Book Description
This book provides an insider's view of what it takes to become a member of the Army's Special Forces, the elite Green Berets. It describes the skills they learn and equipment and tactics used to engage in unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, special reconnaissance, anti-terrorism missions, information operations, and counter-proliferation.
Customer Reviews:
Average.. yet Above Average.......2007-08-25
I'd give this book 3.5 but I cant... I found this book to be very well informing of all types of stages in trasining to be a green beret and the conciseness... Though it lacks detailed first-hand accounts on what the training is like and rather usually just gives a brief overview. It does however have alot of pictures and often times (brief but) particular information on other stages of the course like the Scuba and even has a course outline and pictures on SERE.
This book is really good for those that have no working foundation on process of becoming SF, yet its also good if you already have one because it presents the information in a clearer concise presentation. If you want more detailed first-hand accounts on the actual training read Dick Couch's "Chosen Soldier"
Excellent.......2007-01-26
Probably the best single resource I've ever seen about Army S.F., recommend to anyone interested in this field!
informative.......2006-03-24
This book is amazing, because of its pictures and diagrams. It gives you an exact idea of chronological order of what happens in your training of becoming an SF soldier. It gives you respect for these soldiers and what they are capable of doing. very informative. However, since i am not interested in becoming a green beret, i haven't been able to finish it. i have read the "to be a u.s. army ranger" because it seems to pertain to me more. however it is a good book and i would recommend to those who really don't mind spending money on just buying books to satisfy their curiosity and those who want to be SF.
Gold for possible SF er's.......2005-07-17
This book provides great insight in to what it takes to be the best. It breaks down the process from the beginning of basic to the last phase of the Q Course. I thought I knew pretty much everything I needed,boy was I wrong. The info. is from BTDT's and students going through the training. The pictures are vivid and clear. If you have "To be a U.S. Army Ranger", its in the same format, just a little bigger in size(HxW). This is a must for anyone wanting to go SF.
Book Description
PFC Franklin Miller arrived in Vietnam in March 1966, and saw his first combat in a Reconnaissance Platoon. So began an odyssey that would make him into one of the most feared and respected men in the Special Forces elite, who made their own rules in the chaos of war.
In the exclusive world of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Studies and Observation Group, Miller ran missions deep into enemy territory to gather intelligence, snatch prisoners, and to kill. Leading small bands of battle-hardened Montagnard and Meo tribesmen, he was fierce and fearless -- fighting army policy to stay in combat for six tours. On a top-secret mission in 1970, Miller and a handful of men, all critically injured, held off the NVA in an incredible Alamo-like stand -- for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. When his time in Southeast Asia ended, he had also received the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal, and six Purple Hearts. This is his incredible story.
Customer Reviews:
Don't start this book if you have to wake up early........2007-04-19
I'm not opposed to all wars but I was very much against our involvement in Vietnam. I thought then and still think that we should have been helping the other side. I bought this book wanting to hear what combat was like there from a special forces soldier. Fortunately, the book didn't get into the politics but simply told about his life and job, which was to collect intelligence and kill the enemy. His bravery and what he went through is mind boggeling and the descripions of battles are riviting. I stayed up way past my bedtime reading it.
VERY difficult to put down once you start reading it!.......2006-04-20
WOW, this is one of the most gripping and moving accounts of personal combat and experiences in Vietnam that I have ever read. I had great difficulty putting this gem down, as it is directly related in first-person and the author does a magnificent job of making you feel as if you're right there alongside the subject of the book (Franklin Miller).
Nothing is held back, and if you've ever served in the military, you'll fall right into step with the narration. Everything is presented in all its gory detail, so if you're a little squeamish, you might want to skim across a few sections. The ending is particularly heart-wrenching, especially the afterword by the author's widow.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the up-close and personal views of combat in Vietnam.
A True American Hero.......2005-08-12
As Command Chaplain For US Special Operations Command I had the profound honor of presiding at This hero's funeral. During the months before he died, I spent some days at his home in St Petersburg to offer some spiritual care.
Even to the very end he was a man of strength and courage. He had an abiding faith in Christ that comforted him and allowed him to spend his final days encouraging and supporting his children. As we prayed he would ask me to pray for his children first becuase they were his greatest concern.
He gave me a copy of his book which I read immediately. It is an amazing story that captures the true heart of a warrior. It is a "must read."
Chaplain Lee M. Thompson
Colonel, USAF (Ret)
An inspiration to us all..........2005-05-10
I have been in the Navy for 16 years now and have seen my share of adventure, especially during my flying tour while Bosnia was still raging. It was during that tour that I rescued a paperback copy of this book from our book drawer in our barracks. It was all torn, with the pages falling out. As I carefully read it, I was blown away with Miller's inspirational, charismatic example to any service member. I could not put it down.
This book was the best Vietnam story I have ever read and it must be the defining book on the Special Forces. The only book to come close to this one (with regard to Vietnam) was Rogue Warrior by Dick Marcinko--who I met many years ago during Aircrew School.
Since my paperback copy was so ripped up, I tried to buy the hard copy of it. At the time, it was out of print so it took me years to obtain one on eBay. I highly recommend this book to service members or anyone seriously interested in reading about a true American hero!
Miller should be as well known as Audie Murphy in the 50's.......2005-04-16
I can tell you for a fact that the stories he tells are accurate because I was around him for a lot of them. I think I met him his first day in SF at the SFOB in Nha Trang,and we were both running missions out of Kontum the entire time I was there. If I wasn't around when he did some of the things he talks about,I heard about them from him or others when I got back to the camp. Of course,he was there after I was medi-evaced in Nov of 1969,so I wasn't there when he earned the MOH.
In fact,I had gotten out of the army and did the same thing 99% of the veterans did,I tried to put it entirely out of my mind. I didn't speak about it and I didn't think about it. It came as a surprise to me to walk into Walden Books one day and spot him on the cover of his book getting his MOH! "Hey! I know that guy!" I immediately bought the book and took it home to read.
This was the first I even knew he had survived,and it was the reason I got back in touch with him after almost 30 years. We shared Thanskgiving Dinner together at the unit mess at Camp Mackall the November before he fell sick and died.
If you have ever wondered about the mindset of the people who run special operations,here are the answers. If you have only read VN books written by draftees who write about the heavy drama,drug abuse,and political crap,you are going to be surprised. Not everybody in VN were draftee war protestors,and not everbody there was doing their damndest to avoid combat. Some people were actually going out of their way to carry a rifle in a combat unit. Not only that,but most people would be surprised at the high number of recon and Hatchet Force troops that extended their tours for six months after surviving the intital tour. It even came as a surprise to ME when I extended my tour. I still can't tell you why,other than I felt like I was a part of something important doing a job that needed to be done.
If you want to buy and read this book,PLEASE consider going to the web site below to buy it. This is the hardcover version of the book,and all of the money from the sales of it go to his children. He left behind two teenage children and a infant when he died. I thank you in advance if you do.
(...)
Book Description
In 1965, writer Robin Moore wanted to understand more about a little-known U.S. military unit called the Green Berets. With presidential approval by John F. Kennedy, Moore went to a place called Vietnam--and was never the same again.This monumental, bestselling work-the inspiration for the classic movie starring John Wayne and one of the first wake-up calls given to the American public about Vietnam-plunges us into the chaos that was our nation's first experience with unconventional warfare.From fighting the Viet Cong to fighting along side Montenard tribesmen, The Green Berets captures the terror of firefights and ambushes, the constant confusion between friend and foe, and the amazing can-do spirit of U.S. Special Forces "advisors" who changed the shape of the war even as it changed them. Filled with unforgettable characters-a woman spy, a daredevil pilot, and heroic soldiers on both sides of the battle-and updated to include a chapter comparing today's special forces to those from the Vietnam era, The Green Berets is an action-packed, unforgettable chronicle of a secret war and the extraordinary men who fought it.
Customer Reviews:
Nothing Changes.......2007-05-09
The new edition of Robin Moore's Vietnam War era classic "The Green Berets" is as timely and relevant today as it was when it was published over forty years ago.
What is amazing is that the problems faced by the Green Berets in Vietnam described by Moore are the very same problems faced by our soldiers today in the War on Terror. These include the problems of corrupt local soldiers, relegious differences and the ago old cultural clash between the coventional military mindset and the unconventional warrior.
The new edition also contains materials which were not in the original edition. It was also enjoyable to read the various stories which conributed elements to the John Wayne movie which was based on the book. The book is well worth your time.
Well Written.......2006-04-28
I liked this book so much I bought an old paperback copy and added it to my personal collection. I believe that there's a picture of Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, or someone that looks a lot like him, on the cover. The movie made in 1968 does NOT do Robin Moore's work justice. I found the short stories in this book to be very well written.
The Green Berets by Robin Moore.......2006-02-23
In 1965, when I first read this book, I believed most of it because I didn't know any difference. During Infantry OCS (Officer Candidate School), I read it again as a book-report (1966) and did not believe any of it...any at all. Then on the flight back, after spending 13 months in Southeast Asia as a Special Forces officer, I read it again. The book is true...completely true. As a-matter-of-fact, it actually left out some of the things we experieced and the "politics" we had to deal with, but what he told in the book was true. Robin Moore holds our respect for what he had to accomplish (at his age) in order to write this factual book. We loved the book and laughed at the movie.
Understand that Special Forces, at that time, were very different from Special Forces today. Remember, we were the most highly decorated unit in history for a reason. The ones today are great, but they built on our experieces. We were not the "quite professionals"...but we were the "movers and doers" of our time. I add this only because some authors today should recognize this hard-earned fact.
H. G. Kidd
Ex-Special Forces.
Why do I always disagree!?.......2004-04-28
I was blown away that some people did not like this book! I absolutely loved it! Before you begin reading it you must put it in the context of the time it was written. This is a book written before any of our main troops were sent to 'nam and therefore the things we know now are simply hindsite and can not be applied to this book. This book, while called fiction, is the closest you will ever get to truly understanding our most well known and almost mystical special forces group. It details, with fake names due to govt regulations at the time, many Beret missions that were, until lately, highly classified. This book will take you on many missions that seem like they are straight off of a hollywood script...in fact these stories are what created most of those scripts. You will join the berets in battle, deep behind enemy lines and see how they fought before the days when rescue was an artillery shot away. You will love each chapter of this book and it will be a very quick read. Please do yourself the favor, if you have any interest in this subject, of picking up this important book and learning a bit about America's Green Berets!
The Green Berets - In Action!!.......2004-03-08
Robin Moore's "The Green Berets" is an outstanding account of a part of the Vietnam War that didn't find its way into the daily headlines and television reports. Far from the images in the Rambo movies, Special Forces teams worked side-by-side with Vietnamese indigenous peoples like the Montagnards in an attempt to stem the flow of communist forces from North Vietnam and China. You will read an amazing collection of war stories that may seem unbelievable unless you have been in Special Forces. John Wayne's The Green Berets was based on this book. Moore's book has motivated many, including myself, to purse a career in Special Operations. Get it before it goes out of print again! de opresso liber...
Book Description
Vietnam was the US Special Forces most complex and controversial mission, one that began in 1957 and ended in 1973. Camp strike forces, mobile strike forces, mobile guerrilla forces, special reconnaissance projects, training missions and headquarters duty provided vastly differing experiences and circumstances for SF soldiers. Other fluctuating factors were the terrain, the weather and the shifting course of the war itself. Gordon Rottman examines the training, life, weapons and combat experiences of the Special Forces soldier in this challenging environment.
Customer Reviews:
Good to go!.......2005-06-07
A goog solid effort on a very interesting subject for me. A good nuts and bolts book about the SF. A worthy addition for a library dedicated to Military History.
A good overview - highly recommended!.......2002-08-25
For those who already have a small library of books on Vietnam Elite Forces and Militaria the names Gordon Rottman and Kevin Lyles are no strangers. To my knowledge this is the first time they have collaborated together and the result is as could be expected - excellent!
Given the many roles SF personnel conducted during the Vietnam conflict, their 'bread and butter' was the 'advisory' effort and consequently, this is what the book focuses on.
The text is well indexed, concise and clear - covering items such as organisation, training, life in the A-camps and the weapons utilised. The majority of photos are new and well chosen for their relevance to points in the text. Kevin Lyles' colour plates are superb - clean and well detailed - his intimate knowledge of the items involved are apparent (such as the highly 'technical' method of squeezing extra transmission range from a PRC-25/77 radio!). They also illustrate the closeness that SF soldiers had with their indigenous charges - my favourite colour plate depicting a light hearted mortar lesson!
My only criticisms of the book are in the order of nit-picking .. The 'SSGT' depicted in Plate 1 is quite obviously SF officer and legend, Ed Rybat - why not give him his due rank? Also, SF involvement in MACV-SOG was only alluded too - but in the space limitations of this particular publication this is understandable.
Incidentally the cover depicted on the amazon page was illustrated by Ron Volstad and most likely a pre-production cover - it is NOT the actual cover of the book I obtained.
In summary, a must have book for those researching the life and look of the SF soldier of the period. It brings together in a clear, concise way information that one would otherwise have to obtain from more expensive or out-of-print texts. An authoritative bibliography is also supplied for those interested in further reading. Although a short book, it is a worthy companion to those other excellent Rottman and Lyles titles adorning the bookshelf of the SF aficionado.
Not sure how it was reviewed.......2002-02-10
This has not even been released yet. If it is like most osprey titles it should be good.
Dont have it but the cover stinks!.......2001-10-22
Looks stupid and the Navy Seals are way better!
Average customer rating:
- The Green Berets: Weapons and Equipment
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The Green Berets: Weapons and Equipment (Europa Militaria, 27)
Hans Halberstadt
Manufacturer: Crowood
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1861263007 |
Book Description
A striking record of this crack military organization! Hans Halberstadt illustrates and describes the uniforms, weapons and equipment of the Special Forces in the field - parachutes, radios, and explosives, as well as firearms from the HandK MP5 sub-machine gun to the Barrett M821A1 .50cal sniper rifle. Equipment use is described in their own words by Vietnam veteran Special Forces NCOs. Europa Militaria 27.
Customer Reviews:
The Green Berets: Weapons and Equipment.......2000-06-15
This book is average. It gives a brief look into the training, missions, and weapons of Green Berets. Includes many full color photos and inside stores.
Book Description
Jim Morris was an educated young man who had always wanted to be a soldier. In 1963, he found the perfect war...."The war was like a great puzzle, great to think about, great to plan, great to do. It was so incredibly peaceful out there in the jungle." As an advisor to a Montagnard strike force, Morris and his guerrillas outfought and outmaneuvered the Viet Cong in his sector. But while he loved the ambushes, the firefights and the Montagnards, he could see a tragedy unfolding in Vietnam."As I jumped I heard a crack and felt a thud in my right shoulder. I squeezed the trigger on my M-16. The bold went ka-schulgg and that was that, baby. Jammed again." In the most widely admired Special Forces memoir to come out of the Vietnam War, Jim Morris tells his tory: of the ealy days and the Tet Offensive in '68, of the slaughters and the beauty, of the violence, the courage, the loyalty and the loss...."The war was my life and I identified with it totally. To end it was to end me, and that I would not do...."
Customer Reviews:
Measuring the Cost.......2002-03-01
Published only four years after the fall of Saigon, War Story, was the first of what has become a plethora of non-fiction Vietnam War memoirs. But because of the political climate at the time of its initial publication this potential blockbuster bestseller was all but ignored by the New York publishing houses. While Robin Moore's The Green Berets was such a sensation in 1965 that it inspired a John Wayne movie, and the same photo of Army Special Forces Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler would grace both the book's paperback cover and Sadler's top hit record, by the early 1970's when Morris wrote War Story the attitude towards the Vietnam War and America's elite warriors was colored by the anti-war movement, My Lai, the bombing of Cambodia, and the media's slanted reporting on Tet. Vietnam wasn't a popular literary topic.
Morris begins his memoir with the emotionally charged details of his re-occurring nightmare, a vivid and detailed replay of the firefight in which he had his left testicle shot off and was almost killed. In the nightmare though he is eventually killed. He ends the book with an emotionally charged memory also. In a heart-tugging coda, Morris recounts the scene. While standing in an Army hospital, his crippled right arm hanging at his side, his useless fingers attached to a mechanical brace he watches as the sun sets and the color guard lowers the flag; and tells us that as the flag is lowered "a feeling of almost overwhelming sadness, almost grief, came over me." As Morris attempts to salute the colors with his damaged right hand he stands "crying like a baby because I couldn't do it right."
A professional soldier who began military school as an eleven-year-old, Morris joined the Army and Special Forces where he rose to the rank of major. He volunteered for three tours in Vietnam and received four Purple Hearts and four Bronze Stars among numerous other decorations before a medical discharge for wounds cut his career short.
Jim Morris is a gifted story-teller and this book should be read for his Ludwig Faistenhammer and Larry Dring war stories alone. But at its heart War Story is the tale of Jim Morris, not an examination of the Vietnam War or even the role of Special Forces. It is, admittedly, a participant's interpretation of events. He offers up a good account of what it was like to be on the ground during the Montagnard revolt, to fight for survival during the Tet Offensive in Nha Trang, and to serve in the US Army's Special Forces during its hey-day in Vietnam. Summing up his Vietnam experience Morris quotes Michael Herr's Dispatches, "Vietnam was what we had instead of happy childhoods."
This is a book by a soldier who is proud of his service, an experienced and consummate warrior who without a second thought or any moral retrospection whatsoever begs God to please send him some VC to kill for his birthday. But Morris is a thinking man's warrior (he opens his book sections with quotes from the works of Carlos Castaneda) and philosophizes about other men like himself: "I think perhaps Special Forces guys and other people like them have depressed metabolisms and they have to be exposed to some sort of danger to feel normal ... before going to Nam I didn't know that everyone wasn't paralyzed by boredom all the time."
Paralyzed with boredom is the last thing you'll be while reading War Story, a real standout amongst the burgeoning pile of popular literature on the Vietnam war. Morris' prose is oftentimes humorous, always entertaining, and never boring, self-serving, or pedantic. A good example of his dry wit is how he describes his arrival at Ta Ko to take command of the Special Forces camp where "...the Strike Force had been for two years without going home or seeing a woman. Half of them had long hair and half of them had short hair and they were all real friendly with each other. But not with Americans. Every so often somebody threw a grenade into the team house." War Story is replete with a soldier's black humor on death and killing. One of the best lines in the book is: "I won't describe the operation because it was one of the most frustrating experiences of my military career, a compendium of tactical errors and blown chances grotesque enough to break the heart of anybody who likes to kill people."
But Vietnam wasn't all fun and games for Jim Morris. The loss he suffered, besides his physical and emotional wounds, includes the deaths of comrades and close Army friends in the close and brutal combat which marked Special Forces operations in Vietnam. Special Forces was a close community and the death of a "green beret" meant a personal loss. He agonizes over the fate of, Phillipe Drouin, one of his Montagnard comrades and a leader of FULRO, the Montagnard independence movement, who was a kindred spirit and Morris' close friend. Despite the disparity of the two cultures Morris formed a deep and long lasting attachment to the Montagnards during his three tours in Vietnam and was well connected to FULRO. While on an operation with the "Yards" at the end of his third tour, though suffering a life-threatening wound, he refused medical evacuation and proceeded to supervise the evacuation of his wounded Montagnards. His dedication to the Montagnard cause provided him with his paradigm for perfect happiness. "Get involved in something that is more important to you than your own life."
Special Forces' most ardent White House supporter, President John F. Kennedy, said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Professional SF soldiers like Morris answered that call to duty and War Story gives us a glimpse of what our country asked of some of its young men and what they gave. For some it was too much. Others, like Morris, are still measuring the cost.
I agree with Jack Singlaub.......2002-01-31
This is THE book to read if you were never involved with Special Forces and wonder what it is like to be in SF. This is also the book to read if you WERE in SF in SE Asia and you find it hard to find books that relate people and events in a meaningful way to your own experiences, a clearer perspective than when we lived them. Besides all that, War Story a great read. Like candy or whatever you like best, a real treat page turner.
Disjointed.......2001-10-11
From a literary standpoint, War Story is very disjointed and rambling. Side bars are frequent and often pointless. The book starts out with the author arriving in Nam for his second tour, then goes into a flashback of the first tour that lasts a third of the book, without telling what's going on. There are very few dates and no maps. There is not near as much action as most of the popular Viet Nam books, and the story is largely one of the author's frustration at not being allowed to command a combat team for more than a couple operations. The book may be of value for its unique content about Montagnard advisors before regular troops arrived, and the author certainly speaks from the heart.
A well written story.......2001-06-05
This book is excellent. The only tactical problem I have with it is his constant discussion of smoking while in the field. I have read this book several times over the last 15 or so years. It is a great book. Smoking in the field can get you killed. I am hoping he added this for dramatic appeal. I feel his ideas for counter insurgency are right on. This book should be read by any Q course or assesment wanna be. One of his greatist ideas is utilizing graphics of infiltration routes via contact locations to create good graphics of where to place ATeam camps. I thought this was brilliant. I am hoping the Army has solved this through the implementation of all the graphics they do in their preparation of the order of battle that is done in their planning cycles.
A KEEPER!.......2001-06-01
WAR STORY by Jim Morris is one of those books you have to have in your collection of war stories. Toss out one of mine or somebody else's because with Morris you get quite simply one of the finest books on the war in Vietnam there is! ... I'm so ... jealous I even stole a few of his verbs!
Average customer rating:
- Je me souviens.....
- Super Read---A Real Echo from Vietnam
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To Bear Any Burden: A Hoosier Green Beret's Letters From Vietnam
Daniel H. Fitzgibbon
Manufacturer: Indiana Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0871951797
Release Date: 2005-03-30 |
Customer Reviews:
Je me souviens............2007-09-14
Anyone who had a friend or family member serve in Special Forces during the war in Viet Nam will find this excellent insight to life on an A-team. The best I've read to date, clear communication without any macho or self agrandizing nonsense. The author was not a romantic war dreamer but someone who felt he had an obligation to do what he could do for his country when asked. I'd be curious to know how he felt when he heard Kennedy speak those words on the day of his Innaguration: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ...." This man answered the call, his family and country can be proud of him. Had we more of these corn fed bright earnest soldiers taking the war out of the big bases and into the jungle we would have done much better and most likely have had a different outcome. Thank you for your service Mr Fitzgibbon. Live long, be happy, be well....
Super Read---A Real Echo from Vietnam.......2005-10-31
This book is the real deal---letters from a decorated combat leader in the Vietnam War. If someone tried to duplicate the smash hit PBS documentary "Ken Burn's Civil War" with the late Shelby Foote discussing and reading letters home from soldiers serving in Vietnam, the letters from this great book would surely be part of telling the story of that war.
Author Dan FitzGibbon has captured the essence of Vietnam in this realistic book which publishes the letters he sent home from Vietnam in 1968-69 (the high point of the Vietnam War).
If you were there at that time (as I was), the events in the letters will bring back the smell and sounds of your war.
If you didn't make it to Vietnam, FitzGibbon's book is the next best thing.
Articulate, accurate, informative, and engaging--"To Bear Any Burden" is a rock-hard five-star read!
Book Description
War Stories of the Green Berets Halberstadt Subtitled: The Viet Nam Experience. US Army Special Forces commandos in action! This unprecedented oral history profiles high-risk, high-intensity missions into the jungles of Laos and Cambodia duringthe Vietnam War. Green Berets break their code of silence for the first time to reveal their top-se cret missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Customer Reviews:
Never Forget.......2007-03-25
Have you ever listened to any war stories from a family member, or friend? I have, and I have a few of my own. This book is a collect of war stories from the various members of the Green Berets, in their own words. All of the stories were from the Vietnam war during the 60s and early 70s. Some of these stories were very sad, but at the same time, very heroic. A lot of the stores were scary, especially during some of the patrols these guys had to do. There's also a quite a few funny stories that will make you smile, especially if you were in the service. I really liked the stories that were kind of spooky, there was one story that involved a SF patrol that bed down for the night. During the night, it was so dark an enemy patrol had mistaken the SF patrol for one of their own, and decided to bed down in the same area as the SF patrol! Crazy stuff! This is a book dedicated to the men of the Green Berets.
I was fascinated by the authenticity of the book........1998-08-30
As a former Special Forces medic in Viet Nam I could not put this book down until I had finished it. I got out of the Army in 1966 and didn't look back, but I could never get Viet Nam and Special Forces out of my blood. It was truely a calling that I failed to hear.
I was surprised to read about many people that I had long forgotten, but there they were again, as big and true to life as if it was yesterday.
There was even a story about the little sleepy camp, Polie Kleng, that I had helped build in 1966 (A-241), and of course there were lots of stories about Dak To, Kontum, Pleiku, Na Trang, Saigon and other places I had been.
I have always wondered what my life would have been like if I had made a career of Special Forces. Now I know. There is a good chance I would have gotten zapped, but it sure would have been an exciting life while it lasted, and I would have had an endless supply of the greatest friends in the world. I have never had those kinds of truely great friends since getting out of Special Forces.
This book tells it all, just as it was. Get ready for a lot of flash backs. Every word of it is true. Even the lies are true!
A human-eye view of the war, from those who endured it........1998-08-09
I grew up during the Viet Nam war, in a military family. I joined the Army immediately after college and was the first woman commissioned at my University, in 1975. While I never served in combat, I knew many who did. I read this book to try and understand what it must have been like for the men who served, without having to read through the filters of the liberal media, or the continuing lies of our government.
Being from a military family, I understand what duty, honor and country means, and to me, the Green Berets are some of last, true defenders of those ideals. This book did not disappoint me.
It is a wonderful book, with all the elements of life, both precious and horrible, woven through it.
My favorite story was of the POV and how his faith in God was restored by a fir tree and some fire-flies. He does work in mysterious ways!
To my brothers-in-arms--my heartfelt thanks for sharing parts of your souls with the rest of us.
To those who are stil! l unaccounted for--forgive us. I, for one, shall never forget you.
Outstanding!.......1998-07-31
As a fellow Green Beret, I found Hans Halbertstadt's book very refreshing. It is free of the bravado and hype found in most books regarding Special Forces. What it shows is the real face of war a told by the unique and courageous men who fought it. You'll laugh out loud after reading one page and cry after reading the next. I highly recommend it!
Average customer rating:
- Rather boring!
- how the Green Berets got to Vietnam
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Green Berets in the Vanguard: Inside Special Forces, 1953-1963
Chalmers Archer
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1557500231 |
Book Description
The author of an award-winning memoir about growing up black in Mississippi, Chalmers Archer turns his attention in this book to his experiences as one of the first members of the U.S. Army's Special Forces. His perspective is unique, not only as one of the first to wear the Green Beret but as a black man in the early days of armed forces integration. Archer participated in some of the earliest forays into Laos, long before Southeast Asia was in American headlines, and he was a member of the first U.S. unit to go into Vietnam. He trained the first Special Forces teams of the South Vietnamese army and participated in some of their earliest operations, many of them unknown until now because of their highly classified nature. He saved the lives of the first American and Vietnamese soldiers injured in war and also witnessed the first American combat death in Vietnam, holding the man in his arms as he died. His unit operated alongside the Central Intelligence Agency and helped influence American foreign policy. A self-described soldier-teacher, he developed and spread the early gospel of special warfare while serving in the Philippines, Hawaii, Korea, Taiwan, and Panama, as well as in Southeast Asia. All of these activities are fully chronicled in this book, but Archer's perspective as an African American in an elite unit of the U.S. armed forces in the 1950s gives his memoir additional depth and insight. It is an uplifting-though sometimes harrowing--story of struggle in unfamiliar environments and an eye-opening account of events little known today.
Customer Reviews:
Rather boring!.......2006-06-05
I found a used copy of the book in a bookstore and I am happy that I didn't pay the full price for it. From reading the title I expected something more exciting.
The book starts interestingly but becomes boring after the first half due to constant repetition of details and self-glorification by the author. He also put a lot of advertising for his first work into the book's contents.
It might be interesting for other readers but for me it was rather disappointing.
how the Green Berets got to Vietnam.......2001-05-09
Chalmers Archer must have been a remarkable soldier, for he was a black Green Beret at a time when the U.S. Army Special Forces was almost entirely a lily-white outfit. His book belongs on the shelf of every student of the Green Berets.
It's not a knock-you-dead combat yarn like Jim Morris's "War Story"--Archer didn't really serve what you could call a combat tour in Vietnam. He was there much earlier, knocking about Southeast Asia in the years before there was a Vietnam War (or American War, as the Vietnamese prefer to call it). He was in Laos, Thailand, the Philippines, and of course Vietnam when the Green Berets were first staking out their claim to fame, and when men like Archer created the jungle-training practices that would make Special Forces the most effective American combat arm in South Vietnam.
To me, the most interesting anecdote is the account of the American training mission that was attacked by the Viet Cong as it graduated its first class of Vietnamese Special Forces. Officially, Captain Harry Cramer died of an accidental explosion, and he wasn't even listed on The Wall (the Vietnam war memorial in Washington, D.C.) until 1983. In fact, as Archer recalls, Crame died in a mortar attack, and he was the first American to be killed in that long war--21 October 1957.
This is a slight book--just 138 pages. How it can be priced at more than forty bucks is beyond me, so I'm glad to see that there are cut-rate copies available from the vendors of new-used books on this site.
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