In the US military, there are a number of special combat groups, the one that gets the most press are the Navy's SEALs. However, the Marines also have this sort of unit and the one that is probably the least press is the Army's Green Berets. This special op unit has been around since the Korean War and is considered by the author to be the best of the lot.

Their job is to go where others either cannot or will not. They are superbly trained in different methods of covert operations, yet they never deny that they are with the US Army, despite how they may be outfitted.

The first year of the Afghan war was one where the Green Berets were used to the greatest effect. These men did not dress like your usual combat soldier as their job was to assist locals in fighting the Taliban. This mission required them to look like those around them as much as possible and that meant sporting beards, wearing quite a bit of local garb and something that one rarely considers, being able to speak the language of local troops with a relatively high level of fluency. This latter trait is one of several that sets them apart from other similar units.

Such was the success of these units during the time covered by the book that their removal from Afghanistan to get ready for the Iraq war saw a degradation of all they had accomplished during their time there, something that was never really overcome in the next ten or so years. Had the planners not had to split their concentration with a second major war, it is quite probable that the situation in Afghanistan would be quite different from what it is today with the Taliban making greater inroads and returning to places from which they had been swept a decade earlier.

In this book the author gives us a history of the Green Berets during previous conflicts. He then goes into the extremely rigorous training that each member has to endure in order to earn the Green Beret. To say it is onerous would be a major understatement as only a small fraction of those who enter the program graduate from it. There are sections on the equipment used and the way they adapt to local situations in terms of appearance.

The majority of the book is focused on separate operations while these men were in Afghanistan during the period covered. This includes a goodly number of color photos taken during the time with many of the faces of the troops blanked out in some way or another so they can not be identified. In all it is a fascinating look that these men and their mission. It is one that is rarely publicized and it does make for some great reading.

March 2016

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