much better buy for anyone in terms of overall information, unless that is they are really familiar with, and looking into demolitions and military engineering.
Definitely CUT and DRY with NO INFORMATION in it.......2003-01-17
SAVE YOUR MONEY guys this book is definitely CUT and DRY to the bone... with very little information in it...and the very little information that is contained is PREHISTORIC stuff. USELESS, practically nothing on guerilla warfare..The information in the book that is contained is TOO OUT OF DATE...PRE VIETNAM and POST 2WW...The information is not even good enough for the infantry to use there is so little in it...if you don't belive me then buy it...
Book Description
By Charles H. Briscoe, et al. Tells the story of Iraqi Freedom, the second Army Special Operations (ASO) campaign in America's Global War on Terrorism. Shows how the ASO supported a US-led conventional air and ground offensive to collapse the regime of Saddam Hussein and capture Baghdad.
Book Description
Unarmed, underwater, under fire-they went to war, and began the legend of the navy seals.Facing a fanatical, dug-in enemy in Europe and in the Pacific, U.S. planners turned to a new kind of warrior: daring swimmers who could knock out mines, map out enemy beaches, and pave the way for Allied naval assaults. With a few extraordinary and brave men, the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams went to war.Now, a founder and legendary commander of UDT-1 takes you into the world of the underwater soldiers-the bullet-ripped surf, the mortar-pounded beaches, and the treacherous, frigid seas. This is the inside story of a unique breed of warrior-and the bloody battles they helped win.
Customer Reviews:
Discovering the UDT.......2006-02-02
For a son of a former UDT this book opened my eyes wider than ever before to the dangers faced by my father and his shipmates of the UDT. The valor exhibited by these men while operating in broad dayight under emeny fire to aid in the landing of larger invasion forces is staggering. This book is excellent reading for anyone interested in one of our nations truely elite fighting units "the Underwater Demolition Teams".
Recommended.......2005-12-15
This book is the standard bearer for books about the UDTs. Well researched but written from personal experience, Fane does an excellent job of retelling the exploits of these admirable sailors. Recommended for anyone interested in NSW or WWII.
Product Description
U.S. Army Special Operations in Afghanistan chronicles the boots on the ground actions by U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) from September 11, 2001, until May 15, 2002. What makes this book so significant is that the history was captured as USASOC troops (Green Berets, Rangers, PsyOps, SpecOps Aviation and Civil Affairs) were fighting the war, providing an easily understood snapshot of the war as it happened during those first critical months. The authors include the mistakes, frustrations and failures of the war along with the successes. Rather than an armchair historians overall strategic view 10 years later, it is an account of what individuals and small teams did with bravery, skill and honor on a day-to-day basis to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists, and assist the Afghan people and begin the vital work of rebuilding the infrastructure of Afghanistan.
Charles Briscoe is a retired airborne infantry and U.S. Army Special Forces officer.
Richard Kiper served in Special Forces, airborne and infantry units stateside and overseas.
James Schroder served in military intelligence, Special Forces and Special Operations aviation units.
Kalev Sepp served in Special Forces, airborne, Ranger, artillery and armored cavalry units and on General Staffs in the United States and abroad.
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General
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Iwo Jima: Portrait of a Battle: United States Marines at War in the Pacific
Bloody Tarawa: The 2d Marine Division, November 20-23, 1943
Brotherhood of Heroes: The Marines at Peleliu, 1944--The Bloodiest Battle of the Pacific War
Uncommon Valor, Common Virtue
One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa
