Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces

Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces Features

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Army Special Forces soldiers have been at the forefront of America's counterterrorist campaigns in recent years. But little is known about the brave, seasoned individuals from America's heartland who belong to this secretive unit. Veteran journalist Linda Robinson gained access to their closed community, traveling with them on the frontlines and interviewing them at their home bases. She describes their training, doctrine and methods, and recounts the missions of this post-Vietnam generation of commandos in Panama, El Salvador, Desert Storm, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. More Special Forces were deployed in Iraq than in any previous conflict, and Masters of Chaos recounts in detail their untold missions in the north against Ansar al-Islam and the dramatic race to secure the western desert with a handful of men aboard the "war pigs."

Through this elite band of patriots, men like "Rawhide," Alan, "Killer," Michael T, "Grit" and Colonel Charlie, Linda Robinson provides a gripping narrative of U.S. Special Forces in action.

What Customers Say About Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces:

You are left wondering, well, where is the rest of the story. I picked this book up in hardback at a discounted rate. It appears the author wanted to follow one particular SF soldier throughout, Randy. Through most of the book it goes like this. I did read the book all the way through, but found it difficult to stay focused on what was going on because it became boring, story lines were not finished, action was dulled down and truly (as another reviewer wrote) there is no real secrets here. But Randy was not in at least half the book.

Some great work there but very short and not very much detail. I expected to read about special forces missions, at least those that were not SECRET. And then she focuses on the Iraq war. So, I tried to follow along. When she talked about Randy in one particular case about training another country in parachuting, Randy was injured seriously, but never finished the story about the SF trying to teach the other country. And no Randy.

We know most of this stuff already.

It seems the writer listened to a few stories and made do with what she had. I hate to say it but this book is not very well written. The empty space was filled with cliches. However, I will concede that it might be me. I would have liked to read about more of the action and "Chaos" these operators deal out. Also, there were few citations or foot notes; you just have to take the authors word for it. She wasted a perfect chance to get the real story.

This book is a must read for those interested in Special Operations. It is easily one of the best written and encompassing books. The last half of the book deals extensively with the success special operations soldiers had in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the troubles once conventional units and the Pentagon bureaucracy took over.

I bought this book as a gift for my brother who likes military truths and non fiction. He was thrilled. And the price was right in case it was a mistake. It wasn't.

The author chronicles the careers of several soldiers specifically throughout the book, but also writes more generally about a wide array of SF missions. As someone interested in joining the Special Forces, this is one of the best books I've been able to find. In fact it is THE best as far as learning about the structure, missions, and operations of the Army Special Forces. Furthermore, the book is entertaining enough to hold the attention of readers that may not be interested in joining SF. For a good book on the training of Special Forces soldiers see Dick Couch's "Chosen Soldier."