0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
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.
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
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.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
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)