Elite Forces

The soldiers of one of the world's most famous fighting forces, the Paras, tell the gripping story of the regiment in their own words. Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of its formation, this is the definitive history of the iconic Parachute Regiment, told through the voices of more than 200 of the soldiers themselves.

Maybe you want to excel in your career, maybe you are trying to improve your personal business, or maybe you have been trying to gain confidence and boost your self-esteem. Whatever your personal goals may be, this book can help you learn what it takes to achieve success by displaying numerous traits and characteristics that are utilized daily by the US Army's Special Forces officers. The Green Berets take on near-impossible missions around the world every day and succeed, and this book aims to give you a look into the qualities that contribute to their success.

On November 25, 1950, during one of the toughest battles of the Korean War, the US Eighth Army Ranger Company seized and held the strategically important Hill 205 overlooking the Chongchon River. Separated by more than a mile from the nearest friendly unit, 51 soldiers fought several hundred Chinese attackers. Their commander, Lieutenant Ralph Puckett, was wounded three times before he was evacuated. For his actions, he received the country's second-highest award for courage on the battlefield and resumed active duty later that year as a living legend.

Arguably the greatest sniper in modern warfare, Simo Hayha accumulated over 800 confirmed kills during the course of his war service.

In 1991, Chuck Mawhinney was reluctantly dragged out of anonymity when it was revealed that he held the record among United States Marine Corps snipers with over 103 confirmed kills.

The first into combat and the last out, their advance jumps into enemy territory were considered suicide missions by those who sent them into action. World War Two's special operations commandos, the U.S. Army Pathfinders relied on their stealth, expert prowess, and matchless courage and audacity to set the stage for airborne drops and glider landings throughout Europe.

In researching the competition for who had the longest distance kill in military history, the majority of laymen would expect to see a Navy SEAL or a Marine heading the top of the list. A little research, however, shows the top three long-shot kills are Craig Harrison (United Kingdom), Rob Furlong (Canada), and Arron Perry (Canada). The late Chris Kyle, of American Sniper fame, is eighth on the list. There is a South African Special Forces sniper that is sixth on the list whose name is withheld as is a Norwegian Army sniper.

On September 12th, 2012, Brandon Webb learned Glen Doherty, one of his closest friends and his former Navy SEAL teammate, was killed alongside Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and two other Americans when the U.S. State Department and CIA headquarters in Benghazi, Libya, were sieged in a shocking terrorist attack.

This is the story of how three American Green Berets (of which I was one), along with our ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) counterparts, and one hundred sixty Montagnard Strikers, succeeded in accomplishing what a Battalion of the 4th Division could not do - and in the process, insured that A Diamond on The Wall preceded the name of one fallen American Warrior; and how that recovery mission still impacts my life today.

Staff Sergeant Melvin Morris is an honored veteran of the Vietnam War. He served almost 30 years in the United States Army and was even part of a Special Forces Group. Brave and excelling at his career in the military, Morris would do two tours of duty in Vietnam before retiring in 1985.

In July 1944, the 9,000-man Japanese garrison on the island of Tinian listened warily as the thunder of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, Army and Air Corps, descended on their neighboring island, Saipan, just three miles away. There were 20,000 Japanese troops on Saipan, but the US obliterated the opposition after a horrific all-arms campaign. The sudden silence only indicated it was now Tinian's turn.

World War II was by far one of the most significant wars of all time. Ripples of the splash this war made on history are still being felt today. Even more so than its predecessor, this was the most comprehensive global war. The focal point is the European battle front but there was just as much, if not more in Asia and even in Africa and the Americas.

In May 1970 aerial photographs revealed what US military intelligence believed was a POW camp near the town of Son Tay, 23 miles west of North Vietnam's capital city. When American officials decided the prisoners were attempting to send signals, they set in motion a daring plan to rescue the more than 60 airmen thought to be held captive. On November 20 a joint group of volunteers from US Army Green Berets and US Air Force Special Operations Forces perfectly executed the raid, only to find the prisoners' quarters empty; the POWs had been moved.

The Benghazi crisis that occurred exactly 11 years after September 11, 2001 led to the loss of the US ambassador, Christopher Stevens and, hence, stands as one of the worst attacks against the US. This book goes beyond the events of September 11, 2012. It explores what went wrong; the things that could have been prevented; the best kept secrets of CIA operations abroad; and presents recommendations that may avoid the loss of more lives as the inevitable war against terror rages on.

The ISIS Solution takes a look at the current geopolitical situation, organizational structure of ISIS, and provides new thinking and strategies for dealing with the Islamic State in the Middle East. Its authors and contributors have over 50 years of combined experience in the intelligence, analyst, and Special Operations communities. Leadership and a new philosophical conversation of action is needed to eliminate violent terrorism. This book starts the conversation.

Most people think of snipers as shooters perched in urban hides, dealing out death unseen from a considerable distance. But this description barely scratches the surface. Special operations snipers are men with stacked skill sets who have the ability to turn the tide of battles, even when they aren't pulling the trigger. Snipers have played an outsized role in the War on Terror that has earned them the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and countless other honors.

Seven Troop is Andy McNab's account of the time he served in the company of a remarkable group of men - from the day, freshly badged, he joined them in the Malayan jungle, to the day, 10 years later, that he handed in his sand-coloured beret and started a new life.

The legend was forged in the fires of World War II, when special units of elite navy frogmen were entrusted with dangerous covert missions. These Underwater Demolition Teams, as they were then called, soon became known for their toughness, fearlessness, and their remarkable ability to get the job - any job - done. Years later, the renamed US Navy SEALs (for Sea, Air, and Land) continued to be a wartime force to be reckoned with throughout the remainder of the 20th century and into the 21st.

An unprecedented new collection of true stories from the brave men and women who served in the Marine Corps. Behind one of the most established military branches in America are the riveting, untold tales of the courageous warriors who fought on the front lines.

With his parting words "I shall return," General Douglas MacArthur sealed the fate of the last American forces on Bataan. Yet one young Army Captain, named Russell Volckmann, refused to surrender. He disappeared into the jungles of north Luzon where he raised a Filipino army of over 22,000 men. For the next three years he led a guerrilla war against the Japanese, killing over 50,000 enemy soldiers. At the same time he established radio contact with MacArthur's HQ in Australia and directed Allied forces to key enemy positions.