Brian Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East, two of them in Iraq as the head of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. Whenever IEDs were discovered, he and his men would lead the way in either disarming the deadly devices or searching through rubble and remains for clues to the bomb-makers' identities. And when robots and other remote means failed, one technician would suit up and take the Long Walk to disarm the bomb by hand. This lethal game of cat and mouse was, and continues to be, the real war within America's wars in the Middle East. When Brian returned stateside to his wife and family, he entered an equally inexorable struggle against the enemy within, which he comes to call the "Crazy."
This thrilling, heartbreaking, stunningly honest book alternates between two harrowing realities: the terror, excitement, and camaraderie of combat, and the lonely battle against the unshakeable fear, anxiety, and survivor guilt that he--like so many veterans--carries inside.

"Three hours later the search party found me, six miles away from the dropping zone, hanging helplessly from the highest branches of a clump of trees." Captain J. Dawes, during training First published in 1945 and comprising a compilation of fascinating primary accounts of airborne combat as told by the very men who fought in the action, 'By Air to Battle' is the official history of Airborne operations by British Paratroops in World War II. Spanning the introduction of the Central Landing Establishment to the end of the war, we follow the heroic exploits of the British First and Sixth Airborne Divisions. 'By Air to Battle' is an inspiring and at times very comic description of the true events that took place at such historic conflicts as Arnhem, the Rhine, Normandy and Bruneval as well as the Airborne forces in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. This is a must-read for any military history enthusiast.

"A gritty, no-holds-barred behind-the-scenes memoir of life as one of the world's top snipers"

In "Sniper Elite," Rob Maylor takes readers inside the closed world of the elite Special Forces sniper, detailing Maylor's dedication to the dark art of sniping and touching on the history of the great snipers who came before him. As one of Australia's most highly trained and successful combat marksmen, he tells the story of his years on the front lines, from his early service with the Royal Marines in Northern Ireland, to action in Iraq, and most recently in Afghanistan where he was involved in some of the heaviest fighting in the conflict. He also chronicles his near-death experience in a Blackhawk helicopter that crashed off Fiji, killing two of his friends, and how he would walk for hours, sometimes days, through hostile country until he found the right position. Then, when the moment was right, he aimed, and with absolute precision, put the bullet just where it was going to have the most effect.
Filled with dark humor and the almost-religious sense of brotherhood within such an exclusive group of warriors, this is an explosive and revealing combat memoir--and an inside look at the shadowy world of the modern sniper.

"The electrifying true story of the pursuit for the man behind al Qaeda's suicide bombing campaign in Iraq

Kill or Capture "is a true-life thriller that tells the story of senior military interrogator Matthew Alexander's adrenalinefilled, "outside the wire" pursuit of a notorious Syrian mass murderer named Zafar--the leader of al Qaeda in northern Iraq--a killer with the blood of thousands of innocents on his hands.

In a breathless thirty-day period, Alexander and a small Special Operations task force brave the hazards of the Iraqi insurgency to conduct dangerous kill-or-capture missions and hunt down a murderer. "Kill or Capture "immerses readers in the dangerous world of battlefield interrogations as the author and his team climb the ladder of al Qaeda leadership in a series of raids, braving roadside bombs, near death by electrocution and circles within circles of lies.

When American and British forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, select teams of special forces and intelligence operatives got to work looking for the WMD their governments had promised were there. They quickly realized no such weapons existed. Instead they faced an insurgency--a soaring spiral of extremism and violence that was almost impossible to understand, let alone reverse.

Facing defeat, the Coalition waged a hidden war within a war. Major-General Stan McChrystal devised a campaign fusing special forces, aircraft, and the latest surveillance technology with the aim of taking down the enemy faster than it could regenerate. Guided by intelligence, British and American special forces conducted a relentless onslaught, night after night targeting al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups.

In "Task Force Black, " author Mark Urban reveals not only the intensity of the secret fight that turned the tide in Baghdad but the rivalries and personal battles that had to be overcome along the way. Incisive, dramatic, exceptionally revealing, the war in Iraq cannot be understood without this book.

Yet it is Webb's distinguished second career as a lead instructor for the shadowy "sniper cell" and Course Manager of the Navy SEAL Sniper Program that trained some of America's finest and deadliest warriors - including Marcus Luttrell and Chris Kyle - that makes his story so compelling. Explosive, revealing, and intelligent, "The Red Circle" provides a uniquely personal glimpse into one of the most challenging and secretive military training courses in the world.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 220. Seventh Edition (March 2012). The story of Merrill's Marauders in the CBI is the latest work by a dedicated, well-known special forces historian. From formation and training to first combat and final action at Myitkyina, this is their story. Includes details and photos of insignia. Contents: * Introduction by Gary A. Linderer, Executive Editor, Behind the Lines * The Entering Wedge * Roadblock at Walawbum * Under Siege * Myitkyina, MARS and Beyond * Afterword * Bibliography * 35 photos * 8 maps * 2 illustrations * 2 organization charts The Author: Michael Frederic Dilley is a former paratrooper, serving in XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division. He served in Vietnam for two years. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1984 after duty as a counterintelligence agent, intelligence analyst, case officer, and interrogator. During his last eighteen months in the 82nd Airborne, he helped to develop SERE training for high risk personnel. He has a B.A. in History from Columbia College in Missouri. Michael is a staff writer for Behind the Lines magazine, specializing in military history articles about World War II special operations. He also reviews books with special operations themes for Infantry and Behind the Lines. His second book, co-written with Lance Q. Zedric, Elite Warriors: 300 Years of America's Best Troops, was published in 1996 by Pathfinder Publications.

FBI operative Raymond W. Holcomb's assignments took him across America, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Africa, and involved espionage, counter narcotics, Mafia takedowns, national security, Special Weapons and Tactics, and much more. He and his men captured the terrorists behind the 1993 assault on the World Trade Center, investigated the bombings of U.S. embassies, and pursued the killers of the seventeen American sailors who died in the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole. After 9/11, he assisted in interrogating Yemeni prisoners who had information about the attack, which led to identifying al Qaeda and some of the hijackers. After the capture of one of 9/11's most lethal masterminds, he went on a secret followup mission to Afghanistan. Holcomb's memoir provides detailed information about the FBI that only a longtime bureau insider can reveal, such as prison conditions and interrogation techniques in Guantanamo and Afghanistan. He describes hunting down and grilling criminals of every ilk around the world, and then creating and leading the FBI's elite cadre of counterterrorism agents who were at the helm of every major post-9/11 investigation, including the infiltration of homegrown conspiracies. Holcomb's absorbing account gives anyone interested in the training and activities of the FBI's elite tactical units a window into these highly effective organizations within the bureau.

Captain Harry Alanson Ellsworth, USMC, (1883-1962) was the Officer in Charge of the Historical Section in 1934. His historical book "One Hundred Eighty Landings" chronicles Marine actions from 1800's landing in the Dominican Republic through 1934's sending of a Marine attache to the newly recognized government of the "Soviet Republic."

Brothers-in-arms - SAS bonds can never be broken 'Jones knew the score with "deniable" operations that were sanctioned secretly at the highest levels. If they turned to custard and the cover was blown, the powers-that-be would simply deny everything and disown all involved, from the military down to the spooks and, at the bottom of the food chain, Hired guns like him.' What happens to the elite, close-knit soldiers of Australia's Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment after they leave the Who Dares Wins world of special forces? For some, there are highly paid jobs in the world's war zones and trouble spots protecting global corporations from terrorism, sabotage and violence. Others become powerful government advisers, many join foreign armies to train their special forces and expand the global botherhood. Most risky of all is the shadowy world of deniable 'black ops'. Guarding a deadly secret military cargo - a new missle system brokered through a spook under the guise of a Middle Eastern arms dealer - is all in a day's work. these are the risky yet vital jobs that governments will never admit. From Iraq and Afghanistan to Africa and Asia, award-winning defence writer Ian McPhedran uncovers a virtually unknown network and tells how Australia's top soldiers are forever linked in a seemingly borderless world.

On Friday, August 13, 2010, just as St. Martin's Press was readying its initial shipment of this book, the Department of Defense contacted us to express its concern that our publication of "Operation Dark Heart" could cause damage to U.S. national security. After consulting with our author, " "we agreed to" "incorporate some of the government's changes into a revised edition of his book while redacting other text he was told was classified. The newly revised book keeps our national interests secure, but this highly qualified warrior's story is still intact. "Shaffer's assessment of successes and failures in Afghanistan remains dramatic, shocking, and crucial reading for anyone concerned about" "the outcome" "of the war."

""
"While I do not agree with the edits in many ways, the DoD redactions enhance the reader's understanding by drawing attention to the flawed results created by a disorganized and heavy handed military intelligence bureaucracy." --Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer had run intelligence operations for years before he arrived in Afghanistan. He was part of the "dark side of the force"---the shadowy elements of the U.S. government that function outside the bounds of the normal system. His group called themselves the Jedi Knights and pledged to use the dark arts of espionage to protect the country from its enemies.

Shaffer's mission to Afghanistan, however, was unlike any he had ever experienced before.

There, he led a black-ops team on the forefront of the military efforts to block the Taliban's resurgence. They not only planned complex intelligence operations to beat back the insurgents, but also played a key role in executing those operations---outside the wire. They succeeded in striking at the core of the Taliban and their safe havens across the border in Pakistan. For a moment Shaffer saw us winning the war.

Then the military brass got involved. The policies that top officials relied on were hopelessly flawed. Shaffer and his team were forced to sit and watch as the insurgency grew---just across the border in Pakistan.

This wasn't the first time he had seen bureaucracy stand in the way of national security. He had participated in Able Danger, the aborted intelligence operation that identified many of the future 9/11 terrorists but failed to pursue them. His attempt to reveal the truth to the 9/11 Commission would not go over well with his higher-ups.

"Operation Dark Heart" tells the story of what really went on--and what went wrong--in Afghanistan. Shaffer witnessed firsthand the tipping point, when what seemed like certain victory turned into failure. Now, in this book, he maps out a way that could put us on the path to winning the war.

This annotated bibliography was initially developed in conjunction with the initiative of the Department of the Army in 1983 to develop the force structure for 10,000-man light infantry divisions. Its goals were to provide annotated historical references for the combat experiences of previous light divisions and to list historical sources on the force design process, especially in regard to attempts to lighten the force or to respond to improvements in technology on the battlefield. The first draft of this bibliography was distributed in September and October 1983 as a quick reference to force planners across the Army. Since that time, the bibliography has been expanded, but the general focus remains the same, historical light divisions and the force design process. It addresses light infantry forces of the twentieth century with primary emphasis on World War II and later. This document can serve as a starting point for force designers' research into the origins, organizations, capabilities, and combat experiences of light infantry forces. In order to permit widespread distribution of this bibliography, only unclassified sources have been cited. However, additional classified documents on the subject exist, particularly in regard to technical analyses of force capabilities. A number of these are available in the Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The enclosed charts describe light infantry and close combat forces of World War II as well as some of those in being today.

In FBI terms, leaders who pick up their own brass casings at the firing range are more effective than those who expect someone else to do it for them. To those at the bureau, this small action speaks louder than words and is largely indicative of a person's overall management style. Through a host of real-life FBI stories, from the streets to the corner offices, Pick Up Your Own Brass: Leadership the FBI Way reveals the leadership qualities that have enabled the bureau to successfully navigate through a century of war, espionage, organized crime, terrorism, fraud, and corruption. Offering fifty essential leadership lessons based on challenges that FBI officials have faced over the course of their careers, this book can help anyone-established leaders, aspiring leaders, minority leaders, and even "accidental executives" who find themselves managing more than they imagined-build a culture of leadership.

Private military contractors, especially those in Iraq, have taken on far more than their original mandates required. Initially intended for combat support, they have become full-fledged warriors, many with little experience, scant oversight, and no accountability to the rules of engagement that constrain the U.S. military and coalition forces. When the occupation of Iraq turned into a fight against an insurgency, overwhelming U.S. and coalition military forces, the demand for private military contractors skyrocketed in 2003 and 2004. The explosive growth of such firms as Blackwater, Crescent, and others resulted in a relaxation of recruitment standards at precisely the same time that the U.S. military s own standards of recruitment began to falter, but the standards for private military contractors fell much further and faster. The predictable result included excessive civilian casualties, a human tragedy whose full dimensions have yet to be seen by the American public.Shawn Engbrecht has been training and recruiting private military contractors for more than a decade. Acknowledging that some private military contractors are out of control, he argues that the oft-made suggestion to fire them all is not the solution. Instead, Engbrecht contends that with proper training and development of recruits, along with enforceable regulation and oversight, private security companies can be successfully integrated into a total force package with a professional operational staff.

2010 Reprint of 1935 edition. This classic work on sniping is considered the first and some say the most influential book in print about sniping and the art of being a military sniper on the battlefield. McBride's book was seminal in the development of U.S. military sniping doctrine in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and on to the present day. The U.S. Marine Corps Sniper School has made this book mandatory reading for its would-be snipers.

Paratrooper David Kenyon Webster jumped into the chaos of occupied Europe on D-Day, fighting his way through Holland and finally capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest. He was the only member of Easy Company to write down his experiences as soon as he came home from war. Webster records with visceral and sometimes brutal detail what it is like to take a bullet in the leg, to fight pitched battles capturing enemy towns, and to endure long periods of boredom punctuated by sudden moments of terror. But most of all, 'Parachute Infantry' shows how a group of comrades entered the furnace of war and came out brothers.

For the first time in trade paperback-a classic memoir of Navy SEALs in action.
In gripping prose, Captain Robert A. Gormly tells about his days as a leader in the Navy SEALs- taking readers into the night, into the water, and into battle on some of the most hair-raising missions ever assigned.
Trained to a fine fighting edge just in time for Vietnam, Gormly served two tours of duty and engaged in top-secret missions in the Persian Gulf. Here, he shares his viewpoint and his experience-including what is perhaps the most graphic description ever of SEAL action in the invasion of Grenada. Gormly takes readers behind the myth of this awesome team, revealing how their lives depend on their unprecedented expertise and unparalleled courage.

The history of II SS Panzer Corps is a short and violent one. This meticulously researched book documents the actions of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions from activation until October 1944, and the 2nd and 9th SS Divisions from December 1944 until the end of the war. This period encompasses the Battle of Normandy, the escape from the Falaise Pocket, the Market Garden episode and Hitler's last great offensive in the West, the Battle of the Bulge. Sons of the Reich also dismantles the myth that the Waffen SS were a volunteer force of brainwashed thugs and fanatics, in fact II SS Panzer Division were ordinary conscripts, whose tenacity (most noteably at Arnhem in September 1944) was admired by friend and foe alike.

First introduced in 1979, the Handbook for Marine NCOs is recognized as the essential reference guide of the NCO corps. Marine NCOs of all grades rely on its reliability as the standard reference guide for the military professional. While this thoroughly revised 5th edition reflects all of the many changes in the organization of the corps since the publication of the previous edition in 1995, it continues to primarily focused on helping Marine NCOs“make the most of their chevrons and to get ahead in the corps.� It is the only book that provides a practical and easy- to-use reference guide to all of the many official military regulations and instructions that an NCO needs to know. It offers sound advice and up-to-date information on military matters that assists the new NCO to easily acquire a firm understanding of all of the different specialties and fields in the USMC and serves as a quick refresher for even the most seasoned NCO. This revised and updated edition will remain the standard reference guide for Marine NCOs for years to come.

By August 1974 the Portuguese had all but abandoned Angola, its erstwhile colony, and there was a fear in both the Intelligence services of South Africa and America that the country was likely to fall the hands of the MPLA, generally regarded as a Soviet surrogate. It was that fear that triggered the training by South Africa of guerrilla groups opposed to MPLA. One group of FNLA guerrillas trained by Recce Colonel Jan Breytenbach, later known as Bravo Group, was re-infiltrated back into Angola as part of South Africa ’s Task Force Zulu. It was this unit which would later form the genesis of South Africa ’s elite and much feared 32-Battalion. 32-Battalion became the backbone of all SADF operations launched across the Namibian border into a hostile Angola.