Best afghan war biographies according to redditors
We found 265 Reddit comments discussing the best afghan war biographies. We ranked the 95 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 265 Reddit comments discussing the best afghan war biographies. We ranked the 95 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
There's a book written by the man who this facebook post is to, Marcus Luttrel, who is the sole survivor of Operation Red Wings in which Michael P. Murphy is killed. It's called Lone Survivor and though I don't necessarily agree with all the politics, it's a harrowing account of persistence and survival.
EDIT: Since I'm recommending books, anyone who has read or may be interested in Lone Survivor should read the book Unbroken about Olympic runner and WW2 bombardier Louie Zamperini's struggle for survival after being shot down over the Pacific Ocean.
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Fight-Explosive-Special-Operator-ebook/dp/B009LRWGZU
Sarn't Kap. Good dude.
In the middle of my book "Blindsided by the Taliban," there is a selection of my photos from Afghanistan.
https://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Taliban-Journalists-Story-Trauma/dp/1510729682
So much shameless book whoring going on right now. It's almost embarrassing.
Don't forget to also read Fick's One Bullet Away.
Generation Kill was written by the embedded Rolling Stone reporter, but One Bullet Away was written by the officer commanding that platoon.
The meme response is to advise you to apply judicious quantities of alcohol until the feelings subside.
Your feelings sound perfectly rational to me.
Many Commandants as well as Gen Mattis have advocated for learning from those who have gone before us from their teachings recorded in books & stories.
You might find some comfort in the stories of those who have already walked this path.
https://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Brother-Major-Winters-Brothers/dp/0451218396
https://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436/
https://www.amazon.com/Helmet-My-Pillow-Parris-Pacific/dp/1977052304/
https://www.amazon.com/Old-Breed-At-Peleliu-Okinawa/dp/0891419063/
https://www.amazon.com/Im-Staying-My-Boys-Basilone/dp/0312611447/
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Before you engage your chain of command, I encourage you to seek out a more junior combat veteran in your unit and discuss your unease.
I'm not saying "Don't engage your CoC." I'm suggesting you try getting guidance from a pseudo-peer first.
RASP isn't hard. If you can handle a moderate amount of mind fuckery and you're good at pt, you'll make it. As others have said, get your PT up. Make sure that you can run five miles in under forty minutes and ruck twelve miles in under three hours. Google the Ranger creed. Learn it. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you learn it now. A lot of people will tell you to read Sua Sponte by Dick Couch. Don't waste your time with it. If you want a book to motivate you, pick up Back in the Fight. It's the story of sfc Kap, a Ranger that lost his leg and still managed to go on combat rotation. He's still in Regiment, you'll see him running around on one leg smoking RASP 2 guys around the compound. His story is inspirational as fuck, and if he can be a Ranger with one leg, you sure as hell can with two. So when you're at Cole Range and you haven't slept in two days and you feel like quitting, get up on your two functioning legs and Ranger the fuck up.
There's a book I really enjoyed in general about the CSAR mission, full of stories from a few different wars. Includes all the major MDS including MC-130, HH-60, MH-60, Guardian Angel, etc... it's called "None Braver".
It'll be a bear either way still, arty just denies some strongpoints and thins the enemy ranks a little.
Read House to House by SSG Bellavia about the time the Americans took Fallujah, it was still a bitch even with all that hardware and preparation.
Maybe ISIS is less skilled in guerilla warfare & urban fighting than the insurgents and fedayeen were back then though - let's hope so at least for the Iraqi's sakes.
I recommend a book called House to House. It goes into great detail about urban combat that U.S. Forces faced in the Battle of Fallujah. A good portion of the book focuses specifically on his breaching of a single house, including how fortified it is.
If you want a no-bullshit amazing book about deployment, check out:
This book.
absolutely amazing and dead on.
Very much so. The reporter was embedded in a truck with a specific Squad Leader. You end up seeing the whole invasion over-the-shoulder of just that Squad Leader. Gen Mattis is just a cameo and the whole US Army doesn't exist except for a brief mention of Jessica Lynch's convoy getting captured. It's a very narrow (albeit uniquely and redeemingly indepth) view of the invasion.
As mentioned elsewhere in the thread, the Platoon Leader, Nathaniel Fick, published his own account if you want to contrast the view from literally just one echelon higher.
https://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436
For what it's worth, the Second Battle of Fallujah was a joint operation between the hooahs and the Marines. The city was cut in half and each half given to one branch.
The best book I've read on it is SSgt Bellavia's novel ["House to House."] (http://www.amazon.com/House-An-Epic-Memoir-War/dp/1416596607) Though it's a personal memoir by a soldier, it still offers some great insight into the battle.
Have you read One Bullet Away by Marine Captain Nate Fick? If so, do you think he was honest throughout it in his description of the war and everything else?
Lots and lots of masturbation.
Speculating if latest teenage pop star is legal yet.
Find dangerous insects. Pick up dangerous insects with crude dangerous insect trapping device. Force dangerous insects to fight to the death. Disregard the fact that you're in a war zone in one of the oldest areas of the World, and that a camel spider and scorpion fighting it out is more exciting.
Masturbate more.
EDIT: I recommend you read Kaboom and/or My War. Both portray a really good, typical combat deployment. Read This Man's Army for the Afghanistan version of those two (be warned - as impressive as Exum's accomplishments are, the guy shows off too much for my taste. Still a good read).
EDIT 2: Also read House-to-House if you want to know what a real major combat operation is like.
I enjoyed it. From what I've heard, it's pretty accurate. However, I did prefer Nathan Fick's One Bullet Away.
Danny was apart of a 4 man team dropped high into the Hindu Kush Mountain region on a mission to neutralize or capture a HVT (high value target). Said HVT was in the presence of a very large Taliban force. This force was notified of Danny and his team and immediately descended upon them where all but one SEAL were killed. This is the first person account of Operation Red Wing
Thank you for the link.
David Bellavia’s book, House to House , has some great firsthand examples of how armor (both Bradley APC’s and Abrams) were crucial to the survival of their particular infantry unit during the Second Battle of Fallujah for multiple reasons.
On a related note, General Dynamics Griffin APC prototype has a cannon that can elevate 85 degrees, in order to engage rooftop threats in urban terrain - I believe the video references this is due to it being an army requirement.
Mitt was the one who wrote No Easy Day under the pseudonym Mark Owen (obviously because Mark/Mitt, and you owe him more money), and picked Matt Bissonette as his scapegoat! It all makes sense!
I've used BUDS as a good goal and motivation for my running (been running for years, just now getting into lifting/bulking). Probably watched every BUDS video on the interweb. A couple notes:
Inspired by true events that unfolded in Operation Anaconda, take a look at this book
GRS protects CIA officers in dangerous environments.
In addition to Horse Soldiers, you might want to check out
Jawbreaker
13 Hours (About GRS)
88 Days to Kandahar
Not a Good Day to Die
The Only Thing Worth Dying For
You won't find much about modern CIA operations because they are classified.
If you liked Generation Kill, read the book "One Bullet Away" written by Nathaniel Fick who was one of the officers covered by Generation Kill (which was started from a Rolling Stone article written by Evan Wright.)
If you want to understand the nature of the war and the strategy used to fight it from the surge (2007) onward I recommend David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War by Fred Kaplan. This book will describe all the big names and texts that helped formulate modern counterinsurgency doctrine and will give you plenty of authors and publications to further explore. To further understand counterinsurgency, I recommend The Accidental Guerilla by David Kilcullen (this link downloads the file, it does not open it a new window) that has a great chapter on Iraq since he was the senior COIN advisor for a few months into the surge. You can also read FM3-24 the original 2006 version, but its a dense read and I recommend you familiarize yourself with the doctrine through other publications before tackling the field manual itself.
Fiasco by Thomas Ricks is a decent history of the run up to the Iraq war and the first years, I would say 2002-2005 is where it is strongest although it does discuss important history prior to 9/11 in the containment of Iraq and some detail into 2006.
From the Surge onward I recommend Ricks' follow on book The Gamble, and The Surge by Peter Mansoor. These books will detail the important changes and in strategy and operational practices that characterized the Surge and the post 2006 war effort.
These are the books I have personally read that best address your questions. Books that are more tactically oriented instead of focusing on the big picture include The Forever War by Dexter Filkins, which is a morbid book that does justice to the horror of the Iraq's sectarian civil war. Thunder Run by David Zucchino is worthy of being a masterpiece in terms of how well the author constructed an incredible narrative on the tank forays into the heart of Baghdad in the early weeks of the war. My Share of the Task by Stanley McChrystal is a great read on McChrystal fomented a significant evolution in JSOC's intelligence culture and operational tempo. This book is of value specifically to what you asked because his men were the ones that were tracking Abu Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and was the first iteration of what is now known as ISIS. McChrystal describes the structure of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and much of ISIS's organization and methods can be traced back to Zarqawi's leadership.
I don't think you will find any books that will do justice to your interest in terms of recent events however I have some advice that I feel will help you immensely. Simply type in (topic of interest) and end it with pdf into google. This cuts out brief news articles and wikipedia entries and leaves you with top notch reports published by peer reviewed journals and think tanks. This is all free, and its very well researched work.
A report I'm currently reading that I'm sure you will find interesting is Iraq in Crisis by CSIS. It's of course long for a think tank report, but it has a lot of information and great statistics and charts that help the reader better understand Iraq's trends in violence and other challenges. Here are two more interesting reports by well known think tanks that pertinent to what you are looking for.
On the evolution of Al Qaeda and other salafi jihadists by RAND
Iraqi politics, governance and human rights by the Congressional Research Service
I liked reading Generation Kill too. With that in mind, I would like to add One Bullet Away By Nate Fick.
One Bullet Away
For anyone who would like to know, the following books I've read are my favorite and I'd really recommend them to anyone: The Martian by Andy Weir, Gerald's Game by Stephen King, The Panther by Nelson DeMille, Unflinching by Jodi Mitic, American Sniper by Chris Kyle, and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
EDIT: Oh, and Blackwater - The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill.
EDDIT 2: Oh, and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card which is so much better than the movie. The movie does not do this novel justice. And Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly.
I suppose that depends on when you "don't make it."
If you drop out of OCS, or get injured at PLC/OCS, I'm not sure how willing they are to take a chance on you again, but they might if it's medical.
If you decide the USMC isn't for you, or fail out of school, you have to pay the gov't for the loans. I'm pretty sure they make this very clear when you accept your NROTC scholarship. In fact, I'm extremely sure you have to sign an agreement to pay the loans back, barring any extraneous circumstances.
And I really would like to think that NROTC scholarships are rare and exclusive enough that they are not handed out like candy.
Are you interested in Air, Ground or Law?
Please do yourself a favor and read One Bullet Away.
They admitted to DNA testing from the get go, it was also mentioned in the books No Easy Day and No Easy Op, also mentioned in the movie Zero Dark Thirty.
The book fucking rocks. I read it a few years ago,
If you are interested, also check out One bullet away, written by the LT from that platoon, it tells the same story but from an other perspective as well as some other things that weren't in Generation kill.
Writing:
After a two month delay, I finished part three of OC series The 8th squad: The fall maidens weapon this story will be finished in part 4. As for the series I plan on doing two more stories before finishing it out.
Reading:
Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor by Clinton Romesha
I see, thanks for the input.
Say, there’s this guy who’s a journalist on reddit that reminded me of you. I saw he was shilling his book, you might want to check it out!
It’s called “Blindsided by the Taliban”:
https://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Taliban-Journalists-Story-Trauma/dp/1510729682
The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander by Pete Blaber
>As a commander of Delta Force-the most elite counter-terrorist organization in the world-Pete Blaber took part in some of the most dangerous, controversial, and significant military and political events of our time. Now he takes his intimate knowledge of warfare-and the heart, mind, and spirit it takes to win-and moves his focus from the combat zone to civilian life.
>As the smoke clears from exciting stories about neverbefore-revealed top-secret missions that were executed all over the globe, readers will emerge wiser, more capable, and more ready for life's personal victories than they ever thought possible.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0425236579/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=81L6TNMLAXFN&coliid=IBUHZCVGIWB98
Critical thinking, small unit leadership,
Did no one read No Easy Day? It was damn near required reading among 80% of the guys I know the first month it was released. It goes over all this shit in incredible detail.
I'll leave the moral judgement to his community; the book is fantastic.
Clarification: the book was not written by O'Neill, but describes, in great detail, the team's perspective on the operations listed by OP.
Bam, hero'd.
It's named after the [autobiography] (http://www.amazon.com/American-Sniper-Autobiography-Military-History/dp/0062238868) he wrote about his experiences.
One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel Fick
? What? That book is awesome! And so's the one Fick wrote
Edit: Fick's book: https://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436/
The TV show is pretty good too!
That's just based off of a highly regarded book I enjoyed:
The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander
Check out the Commandant's Reading list recommendations for Officer Candidates. I'd add One Bullet Away and What it's Like to go to War to that list as well.
How is your general knowledge? Do you know all of your Troop Leading Steps, Leadership Traits, General Orders, and Operational Order sub-paragraphs?
Sorry I can't remember exactly which one, but I'm pretty sure it was one of these:
http://smile.amazon.com/Seal-Team-Six-incredible-operations-ebook/dp/B004OA63JE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397330250&sr=8-1&keywords=seal+team+6
http://smile.amazon.com/Warrior-Soul-Memoir-Navy-SEAL-ebook/dp/B000FC0XZK/ref=pd_sim_kstore_10?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DMA7D0QB52DR9XKD9P3
http://smile.amazon.com/The-Finishing-School-Earning-Trident-ebook/dp/B001RLTFDO/ref=pd_sim_kstore_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DMA7D0QB52DR9XKD9P3
http://smile.amazon.com/Inside-SEAL-Team-Six-Missions-ebook/dp/B005HFNK28/ref=pd_sim_kstore_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DMA7D0QB52DR9XKD9P3
EDIT: Or this one. http://smile.amazon.com/The-Red-Circle-Americas-Deadliest-ebook/dp/B0071NMCKA/ref=pd_sim_kstore_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=01PHG2R9GTTNCCKK7Y60
By the way, all of these are excellent books (in my opinion), if you're interested in this kind of stuff they make a great read.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Platoon-Story-American-Valor/dp/0525955054
I'd reccommend the audio book if that is more your speed.
Some really great choices, but I'd also suggest https://www.amazon.com/Art-Intelligence-Lessons-Clandestine-Service/dp/0143123378
Henry was state Dept ambassador in charge of countering terrorism which is a big deal geopolitically
"You feel a wild, irrational fear clawing at you as everything in your lizard hindbrain screams at you to run." Then let them play out their character's "better judgment" struggling to deal with it.
There's a book called House to House about the US invasion of Fallujah, written by a sergeant who was there. At one point he describes an incident where he was absolutely unable to move for a minute because of fear or adrenaline or something. Despite desperately wanting to run forward, he found that his legs simply would not obey him. He recovered a few moments later, but he was quite frustrated by the experience.
You can read it on amazon as a preview.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Sniper-Autobiography-Military-History-ebook/dp/B005GFPZYK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=#reader_B005GFPZYK
I just read the opening passage on Amazon and yeah... I agree with you. I'd have stopped reading too.
>
> IT WAS MY DUTY TO SHOOT, AND I DON'T REGRET IT. THE woman was already dead. I was just
> making sure she didn't take any Marines with her.
> It was clear that not only did she want to kill them, but she didn't care about anybody else
> nearby who would have been blown up by the grenade or killed in the firelight. Children on the
> street, people in the houses, maybe her child ...
> She was too blinded by evil to consider them. She just wanted Americans dead, no matter
> what.
> My shots saved several Americans, whose lives were clearly worth more than that
> woman's twisted soul. I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job. But > I truly, deeply hated the evil that woman possessed. I hate it to this day.
> SAVAGE, DESPICABLE EVIL. THAT'S WHAT WE WERE FIGHTING in Iraq. That's why a lot of people, myself included, called the enemy "savages." There really was no other way to describe what we encountered there.
>
> People ask me all the time, "How many people have you killed?" My standard response is,
> "Does the answer make me less, or more, of a man?" The number is not important to me. I only wish I had killed more. Not for bragging rights, but because I believe the world is a better place without savages out there taking American lives. Everyone I shot in Iraq was trying to harm Americans or Iraqis loyal to the new government.
I'm out
While I agree with most of your comments and fervently dispute the need to have ever gone to war with Iraq, I still think Afghanistan was a "necessary" war. Its waning unpopularity is likely a result of bad execution, implementation, and the inevitable absence of any possible clear "victory".
I'm reading Sebastian Junger's War and watched his documentary Restrepo on the subject. Afghanistan is infuriating, sad, tragic, terrifying...
Clint Romesha's book Red Platoon goes into a bit more detail on this particular battle and is an excellent read as well.
Since you asked, I read a book on the raid, and I recommend you read up too before spouting bullshit. It's public information, that's how I know.
The bestselling book: http://www.amazon.com/No-Easy-Day-Autobiography-Firsthand/dp/0525953728/ref=la_B0099F6QS2_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395642062&sr=1-1
I find it hilarious that your only rebuttal to my arguments is that I am employed by the government; even if I was, your arguments have no merit, and my points have yet to be refuted.
None Braver by Michael Hirsh is another one of the few books on pararescue I've come across. I haven't had a chance to read it yet though. There are also several pararescue related videos on YouTube and Netflix such as Inside Combat Rescue if you have some down time, they're mostly just for entertainment.
I've seen specialtactics.com and this 'How Can I Prepare for PJ Indoc?' pdf from AFSOC reccommended to those interested in AF Special Operations/Special Tactics. I'm not sure how much they may help you. I remember having a hard time finding anything but the most basic information on pararescue when I was considering entering the pipeline, especially when compared to the SEALs.
As /u/TheJackOfAllShades said, being confident in the water is really important, but you seem to know that. I always hear stuff along the lines of "become a fish", "be comfortable with drowning", and anything beyond exceeding the physical standards prior to joining is just extra.
I wish you the best of luck.
That looks like something out of Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green. In the book, they were under heavy fire in the middle of the night and their CO was walking around yelling at people to be in proper uniform.
If you've never heard of it, the book is hilarious.
After loads of reading on the bus to work every day, here follows my reading list for military aviation:
Modern
Vietnam
WWII
Overall/Other
Bonus non-military aviation
I highly second the recommendations of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and Diamond Age. I would also recommend:
Marine Corps != Army, agreed with you though.
Likely why he visited so many countries, Marines deploy and sail around the world (like aircraft carriers) as a force ready to fight or render aid wherever needed (Afghanistan after 9/11, Japan to help with humanitarian aid) when they aren't actively fighting a war (or in between deployments). At least, that's my understanding of it (mostly based on this book).
The Mission, The Men, and Me -Pete Blaber
Plenty. Check this book out. Also, this. You just need to look for them. There are plenty out there.
his autobiography
Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green.
It's a true story, but it's not as serious as the title makes it sound. A skinny nerd with dual Masters degrees changes his name to Johnny Rico and joins the Army as a grunt. There's a scene where he talks about unplugging the incoming fire RADAR so he can heat up a Hot Pocket. It's just that absurd.
Avoid treadmills. If you haven't already, read Nate Fick's book 'One bullet away'.
From memory he scored well on the 3 mile run but had to give it 100%.
Maybe they just got finished with Lone Survivor
The initial capture of Kabul and Kandahar was done with no support units or regular infantry on the ground, just SF and air strikes. It was literally about 100 Green Berets working with CIA embeds with Afghani Northern Alliance troops. The Bush Admin didn't want to have any regular forces on the ground, thinking that it would cause resentment towards the US similar to what the Russians went through in their war. Regular forces were brought in for Operation Anaconda in the last legs of the initial war, because there was intel that senior Al Qaeda leadership was stuck there on their way to Pakistan.
Not a Good Day to Die goes over the early events in the war, and it really is as crazy as I'm making it sound.
Thank you for doing this AMA.
Earlier this year I had the pleasure to read Lone Survivor by former SEAL Marcus Luttrell. Throughout his book he reflects on their decision [to not kill the shepherd boy who stumbled upon their position, who in turn revealed their position to the Taliban that wiped out the rest of his team.](/spoiler "their decision"), wrestling with the idea that ROE, hamstrung by politics, and fear of backlash back home were major deciding factors.
I keep finding myself contrasting Luttrell's book with comments by Admiral Mullen in an interview about the OBL op - that politics were the last thing on the operators minds.
Throughout your experience did the opinion of the media, politicians and general population play a role in tactical decision making? What are your thoughts on the perception of these groups of SEALs and other special operation teams?
Bro,
I don't know much but I know this.
Leadership is service.
It's not about you.
Real leadership looks like this:
Read this book
http://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436
I'm a 19-year-old boy from Ottawa, Canada (you may have heard of our little country :P ). While I was not homeschooled per se during my public school years (I went to regular English schools), I definitely learned more quickly, more thoroughly and more widely due to my parents' constant efforts to teach me things that went way above and beyond what I was "learning" at my high school.
My parents are both high school teachers, and have each spent roughly 30 years teaching their respective subjects.
My dad actually just retired last year, but he taught most of the Social Studies curriculum during the course of his career (History, Philosophy, Psychology, World Religions, etc.). He is a bilingual Francophone from Ottawa, so he taught at one of the French Catholic high schools in our area. He also happens to be somewhat skeptical of religion (not an atheist, but damned close). Odd combination, yes, but it has resulted in him introducing me to
military history, everything from the Roman legions to the Knights Templar to the Taliban.
My mother was born in Ottawa, to Greek parents who had left Greece after the Second World War; my grandparents are from a village about 20 minutes away from the modern city of Sparti (Sparta). During the war, the village was at some point occupied by Axis forces (I'm not sure when or to what extent, because my grandparents' English is not great and only my mother speaks Greek).
I decided to include a list (below) of works that I've found particularly interesting (I've never actually written down a list of my favs before, so this may be somewhat... sprawling and will be in no particular order :P ). Depending on the ages of your kids, some of this stuff might be inappropriate for them right now, but they can always check it out when they're older. It's mostly military/wartime history that interests me (it's what I plan on studying in university), but I've learned so many little tidbits about other things as well from having access to these works. Since your kids are all boys, I hope they'll find at least some of this stuff to be interesting :) .
Books
Movies and TV
This is all non-fiction. If you like this list, let me know, and I can expand on it further, and also include my favourite works from other genres, as well as my favourite fiction books as well :) . I left out tons of stuff that I'm too much of a lazy teenager to type in here, lol.
> From personal experience military intelligence is an oxymoron.
Unfortunately, anecdotally this is too true for most military's. Information in the modern world changes so rapidly that the military bureaucracy and chain of command tend's to do nothing more then to just slow down the rate at which accurate info is provided to front line troops.
A great example is in the now famous Generation Kill and One Bullet Away. The unit is constantly supplied with FRAGO's and new mission objectives based on faulty and outdated information that time and time again places them in ambushes, traps, and situations where the only reason they leave alive is because of the ineptitude of the enemy, not their own skill.
I read this book a while back. It's got a ton of information about being a good military leader. I highly recommend it if you are interesting in learning some leadership skills.
The Mission, The Men, and Me
Well, there are two problems here, and both relate to the terms ninjutsu and taijutsu, and both are due to people inferring more than what is actually said.
Both are just general terms, and people misuse both. So, ninjutsu is just intelligence gathering techniques. I mean the CIA technically practices ninjutsu, but no one calls it ninjutsu. The English term used most is "Spycraft." During WWII, the Japanese taught indivduals ninjutsu. It was called the Nakano School.
Now, to be a good spy, one should know some hand to hand in case things go really bad. This is where taijutsu comes in. But taijutsu just means "body techniques." Technically, every martial art is this, and it's the equivalent of "fighting method." Nothing special. The Bujinkan has taken the 6 samurai arts that it teaches and called those "ninpo taijutsu" or "Bujinkan Budo taijutsu", which is just their form of arts, no different from saying something like Gracie Jujutsu. Most of the modern school stuff comes from Kukishinden ryu, which stems from a koryu, Kukishin Ryu. TEchnically, you could be a ninja and learn any fighting method you wanted.
The last thing is that none of the modern schools actually state that they teach ninjutsu. They say things like "ninpo taijutsu" or "the fighting art of the ninja." Scrub their websites and you will find that you won't find them saying that they teach ninjutsu. Even Stephen K. Hayes's most well know book, The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art, only talks about "ninjutsu" for 31 of its 156 pages, and even then, it's mostly from a historical perspective. The other books do so in a similar fashion.
In reality, there are better methods today than there were back then. Camouflage used to be a secret technique, but now there are books on it everywhere, and you can learn it from different sources.
+1 to the GAP-10. It became one of Chris Kyle (America's most deadly sniper) mentioned in his autobiography that after shooting it after coming back from oversees, he considered it one of his favorite weapons.
At 2,750, it is surprisingly affordable for the level of accuracy.
Check out this vid of a 5" group at 1000 yards.
Hey, you're welcome! I'm glad to see this strike a chord w/ someone else.
Thanks for the encouragement, it is nice to hear from another person that is in a similar situation. Do you have a "time-line" for how you plan on joining?
What does your wife think about the prospect of you joining Pararescue?
I really like the idea of going ANG/Reserve, been thinking about either Patrick AFB or the ANG unit on Long Island, active duty has a strong pull for me though as my wife and I want to raise our kids in that lifestyle (we were both AF brats).
I was an EMT for a few years and loved the work, I'm considering getting my NREMT-P while I'm prepping for Indoc so I could knock 6 months off the pipeline...
I yearn for this career as I believe it to be one of the most noble professions out there that isn't as influenced by politics like other SOF groups (if you have the chance, in the book "None Braver" by Michael Hirsch, a PJ summed it up perfectly when he explained why he chose Pararescue versus Seals, Army SF, etc...)
I really want to earn my spot amongst other elite, to have honor, to be like my role models, and most importantly be someone/something that I know my kids would be proud of.
I look forward to hearing more from you, keep us updated on your progress and let's get it man.
I don't really upload my missions since (to be honest) I suspect that they would not really be much of a hit. They are very much "single-use" missions and don't have much replay value. On top of that, they sometimes involve so little action that many might find them excessively boring and rate them accordingly. The missions I make are really just built for me and the handful of friends that I know are on the same page as me when it comes to mission structure preference.
I guess I feel like my missions would not really work out in the public. There is a lot of context that my friends and I have built around these things that are not really present in the mission files themselves. I am not sure how to explain that better but I can't shake this feeling that they would be confusing or disjointed for folks who don't have that context.
All that being said, I do want to encourage you to really dig into the editor. I am not really a expert in the slightest and while I know my way around the editor, I find that unless you are trying to create some kind of big multiplayer sandbox thing or a elaborate PvP/PvE hybrid scenario, you don't really need to make things terribly complicated in order to make them very realistic, plausible, and authentic. In fact, you really can do just fine using only the editor's built-in flag and trigger system and that system may seem complex at first, it is actually rather simple once you actually learn some of the very basics and see how it all fits together.
Seriously, I am not usually someone that gets really good at editors and I was able to work my way through it with very little outside help (since useful mission editor tutorials are somewhat rare even still).
The other thing is the military knowledge element. This is actually a interesting point to bring up since that knowledge has implications both in the editor as you make the missions and in the simulated cockpit as you execute those missions.
Building up that knowledge is not as daunting as you might think. It does require some "book-work" but you will find that a lot of the really useful information is condensed into only a few (very enjoyable) books and perhaps some NATO/USAF/USMC/Navy manuals/documents when small gaps need to be filled.
Here is a short reading list that will really expand your understanding of how missions are organized and put together.
1.) A-10's over Kosovo. This book is a goldmine of "short stories" that outline specific parts of the Operation Allied Force campaign from the perspective of both pilots and their commanding officers. It really gets into some of the details of how these missions were planned, what kind of air-power infrastructure they were working with, and how the day to day political changes changed how they did their jobs in the air. This book is a great way to start and it helps that it is free.
2.) Joint Force Harrier. This is written from the perspective of a British GR-7 pilot and squadron commander in Afghanistan. This book is filled with delicious technical details about not just the aircraft but how the day to day missions were organized. Alongside A-10's over Kosovo, this is a great way to learn a lot of great details rather quickly and easily.
3.) A Nightmare's prayer. This is a somewhat different book. It is written by a Marine pilot and while it is does offer some inside-looks at the way missions are planned and organized, it mostly focuses on his specific personal experiences during his time there. It may not give you a lot of technical details but it will help you understand the mindset.
One neat thing about this book is that it focuses quite a bit on how the whole system can break down while a pilot is flying a mission. You will read a lot of stuff about how poor planning, misused resources, and even inflexible time-lines all contribute to potential issues in-mission. These are things that you can find ways to simulate in the editor and add a lot of flavor to the missions you make.
4.) Black Aces High. This book focuses on F-14 bombing operations in Kosovo and offers some very interesting insights into how they gather useful intelligence and make use of it when planning missions. It also gets into some very interesting details about how large strike packages are organized.
This book also gets into just how failure prone some of these aircraft and the equipment they carry really are.
The following is a selection of links to documents/manuals I have found that may seem very heavy and difficult to parse at first but really should be treated as references. If you find yourself in need of a very specific term or a specific bit of information, these are organized in such a way that you should be able to find exactly what you want rather easily. Some of these have more updated versions that may or may not be downloadable but you can usually find them via google to read.
1.) 3-09.3 Close Air Support (joint publication)
2.) Air Support Operations Center (ASOC) procedures
3.) NATOPS tactics, techniques, and procedures for Close Air Support. (direct download link from ED forums)
4.) Multi-service tactics, techniques, and procedures for the joint application of air-power.
Those are a few good ones. Since I have been working mostly on CAS missions lately, I have focused a lot of my research on that specific aspect. This is why all those documents kinda relate. As far as fighter operations go, I would have to see if I can dig up any information on organizing patrols, intercepts, and the like. I suspect that information is out there but I gotta know what to look for.
As far as learning the editor goes, there are not a whole lot of great resources available. The DCS World manual covers a lot of the basics of the interface and taking a look at it every now and again can give you insight that you might not pick up intuitively. Still, there are some youtube lessons that might help, here are some good ones I have found.
1.) Mission randomization (very useful and very important!)
2.) PickinThatBanjo's mission editor tutorial playlist (some good basic information here and some intermediate concepts mixed in.
3.) Ranger79's mission editor tutorial playlist. Like the prior link, it has a lot of basic stuff but also covers some trigger and flag concepts that (while simple to do) really open up the editor in a big way.
When I approach making a mission, my first thought is how to properly capture the experience of the pilot and only the pilot. This means that I don't have a lot of interest creating some sort of randomized dynamic campaign kinda thing and instead focus on capturing what a typical sortie would look like. As a result, my missions tend to be fairly straightforward. If I task the player with bombing a target, I am going to take into account things like up to the minute satellite images, prolific drone use, and even up to the minute reports from troops on the ground. As such, the player will have a lot of information available even before they hop in the cockpit. To put it simply, don't agonize over randomization. That kind of stuff has a place in certain types of missions but only to a certain point. NATO has a lot of tools at its disposal that can provide very fine details about what the enemy is doing and what they are doing it with.
As a final thought. When you really get into some of the reading material, you start to see that in real-life, the missions are not really all that "epic". A day to day G-CAS, X-CAS, or even a CAP sortie is not going to be this huge battle and will probably instead be filled with more mundane, procedure focused tasks. When you do get action, it is (on average) going to be fairly isolated and won't require a lot of bombs, bullets, or missiles to take care of.
Additionally, it is useful to limit the scope of your missions carefully. In those big sandbox scenarios online, they often end up with far too many "cooks in the kitchen". In real life, you may have a lot of flights in the air but they are typically two ship flights that all have their own tasking and only interact with each other in specific circumstances. With this in mind, try to make missions that focus on just two pilots in a single flight. It will make it easier to create realistic, plausibly scaled missions. Likewise, equip those aircraft with realistic loadouts as that puts a heavy emphasis on managing weapons as opposed to just going up with a stupidly overloaded aircraft and dumping on inappropriate targets.
Hopefully this helps. I know it is not exactly a mission download list but I suppose this could be taken as a long-winded "teach a man to fish" scenario. Making your own missions is a good way to be self-sufficient. That is something that is not emphasized nearly enough in the DCS community these days.
I've been looking for a good series like this too.
The best option I've found so far was autobiographical books about real operators and their stories. The comic I link to below is pretty good too.
This is the comic, obviously it isn't a true novel, but it's still a good series.
https://www.amazon.com/Activity-1-Tp/dp/1607065614
The series focuses on the Intelligence Support Activity and their covert ops, but there's some joint Delta, SAS, CIA, etc stories in there too.
As for more proper novels, 'No Easy Day' has some good stories in it. It's an autobiography though.
https://www.amazon.com/No-Easy-Day-Autobiography-Firsthand/dp/0525953728
House borne-IEDs I had heard about in my BDE while I was deployed in 2010. You can read about it here starting at SGT Dustin Hennigar (A/2-502 IN).
A bunch of really horrible stories I've read were depicted in Level Zero Heroes. The first being a retelling of when one of the guys was in Iraq clearing a house and stumbled into a terrorist cell that had wired the entire house with propane IEDs. The other was about was a blue-on-blue incident with A-10 CAS firing on an ODA.
On a personal level, I have no interest in sharing the specifics on my stories since I had people (peers) play monday morning quarterback. I don't share my stories because I want a better play through of what you think I could have done. Trust me, I've literally re-imagined it a thousand times.
I will say that there is nothing in this world that can adequately prepare you for the effects of an IED. The deafening silence and the smell of ozone, the yelling if you're okay, the amount of blood, the shattered bones, the dust that clings in the air, the confusion of a concussion, the anxiety if an ambush is happening, the screaming of commands, or the desperate prayers.
Worst part was how physically and emotionally drained I was after the first IED I experienced. I was a shell of an entire human being. No life force or emotion. I was sitting around a bunch of men in silence when I realized I had been trained extensively in treating traumatic injuries but I had not been trained very well at all in dealing with the psychological trauma that followed after.
Lone Survivor http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-Eyewitness-Account-Operation/dp/0316067598
The book
The Wikipedia entry with SPOILERS
Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green
The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell
Dexter Series
Dark Elf Trilogy and then all of the subsequent books in the Drizzt line, there are like 14 or so maybe
With Liberty and Justice for Some
and always some green reading
Cannabis A History
Why Marijuana Should be Legal
Marcus Luttrell
No doubt. It's rare that I hardly have to think about something, but when I read this this ask, I knew instantly that this dude was my answer.
His book about Operation Redwing
Hey punk, 25M / 6'2 / 247.6lbs here and you're about to lose.
I'm looking to end up at a solid 200lbs, so I've 47.6 pounds to lose. Close enough, right?
Download MFP and add me : Tychapman. Track everything you eat and every exercise you make and you better look forward to me talking mad shit when you sneak a cinnabon you pathetic land whale.
My weight loss frenzy is fueled by 2 part competition and 1 part accountability (also I'm out of college and have a little extra disposable income), so I'm not okay with buying you a 13 dollar book (not that you're going to win anyway). It's just not going to cut it.
What about this?
Or some of these?
Hell if you win (which you wont) I'll throw in your book, too.
If I win you better buy me THIS
(in fact, just go ahead and get it to save yourself the time).
PM me if you want to do a virtual shake-shake-shake and we'll exchange info. Lets get the fuck in shape!
Now available in paperback at Amazon!
I just googled the title; apparently this is a work of dark humor fiction.
With no oversight whatsoever by any elected legislature or executive. There's so much misinformation about the IC it's not even funny. Go read http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Intelligence-Lessons-Clandestine/dp/0143123378 or similar work. Or just any authoritative history.
Did you read this book: Lone Survivor? Any thoughts about it?
This is a great book. http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-Eyewitness-Account-Operation/dp/0316067598
I doubt any Navy Seal would regret joining. The camaraderie is intense within the Seals.
When I was in Fallujah with the Marines, the Seals were high-speed no joke good guys.
Chris Kyle goes into some detail about his training in his book .
Basically its constant running, swimming and push ups. Endurance cardio seems to be far more important than strength and quick recovery is crucial.
Things to Buy
http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Years-Hanna-Schissler/dp/0691058202
http://www.amazon.com/Redneck-Manifesto-Hillbillies-Americas-Scapegoats/dp/0684838648
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/039332169X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Everyone-Darwins-Theory-Change/dp/0385340214
http://www.amazon.com/Andromeda-Strain-Michael-Crichton/dp/006170315X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225932164&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Primates-Classroom-Evolutionary-Perspective-Childrens/dp/0870236113/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589323&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Paleolithic-Prescription-Program-Exercise-Design/dp/0060916354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589224&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Eden-Psychotherapy-Evolutionary-Perspective/dp/0393700739/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589294&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/Chimpanzee-Politics-Power-among-Apes/dp/0801886562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589183&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/YOU-Updated-Expanded-Insiders-Healthier/dp/0061473677/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263303625&sr=1-5
http://www.amazon.com/YOU-Updated-Expanded-Insiders-Healthier/dp/0061473677/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263303625&sr=1-5
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Science/dp/1400033462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297305735&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/New-Sugar-Busters-Cut-Trim/dp/0345469585/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297305615&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297305420&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Bastard-Kick-Ass-Getting/product-reviews/0762435402/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Everyone-Darwins-Theory-Change/dp/0385340214
http://www.amazon.com/Food-Rules-Eaters-Michael-Pollan/dp/014311638X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297305420&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Primates-Classroom-Evolutionary-Perspective-Childrens/dp/0870236113/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589323&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Eden-Psychotherapy-Evolutionary-Perspective/dp/0393700739/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589294&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/Paleolithic-Prescription-Program-Exercise-Design/dp/0060916354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589224&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Chimpanzee-Politics-Power-among-Apes/dp/0801886562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261589183&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441788386/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258348123&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Full-Plate-Diet-Great-Healthy/dp/1885167717/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266199288&sr=1-13
http://www.amazon.com/Religion-War-Scott-Adams/dp/0740747886/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_9
http://www.amazon.com/Full-Plate-Diet-Great-Healthy/dp/1885167717/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266199288&sr=1-13
http://www.amazon.com/Blindsight-Peter-Watts/dp/0765319640/
http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Years-Hanna-Schissler/dp/0691058202
http://www.amazon.com/Redneck-Manifesto-Hillbillies-Americas-Scapegoats/dp/0684838648
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/039332169X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://www.amazon.com/Andromeda-Strain-Michael-Crichton/dp/006170315X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225932164&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Atheist-Manifesto-Against-Christianity-Judaism/dp/1559708204
http://www.amazon.com/Mayo-Clinic-Family-Health-Book/dp/1603200770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267299889&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Body-Sculpting-Bible-Men-Revised/dp/1578262380/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298573232&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Big-Book-Exercises/dp/1605295507
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594866279/ref=asc_df_15948662791442125?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-1583-01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=1594866279
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345498461/ref=asc_df_03454984611442018?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-1583-01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=0345498461
http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Runners-Handbook-13-Week-Walk-Run/dp/1553650875/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298575384&sr=8-1
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703558004574581891694514228.html
http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Wild-Plants-Foods-Adventure/dp/1423601505
http://www.amazon.com/Shoppers-Guide-Organic-Food/dp/1857028406/ref=sr_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308213453&sr=1-16
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Portrait_of_the_Artist_as_a_Young_Man
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_of_consciousness_writing
http://entertainment.time.com/2011/08/30/all-time-100-best-nonfiction-books/#fast-food-nation-by-eric-schlosser
http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441788386/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258348123&sr=8-1
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/continuous-positive-airway-pressure-cpap-for-obstructive-sleep-apnea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye
http://www.amazon.com/Catch-22-Joseph-Heller/dp/0684833395
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253993543&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Aero-Speed-Hyperformance-Jump-Rope/dp/B00017XHO8
http://www.invisibleshoe.com/#ecwid:category=135066&mode=product&product=278983
http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe621670756c0575741d&m=fe7215707561047d7315&ls=fde817797d6d037977177974&l=fe9215717260007a70&s=fe2d13707d600478751c72&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe2e167375640d75711576&r=0
http://www.amazon.com/Element-Surprise-Navy-Seals-Vietnam/dp/0804105812/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304634342&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-Eyewitness-Account-Operation/dp/0316067598
http://www.amazon.com/Diving-Bell-Butterfly-Memoir-Death/dp/0375701214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312848167&sr=8-1
Political
Iraq Research
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Tawhid_Wal-Jihad
http://www.ontheissues.org/Drugs.htm#Barack_Obama
Congress Related
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/r110query.html
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_1.htm
http://www.usdoj.gov/
http://www.issuedictionary.com/Barack_Obama.cgi
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r110:75:./temp/~r110y7HfAa::
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists
/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237
http://allafrica.com/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/??
Health & Exercise
Green Tea
http://www.teatrekker.com/store/tea/green/green+-+japan.php
http://www.o-cha.com/brew.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2080066_steep-loose-leaf-tea.html
http://cooksshophere.com/products/tea/green_tea.htm
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=146
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tea
http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html
http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/
https://www.itoen.com/leaf/index.cfm
http://www.maiko.ne.jp/english/
http://www.mellowmonk.com/buyGreenTea.htm
http://www.o-cha.com/home.php
http://www.denstea.com/
http://www.theteaavenue.com/chgrtea.html
http://www.teafrog.com/teas/finum-tea-brewing-basket.html
This one or this one?
Yup -- > HERE
Autogenerated.
IamA Author of critically acclaimed book "Blindsided by the Taliban." AMA!
My short bio: While embedded with US forces in eastern Afghanistan, journalist Carmen Gentile suffered one of the most unusual injuries in the annals of modern warfare when he was struck in the side of the head with a rocket-propelled grenade, shattering bones in his face and blinding him in one eye. His new book "Blindsided by the Taliban" is a dark-humored, self-deprecating account of his injury and effort to overcome his physical and psychological wounds.
My Proof: https://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Taliban-Journalists-Story-Trauma/dp/1510729682
-----------------------------------------------------------
IamAbot_v01. Alpha version. Under care of /u/oppon.
Comment 1 of 1
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If you are looking for a book without the wandering, check out House to House.
This will tell you everything you want to know.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Sniper-Autobiography-Military-History-ebook/dp/B005GFPZYK
Yes, it's called American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. Amazon are selling a trade paperback for $6.45, and the Kindle version for $4.10.
You know a different guy. SFC Kapacziewski is an Army Ranger:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-06-19-Afghanistan-Iraq-Army-Rangers-amputee-Purple-Heart_n.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Fight-Explosive-Special-Operator-ebook/dp/B009LRWGZU
A Nightmare's Prayer: A Marine Harrier Pilot's War in Afghanistan
>Winner of the 2012 Colby Award and the first Afghanistan memoir ever to be written by a Marine Harrier pilot, A Nightmare’s Prayer portrays the realities of war in the twenty-first century, taking a unique and powerful perspective on combat in Afghanistan as told by a former enlisted man turned officer. Lt. Col. Michael “Zak” Franzak was an AV-8B Marine Corps Harrier pilot who served as executive officer of VMA-513, “The Flying Nightmares,” while deployed in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2003. The squadron was the first to base Harriers in Bagram in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. But what should have been a standard six-month deployment soon turned to a yearlong ordeal as the Iraq conflict intensified. And in what appeared to be a forgotten war half a world away from home, Franzak and his colleagues struggled to stay motivated and do their job providing air cover to soldiers patrolling the inhospitable terrain.
Edit: This would be post modern - 2002-2003
I really enjoyed it, read it to fill that hype hole before the Harrier was released. I'm hoping at some point their will be a campaign that consists of difficult flying similar to what he describes in the book.
It's either in "The Art of Intelligence", or "The Great War of Our Time where the author states that every country will place a spy in certain diplomatic positions. He mentions that the CIA places case officers in certain Secretary of State positions at certain embassies/consulates.
But that Russia is notorious and much more aggresive for doing such. So much so that if you are talking to a Russian diplomat or Ambassador you can almost be certain he/she is a spy.
Heck, if you watch the documentary Icarus about Russian doping, they mention agents from the FSB security service positioned at sites around Sochi to facilitate there doping program.
Not a novel but "Lone Survivor" is a great book. As is "Into the Wild"
http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-Eyewitness-Account-Operation/dp/0316067598
Very good read, once I started I couldn't put it down.
They didn't "come to America," but yes of course the conflict between the United States and the Islamic world started before the events you outlined. I'll outline the relevant points as summarily as I can. For brevity, I will include history only related to the United States and not broader Western civilization. The case of the United States is salient and representative.
History of Islam: Muhammad to 1776
Muhammad first began teaching among Pagan Arabs who were more or less friendly until he began to teach that there is only one God and all other religions' followers shall burn in hell. When they began to threaten him and his people, he fled to Mecca and Medina, subsequently taking over the western half of Saudi Arabia along with the eastern tip (Oman). Almost all secular scholars of the Qur'an agree that it is as much a political guidebook (how to run a society) as a religious text (how to be a good person). Upon his death in 632, his followers interpreted the book as they did, and a system of Caliphates began to rule the Islamic world. By 661, all of what we call the Middle East and northeastern Africa was under the Caliphate. By the 8th century, the Caliphate had extended to include land from Spain to Pakistan. This was unsustainable militarily (given few people liked being ruled under Islamic law), so it was pulled back. The Turkish peoples were to become the new military force of the Caliphate, and took Constantinople just before Columbus "found" the "New World." When the United States declared independence, Abdul Hamid I was sultan, with even Baghdad under his rule (that article makes him sound friendlier than he actually was -- he was compelled to sign treaties after military defeats).
Barbary Slaves and Pirating
Before the United States had first elected Washington as President, the Congress found itself at odds with the Caliphate controlled lands. At this time, the Muslim world was taking Europeans and Americans as slaves, estimates are that as many as 1.25 million slaves were taken from the Western world (source: Robert Davis). John Adams, America's London ambassador, was sent to the Tripoli ambassador to discuss the matter, and was met with a demand of money for various levels of peace. Terms were set for the release of slaves, short term peace, and even a price for long term peace. The United States argued that it was a new nation. If their military had previously quarreled with Europe, that was of no concern to the United States. Could not peace with a new nation be had?
When Jefferson took the Presidency in 1801, he was immediately met with a demand of $4,000,000 (adjusted for inflation but not %GDP or federal budget) to be paid to the Muslim lands. Jefferson demanded repeatedly to know by what right these demands were made. By what right did they capture Americans as slaves, seize her ships, take her property, and demand payment in exchange?
> The Ambassador answered us that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners.
Thomas Jefferson to Congress and the State Department
Barbary Wars to Usama bin Laden
President Jefferson found himself in the fortunate position of having a capable Navy that he, ironically enough, had fought against funding before being elected. With it, he began the first conflict between the United States and the Caliphate. The second line of the Marine Anthem (To the shores of Tripoli) celebrates the result even today. Congress authorized Jefferson to use the full might of the United States Navy to suppress the military aggression, with permission to seize and destroy property as the Navy was able. The language was quite strong and general.
The modern Islamic revival that began in the 1970s has seen a large surge in the total Muslim population, which we must admit is in some sense responsible for the recent surge of the lower jihad as well (this being the military jihad as opposed to the higher jihad meaning an inner struggle). Al Qaeda's number one demand was restoration of the Caliphate. The crime for which America has been subject to the violence from the radical Islamists was committed after approval by the Saudi royal family to use American troops to free Kuwait from Iraq rather than using their own, limited resources and relying heavily on the local mujahidin. In other words, Usama bin Laden was angry with America because he thought that local insurgents could fight Saddam the same way they had in Afghanistan against the Soviets rather than relying on smart bombs to do the same. (He forgot, or perhaps never knew, that Afghanistan was liberated only through American assistance. People who assert the unsophisticated non-distinction between Al Qaeda and the Taliban forget this. America gave aid to the Taliban, not The Base.)
Also central to crimes committed by the United States in Bin Laden's mind was our admission that we had begun to support the right of East Timor to self determination of government. Here is one of his first speeches after the 2001 attacks.. Ctrl+f "east timor" to see that his complaint is that the Caliphate's maximum extent is no longer in effect, with the world recognizing that the military devastation committed by Indonesia was invalid.
Specific Points: Iran in WWII, The Taliban, Gulf War vs. bin Laden, and Diplomacy
So, yes, the Barbary wars happened before the Iranian coup. Keep in mind also that 1953 is also after 1945 when Nazi Germany surrendered. At that time, Iran was already under the full control of Britain and Russia (mostly the British), essentially a colony like India was. This invasion was necessary because Reza Shah was attempting to play neutral while supplying the Nazi war machine with crude oil necessary for its logistical world domination. "Iran" in Persian means "The Land of the Aryans," which Persia abruptly changed its name to in 1935, just as it was becoming friendly toward the Germans. After the war was over, Britain had a number of privately owned fields, purchased legally from the owners of the land. When Iran elected Mosaddegh to nationalize the oilfields, they did so illegally. Their country or not, the heart of libertarianism is the right to free exchange and free markets. Unless you agree that the United States can simply seize the property of any foreign corporation who operates in any way through the United States, you cannot support the right of anyone, anywhere to loot by law. The course of action taken by the West was perhaps morally wrong. But it was in response to a moral wrong, not the initiation of one. I find that very few internet historians know the history of Iran before 1953. This has always seemed odd to me -- where are you all getting your similarly edited information?
The military bases in Islamic lands were widely supported at the time by both governments and peoples. They still celebrate it as a national day of pride. Again, bin Laden considers this the great evil of America because he wanted the local mujahidin to fight Saddam rather than bringing in any Western aid. You may freely be against the Gulf War, but you cannot rationalize that the intervention was innately immoral since the United States determined that losing control of the Kuwait and Saudi oilfields would have been damaging to her interests. In other words, the United States did not initiate force but responded to the initiation of force upon a friend.
The United States used the Taliban to fight the Soviet Empire. I fail to see this as a moral evil.
The United States necessarily has diplomatic relations with all countries who are willing, including bad guys. Egyptians and Tunisians far and away have more warm feelings for the United States than ill-feelings. Only with sources such as Russia Today can you attempt to support the notion that we stood between these leaders and their people. The West was crucial to their overthrow, including freezing of their foreign assets.
Recommended Reading
Islamic Radicalism and Global Jihad History of radical Islam and current resurgence. Takes a look at the old scholars and new.
The Looming Tower Everything leading up to 9/11
Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters Details the Barbary coast slave trade
The Trial of Henry Kissinger Outlines US war crimes
Qur'an My English translation.
Instructions for American Servicemen in Iran During World War II Self explanatory.
The Forever War Solidly good book.
The Rape of Kuwait Iraq war crimes in Kuwait
Edits
Pure as the driven snow.
https://www.amazon.com/Level-Zero-Heroes-Operations-Afghanistan/dp/1250030404
I don't think he specifically wrote it for Amazon, but my cousin has a couple books for sale.
Book 1
Book 2
If you liked the series read the related books:
https://www.amazon.com/Generation-Kill-Captain-America-American/dp/0425224740
https://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9REQB2ZFA33Y0R7C9F58
I read this for the first time today, in this book. Weird coincidence...
Highly recommend the book by the way, it's written by the Lieutenant from the TV series Generation Kill.
Read the book!
Also, most senior officers put out public reading lists every year - so you might try searching that way too.
Not so much an infantry memoir, but the men, the mission, and me is something every leader should read.
Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green by Johnny Rico.
If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O'Brien
I also liked Going After Cacciato, by O'Brien.
Check out "House to House," I think you will really enjoy that book as well. It captures the essence of Iraq war and the Battle of Fallujah. This book made my heart race and palms sweat while I read it. Here is a link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1416596607/ref=mw_dp_mdsc/188-8511672-5783613?dsc=1
[This] ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0071NMCKA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1374966522&sr=8-2&pi=SL75)
:D
Start with these two:
https://www.amazon.com/Afghanistan-Graveyard-Empires-History-Borderland/dp/1605981893/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1496177236&sr=8-5
https://www.amazon.com/Forever-War-Dexter-Filkins/dp/0307279448/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1496177260&sr=8-3
Read this one to understand America's behavior: https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Great-Power-Politics-Updated/dp/0393349276/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496177330&sr=8-1
Update with a simple read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2015%E2%80%93present)
End with this: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Latest-Longest-War-Afghanistan/dp/022626565X (on my kindle TBR list, but it's gotten good reviews from reputable publications, which is key when reading any sort of history, unless you're interested in becoming one of those looney right-wingers or bat-shit lefties).
If anybody's interested in the book the movie is based on. Great read.
Looking at other options after the corporate world. I was surprised at the number of Ivy league graduates in the US military (check out http://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436, great read).
I get the whole IBD circlejerk, but there are definitely a host of options after HBA, or down the road as an aspect of your career.