Green Berets at War


Book Description

Stanton presents the authoritative history of a renowned, though unorthodox, fighting formation--the Green Berets. The Army's Special Forces forged a legend of combat valor and battlefield success through the tropical swamps and deep jungles of Southeast Asia over more than a decade of fighting. Stanton also discusses the misuse of Special Forces, their man-power problems, and more. Photos, maps, charts.




Green Beret in Vietnam


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.




Ballad of the Green Beret


Book Description

The rough-and-tumble life of Special Forces vet and Sixties pop star Barry Sadler The top Billboard Hot 100 single of 1966 wasn’t “Paint It Black” or “Yellow Submarine”--it was “The Ballad of the Green Berets,” a hyper-patriotic tribute to the men of the Special Forces by Vietnam vet 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 wrote articles for Soldier of Fortune and pulp novels that made “Rambo look like a stroll through Disneyland.” He killed a lover’s ex-boyfriend in Tennessee. Settling in Central America, Sadler ran guns, allegedly trained guerrillas, provided medical care to residents, and caroused at his villa. In 1988 he was shot in the head by a robber on the streets of Guatemala and died a year later. This life-and-times biography of an American character recounts the sensational details of Sadler’s life vividly but soberly, setting his meteoric rise and tragic fall against the big picture of American society and culture during and after the Vietnam War.




The Green Berets in the Land of a Million Elephants


Book Description

The untold story of US Special Forces in Laos, one of the longest secret wars of the Cold War—by a military historian and Special Forces veteran. The Secret War in Laos was one of the first “long wars” fought by US Special Forces, spanning a period of about thirteen years. It was one of the largest CIA-paramilitary operations of the time, kept out of the view of the American public until now. Between 1959 and 1974, Green Berets were covertly deployed to Laos during the Laotian Civil War to prevent the Communist Pathet Lao from taking over the country. Operators disguised as civilians and answering only to “Mister,“ were delivered to the country by Air America, where they reported to the US Ambassador. With limited resources, they faced a country in chaos. Maps had large blank areas. and essential supplies often didn’t arrive at all. In challenging tropical conditions, they trained and undertook combat advisory duties with the Royal Lao Government. Shrouded in secrecy until the 1990s, this was one of the first major applications of special warfare doctrine. Now, the story is comprehensively told for the first time using official archival documents and interviews with veterans.




The Guerrilla Factory


Book Description

A retired lieutenant colonel presents a behind-the-scenes portrait of the legendary North Carolina camps where Special Forces soldiers are trained, outlining the infamous Q Course where leaders endure brutal tests of strength, stamina, and ingenuity.




Special Forces at War


Book Description

This magnificent collection of photographs, which are accompanied by detailed captions and year-by-year chapter overviews, depicts for the first time the entire spectrum of Special Forces warfare in Southeast Asia.




The Green Berets of Vietnam - The U.S. Army Special Forces 61-71 - The Illustrated Edition


Book Description

Fully illustrated throughout with maps, charts, tables and photographs, this authoritative history of the U.S. Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War was written by Colonel Francis Kelly, who himself commanded the 1st and 5th Special Forces Groups during the conflict. From their humble beginnings training just 58 Vietnamese soldiers in 1957, these elite soldiers in just over one decade, trained and advised over 80,000 paramilitary and guerrilla troops in sustained combat techniques, and fought alongside them against the Viet Cong. This is the definitive history of these tough, resourceful and dedicated men.




True Americanism


Book Description




Army Green Berets


Book Description

The Green Berets are a Special Forces unit of the United States Army. They carry out a variety of missions, including search-and-rescue, counterterrorism, and strategic assaults on enemy positions. Intense training and proper equipment ensure that these brave soldiers complete their missions in a safe and efficient manner.




US Army Green Beret in Afghanistan 2001–02


Book Description

In October 2001 the most militarily advanced nation on earth came into conflict with one of the least developed nations as American forces poured into Afghanistan. The tip of the spear was drawn from the US Special Forces community, and largely from the units of the United States Army Special Forces – the famous Green Berets. Together with the Special Activities Division of the CIA and the Afghan Northern Alliance, they overthrew the Taliban in a lightning campaign that redefined modern warfare. This new study reveals the grueling Green Beret training and preparation, the specialized equipment they used in the field and traces their deployment throughout the campaign, from the first insertion of forces through to the fall of Kabul and Kandahar, the Taliban uprising at the notorious Fort of War in Mazar-e-Sharif, and the clearance of Tora Bora and Operation Anaconda in the Shahikot Valley.