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Book Report
I've noticed that whenever there's a topic concerning books within this forum, my personal tastes in literature run somewhat contrary to popular opinion. To each his own, I believe, and I'm uninclined to try and impose my personal preferences on others. I've long since learned that my reading choices are quirky, to say the least.
Tom Clancy, for instance, seems to be a favorite here but I personally think he's succumbed to popularity in the worst possible way. I really liked his first two novels, "The Hunt for Red October" and "Red Storm Rising". The apparent effort expended on his subsequent books has been minimal at best. He seems to write now as though his name and reputation are all that's needed to guarantee a best seller. I find it distressing that he's right and also that he's not alone in falling victim to this regressive hack syndrome.
I just finished a book, though, that I think would be enjoyed by most of my fellow LE posters. It's titled "Inside Delta Force" and it was written by Eric L. Haney. While I mostly read escapist type fiction, I try to include a few biographies, historical works, or true accounts on my reading list. The Haney book falls in the latter category and I was more than just impressed by it.
Haney was a founding member of Delta Force. His book tells his story form the time of his enlistment in the US Army in 1970 until his retirement in 1990. For about twelve of those years of service he was in Delta Force. He describes in fine detail the selection process, training, and the mission of the organization. He also recounts, in masterful style, an insider's view of a number of Delta Force ops.
The author is now the same age as me. We both entered the US Army within a month of each other. Even though I left active service after three years, I was able to relate well to the specific military circumstances of the time. He gets it right and his story rings true throughout.
The book contains a number of surprising revelations about Delta operations, both known and unknown. Haney never reveals anything that would compromise the security of his old unit, but what he does tell is nothing short of amazing.
In addition to engendering in me a significant amount of awe and admiration, I grew to really like this guy while reading his book. Quiet competence, understated courage, pragmatic patriotism, and insightful philosophy resonate throughout its pages. To echo the old army recruiting slogan, Haney truly was, and is, all that he could be.....and he is all that many of us would like to be.
When I was a kid I used to end all of my book reports the same way. It seems right to end this one in the same manner....I enjoyed this book very much and I think you will too.
[ 09-11-2002, 12:14 PM: Message edited by: Dinosaur ]
Tom Clancy, for instance, seems to be a favorite here but I personally think he's succumbed to popularity in the worst possible way. I really liked his first two novels, "The Hunt for Red October" and "Red Storm Rising". The apparent effort expended on his subsequent books has been minimal at best. He seems to write now as though his name and reputation are all that's needed to guarantee a best seller. I find it distressing that he's right and also that he's not alone in falling victim to this regressive hack syndrome.
I just finished a book, though, that I think would be enjoyed by most of my fellow LE posters. It's titled "Inside Delta Force" and it was written by Eric L. Haney. While I mostly read escapist type fiction, I try to include a few biographies, historical works, or true accounts on my reading list. The Haney book falls in the latter category and I was more than just impressed by it.
Haney was a founding member of Delta Force. His book tells his story form the time of his enlistment in the US Army in 1970 until his retirement in 1990. For about twelve of those years of service he was in Delta Force. He describes in fine detail the selection process, training, and the mission of the organization. He also recounts, in masterful style, an insider's view of a number of Delta Force ops.
The author is now the same age as me. We both entered the US Army within a month of each other. Even though I left active service after three years, I was able to relate well to the specific military circumstances of the time. He gets it right and his story rings true throughout.
The book contains a number of surprising revelations about Delta operations, both known and unknown. Haney never reveals anything that would compromise the security of his old unit, but what he does tell is nothing short of amazing.
In addition to engendering in me a significant amount of awe and admiration, I grew to really like this guy while reading his book. Quiet competence, understated courage, pragmatic patriotism, and insightful philosophy resonate throughout its pages. To echo the old army recruiting slogan, Haney truly was, and is, all that he could be.....and he is all that many of us would like to be.
When I was a kid I used to end all of my book reports the same way. It seems right to end this one in the same manner....I enjoyed this book very much and I think you will too.
[ 09-11-2002, 12:14 PM: Message edited by: Dinosaur ]
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