Table Of ContentTable of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
Special Forces 101
The Road to the Top: An Interview with General Henry H. Shelton
Creating Special Forces Soldiers
Inside the Rucksack: Special Forces Staff
U.S. Army Special Forces Command
Getting Ready: Training for the "Big" One
Downrange: Special forces in the Field
Into the Twenty-first Century
Operation Merdeka
Glossary
Bibliography
NOVELS BY TOM CLANCY
The Hunt for Red October
Red Storm Rising
Patriot Games
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Clear and Present Danger
The Sum of All Fears
Without Remorse
Debt of Honor
Executive Orders
Rainbow Six
The Bear and the Dragon
Red Rabbit
The Teeth of the Tiger
SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare
NONFICTION
Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship
Armored Cav: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment
Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing
Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit
Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force
Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier
Special Forces: A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces
Into the Storm: A Study in Command (written with General Fred Franks, Jr., Ret.,
and Tony Koltz)
Every Man a Tiger (written with General Charles Horner, Ret., and Tony Koltz)
Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces (written with General Carl Stiner,
Ret., and Tony Koltz)
Battle Ready (written with General Tony Zinni, Ret., and Tony Koltz)
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PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley trade paperback edition / February 2001
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clancy, Tom, 1947-
Special forces : a guided tour of U.S. Army Special Forces / Tom Clancy,
written with John Gresham.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
eISBN : 978-1-101-12742-1
1. Special forces (Military science)--United States--History. 2. United States.
Army--Commando troops. 3. U.S. Special Operations Command--History.
I. Gresham, John. II. Title.
UA34.S64 C58 2001
356'.1673'0973--dc21
00-065121
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this book are entirely those
of the author, and do not necessarily correspond with those of any corporation,
military service, or government organization of any country.
http://us.penguingroup.com
Some projects run longer than others. Some years are tougher than others. In the
almost two years that went into this book, we have come to know many fine
people within the Special Forces community, some have become close friends.
Sadly, with all the happy times have also come darker moments. It goes without
saying that what Special Forces professionals do is dangerous. The years 1998
and 1999 were no exception. Casualties were suffered. The United States lost
Special Forces soldiers. We wish to remember them here:
None of these losses made the national news. Like the community they served
and the company they kept, these men died quietly keeping the faith in their
"special" profession. They asked for nothing more than the chance and a place to
serve. It is to these special men that that this book is dedicated. Fighting men, of
the Green Beret.
Acknowledgments
This book--like all the others in this series--has been a team effort; no one person
can take total credit for it ... or total blame.
None of the team deserves more credit than my longtime partner and researcher,
John D. Gresham. As always, John traveled the world, met the people, took the
pictures, ate MREs, spent cold, sleepless nights in the field, and did all the things
that make readers feel they are there for all the action. Next, I have to praise the
literary skills of Tony Koltz. Without his constant, passionate prodding and
brilliant way with words, this book would never have seen the light of day. We
have also again benefited from the wisdom, vision, experience, and efforts of
series editor Professor Martin H. Greenberg, as well as Larry Segriff and all the
staff at Tekno Books. Laura DeNinno is again to be saluted for her wonderful
drawings, which have added so much. This team has brought these books to you,
and I hope we all get together again. It was great, guys!
Any book like this would be impossible to produce without the support of senior
service personnel, both retired and in top positions. In this regard, we have again
been blessed with all the support that we could have needed or wanted. Great
thanks for two retired senior Army officers: General Carl Stiner and Lieutenant
General Bill Yarborough. Both gave us their valuable time and support, and we
can never repay their trust and friendship. In the office of the Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, we had the best: General Henry Shelton, Colonel (and Dr.)
David Petreaus, Captain Steve Petropelli, and Carolyn Piper made our much
delayed interview finally happen. Over in Army Public Affairs, we had the
pleasure of doing another book with Colonel John Smith. We also had
Lieutenant Colonel Ray Whitehead at Soldiers magazine. Down at U.S. Special
Operations Command in Florida, General Peter Schoomaker and his staff were
generous with their support as well. It's nice to have friends.
At Fort Bragg, the home of Army Special Forces, Lieutenant General William P.
Tangney, Major General William G. Boykin, and Major Generals Kenneth R.
Bowra and John Scales were kind enough to open up the community for our
research. Over at the JFK Special Warfare Center, Colonel Remo Butler gave us
time and access to his command, which produces Special Forces soldiers. We
also need to thank the media relations team at U.S. Army Special Operations
Command, who held our hands throughout the project. Major Tom McCollum
was there at every turn, was with us on every trip and visit, and did a job no
paycheck could ever compensate for. Backing him up was Lieutenant Colonel
Tom Rhinelander and Carol Jones, who made sure we walked the line and stayed
safe.
Out in the field, there was the wonderful staff at Fort Polk, who took care of us
on our JRTC visits. Major Tom Costello and the incomparable Paula Schlag run
a media relations shop that has no equal anywhere in the military today. They put
the public face on the world's finest training center, whose commanding officers,
Brigadier Generals Sam Thompson and Charles Swannack, Jr., made us
welcome again and again. Down at the SOT-D shop, Colonel Mike Rozsypal,
Lieutenant Colonel John Smith, and Major Tim Fitzgerald took good care of us
from Yuma to Mississippi. Finally, special thanks to Major Bill Shaw and his
lovely wife, Mary Kay, who took us in, fed us, and made us welcome in their
home. As friends and professionals, we thank them for their efforts.
The real story of this book took place out in the Special Forces Groups (SFGs)
and Teams, and we never lacked for material. Normally, we would have a long
list of the young men and women who helped us, but such a roster is not possible
because of the continuing nature of downrange Special Forces operations. As
you read this, almost everyone we might talk about is probably on a foreign
mission or getting ready for one. Thus, for reasons of personal respect, safety,
and security, we have avoided providing names (except where they are already
known), and our pictures have been shot to protect identities. We do want to
make special thanks to Colonels Ed Phillips and James "Roy" Dunn, along with
Lieutenant Colonel Joe Smith, who tolerated our continued presence and
questions. And our finest wishes must also go to the teams who let us into their
deployments, missions, and lives. In the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 19th, and 20th
SFGs, there are a lot of Special Forces soldiers who took us with them in the
field and downrange. To those men, I hope we got your stories right, because
you sure told them well. You know who you are. Thanks, too, to the fine folks
from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (the Nightstalkers), who
took us on several exciting rides. We need to thank Colonel Marcos Rojas of the
