Special Forces History

The top Billboard Hot 100 single of 1966 wasn't The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" or the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" - it was "The Ballad of the Green Berets", a hyper-patriotic tribute to the men of the Special Forces by Vietnam veteran, US Army Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler. But Sadler's clean-cut, all-American image hid a darker side, a Hunter Thompson-esque life of booze, girls, and guns. Unable to score another hit song, he settled in Central America, ran guns, and allegedly trained guerrillas.

In The Patriot's Creed, Kris Paronto uses the seven core army values that all soldiers learn in basic combat training, and the experiences of other servicemen and women and first responders, to explain how anyone can improve themselves and the world around them, and live a heroic life. The stakes are dramatic for the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to fight for America, and too many of their acts of courage and honor are unknown. The examples of their persistence and discipline will be inspiring to anyone facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

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.

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.

Brian Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East, two of them as the commander of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq. Days and nights he and his team—his brothers—would venture forth in heavily armed convoys from their Forward Operating Base to engage in the nerve-racking yet strangely exhilarating work of either disarming the deadly improvised explosive devices that had been discovered, or picking up the pieces when the alert came too late.

Front Sight Focus is a concept and mindset that is used by US Navy SEALs to plan and achieve success on and off of the battlefield as it reveals 10 phrases that lead to efficiency at all levels of learning, training, and productivity! By using an easy to implement, common-sense approach, the author presents the tools for establishing a "front sight focus" mindset that shows you a plan of progression that will lead you to establish a system for attaining your ultimate success in your life's true passions.

From the Battle of Yorktown (1781), where a fledgling America learned hard lessons about what kind of military it would need to survive, to Fallujah (2004), which epitomized the dawn of the privatization of war, The Hidden History of America at War takes listeners inside the battlefield, introducing them to key characters and events that will shatter myths, misconceptions, and romanticism, replacing them with rich insight.

In this honest, hard-hitting look at war and peace, a Navy SEAL and experienced security consultant explains that force is sometimes necessary, that persuasion is more powerful, and that some conflict is unnecessary and preventable. The goal of Powerful Peace is to open the listener’s mind about other cultures to comprehend that different does not have to mean wrong - and that an individual’s life can be richer and more enjoyable when conflicts are handled wisely.

Feel helpless watching acts of terror on the television? History of Terrorism: From Holy Wars to Conspiracies, False Flags, and Cyber Warfare will unlock a new understanding of why terrorism exists and how we can stop it from happening in the future. Our news feed is bombarded with news about terrorists, though we rarely stop long enough to understand what creates a terrorist and what terrorism’s true purpose is. Go behind the headlines and take an intimate and personal look at the events, people and mindsets that have created today’s modern terrorism landscape.

In One Hundred Victories, acclaimed military expert Linda Robinson shows how the special operations forces are - after a decade of intensive combat operations - evolving to become the go-to force for operations worldwide.

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.

Combat Talons in Vietnam is a personal account of the first use of C-130s in the Vietnam War. One night, John Gargus, a mission planner, oversaw an operation in which the aircraft - carrying 11 crew members - failed to return from a nighttime mission. For 30 years, a search for the missing aircraft remained in progress. When wartime mission records were declassified, Gargus embarked on a long journey of inquiry, research, and puzzle-solving to reconstruct the events of that mission and the fate of its crew.

The fires on Bataan burned on the evening of April 9, 1942 - illuminating the white flags of surrender against the nighttime sky. Woefully outnumbered, outgunned, and ill-equipped, battered remnants of the American-Philippine army surrendered to the forces of the Rising Sun. Yet amongst the chaos and devastation of the American defeat, Army Captain Donald D. Blackburn refused to lay down his arms.

One month after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, when President John F. Kennedy pressed Congress about America’s “urgent national needs”, he named expanding US special operations forces along with putting a man on the moon. Captain William Hamilton was the officer tasked with creating the finest unconventional warriors ever seen. Merging his own experience commanding Navy Underwater Demolition Teams with expertise from Army Special Forces and the CIA, and working with his subordinate, Roy Boehm, he cast the mold for sea-, air-, and land-dispatched night fighters.

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.

In Twilight Warriors, award-winning foreign correspondent James Kitfield introduces us to the tight-knit brotherhood that strives to keep the United States safe from the dimly understood threats it now faces. Together these men have broken down the boundaries between their respective agencies to engineer a network-centric way of fighting using a seamless web of intelligence analysts, information networks, FBI forensics experts, and Special Forces units to take the fight to America's enemies as never before.

From their birth in World War II as combat swimmers clearing the beaches of Normandy to their evolution into fighting men who could operate anywhere in the world by sea, air, or land, the intrepid story of the United States Navy SEALs is one of courage, sacrifice, and world-renowned toughness that echoes of other great military units of history - the Spartans, the Roman legions, or the samurai. Take a look inside to find out what makes the SEALs America's deadliest warriors.

From the jungles of the Southern Philippines to the Horn of Africa to the deserts of Iraq and lonely outposts in Afghanistan, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines of U.S. Special Operations Command undertake daring missions in some of the most difficult and dangerous places on the planet. These champions risk their lives so the hope of liberty can shine....

James Robert "Bob" Kalsu was an esteemed member of the United States military. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he made the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life for his country. While most used their celebrity status and wealth to avoid going to war, Kalsu, an offensive lineman in the National Football League, chose to commit to active duty. A Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, he served from 1969-1970. Tragically, only eight months after joining the fight, Kalsu was killed in A-Shau Valley, Vietnam.

Milton Olive III is one of our American war heroes. He began his military career in the mid-1960s and after completing basic training, became part of an infantry battalion in Vietnam. In the midst of battle, Olive sacrificed his own life for those of his comrades. He covered a grenade with his body, thus minimizing injury and saving the lives of the four others in his squad. As a result, Olive lost his life in battle and was later bestowed the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military recognition one can receive in war.