The story of the Marine Corps U.S. Special Operations Command
Detachment, which became known as Det One, is an extraordinary
tale. On its face, the story would not rate a minute's glance. One
small group of Marines, about a hundred in number, formed, trained,
and went to war. This all happened as the nation was 18 months into
the Global War on Terrorism and as the Marine Corps was deploying I
Marine Expeditionary Force in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Yet the
story behind the basic facts is not only far more intricate and
fascinating, with dramatic episodes and intrepid characters from
the Pentagon to Camp Pendleton, it portended great significance for
the Marine Corps. What makes the Det One story extraordinary is the
shift in Marine Corps policy that brought it about, the maturation
of the special operations capabilities of forward-deployed Marine
expeditionary units that made it possible, and the patriotism,
valor, fidelity, and abilities of the Marines and Navy Corpsmen who
manned it. Although Det One has passed now into the history books,
its legacy survives in the formation of Marine Corps Special
Operations Command and in the lessons learned and experiences of
its members, who now continue to serve in dozens of units.
Lieutenant Colonel John P. Piedmont Marine Field Historian in Iraq
in April 2004, saw the historical significance of Det One and
decided to pursue its history as a project. Under the director of
the History and Museums Division at the time, Colonel John W.
Ripley, he was given permission to proceed with his collections
with a view toward turning them into a monograph. What follows here
is the culmination of his efforts, the product of two years' work,
more than 60 interviews done in Iraq, Washington, D.C., Virginia,
and California, and the collection of hundreds of documents.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!