Elite Forces

On November 4, 1979, "student" supporters of the Ayatollah seized the U.S. Embassy with over sixty hostages. Although the Cold War was in full swing, the Iran hostage crisis was a watershed for the United States. Detachment A had been established in Berlin early in the Cold War to harass and delay any Soviet military advance west. This Special unit trained relentlessly for every aspect of unconventional warfare, and was later assigned a second mission of counterterrorism. Veteran and historian James Stejskal details Det A's unique and integral role in Operation Eagle Claw.

From its earliest days as an uncertain experiment in the 1950s, the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) has grown into one of the most respected – and sometimes most controversial – military formations in the world. Headquartered at Campbell Barracks in Perth, this small regiment has carried Australia’s banner into jungles, deserts, mountains, and cities across the globe, carving a reputation for daring, precision, and relentless adaptability.

The Royal Marines Commandos: Britain’s Amphibious Elite takes listeners deep inside one of the most formidable and respected fighting forces in the world. For more than 350 years, the Royal Marines have stood at the cutting edge of Britain’s military power, combining the traditions of naval service with the skill and ferocity of elite infantry. From their origins in the 17th century as “soldiers of the sea” to their modern role as expeditionary warriors, the Commandos have embodied adaptability, courage, and a relentless will to overcome.

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday takes listeners deep into the SEALs’ world, peeling back layers of myth to reveal the history, ethos, and lived reality of these elite warriors. Beginning with their roots in World War II “frogmen” and Underwater Demolition Teams, the book traces how the SEALs evolved into the world’s premier maritime commandos. From clearing beaches on D-Day to executing covert missions in the jungles of Vietnam, their lineage is built on adaptability, innovation, and extraordinary courage.

Special forces are defined as military units which are stringently chosen and intensively trained to conduct special missions for a particular country's military, economic, and political objectives. Not much is known about these units. They mostly operate in the shadows and often get confused with conventional forces.

The Benghazi crisis that occurred exactly 11 years after September 11, 2001 led to the loss of the US ambassador, Christopher Stevens and, hence, stands as one of the worst attacks against the US. This book goes beyond the events of September 11, 2012. It explores what went wrong; the things that could have been prevented; the best kept secrets of CIA operations abroad; and presents recommendations that may avoid the loss of more lives as the inevitable war against terror rages on.

Maybe you want to excel in your career, maybe you are trying to improve your personal business, or maybe you have been trying to gain confidence and boost your self-esteem. Whatever your personal goals may be, this book can help you learn what it takes to achieve success by displaying numerous traits and characteristics that are utilized daily by the US Army's Special Forces officers. The Green Berets take on near-impossible missions around the world every day and succeed, and this book aims to give you a look into the qualities that contribute to their success.

Imagine how different your life would be if you could avoid getting the worst out of every deal you negotiate in life. You will never quite know how much you have left on the table by lacking the negotiation skills to truly get the most out of your dealings. Whether it's negotiating that pay rise at work, attaining the best price for the house/car, or just simply getting more out of your daily interactions.

Front Sight Focus is a concept and mindset that is used by US Navy SEALs to plan and achieve success on and off of the battlefield as it reveals 10 phrases that lead to efficiency at all levels of learning, training, and productivity! By using an easy to implement, common-sense approach, the author presents the tools for establishing a "front sight focus" mindset that shows you a plan of progression that will lead you to establish a system for attaining your ultimate success in your life's true passions.

Far from the spotlight, in some of the most dangerous corners of the world, a quiet breed of Airmen carries out missions that often mean the difference between life and death. They are not flying fighters or bombers. Instead, they are on the ground, in the dirt, bridging the gap between airpower and combat troops. They belong to the 24th Special Operations Wing, the U.S. Air Force’s most elite ground force. Wings of the Silent Warriors reveals their world for the first time in full, offering listeners an inside look at the history, roles, and missions of these extraordinary operators.

Accidents happen. But only when a Marine says so.

The land of Bosnia has suffered bloodshed, atrocity, and ceaseless misery. But there is one man the people fear above all else. His name is Markocevik, known throughout the region as the Butcher of Belgrade. For years, he and his team of Serbian commandos have been carrying out a merciless agenda of ethnic cleaning. And when Markocevik is declared a war criminal, Force Recon goes in after him.

While on a search-and-destroy mission in the middle of Iraq, Marine Force Recon Team 2400 winds up on the wrong end of a life-or-death chase across the desert. After taking out a meeting of international extremists, the team finds itself tracked by the one terrorist who got away.

Despite the success of their last mission, the Marine Corps put one of Team Midnight's finest men on trial and sentenced their best shooter to a mental hospital. With half the team out of commission, Swayne and Greiner are sent to Afghanistan on a research operation, one that turns fatal when a CIA agent is captured by terrorists. Now it's up to this two-man team to get him back...and the clock is ticking.

Every member of the Force Recon team is absolutely vital, so the loss of men has taken quite a toll on Team 2400. But the replacements keep coming in. So do the mission orders. This time, Team Midnight is getting sent into the heart of the Iranian desert to inflict maximum casualities on a terrorist group responsible for bombing a U.S. warship. The mission is complicated and more dangerous than anything they've seen before. Let's just hope the new guy can hold his own.

In 1991, Chuck Mawhinney was reluctantly dragged out of anonymity when it was revealed that he held the record among United States Marine Corps snipers with over 103 confirmed kills.

Arguably the greatest sniper in modern warfare, Simo Hayha accumulated over 800 confirmed kills during the course of his war service.

Lovingly called “Freddy” by close friends and relatives, Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez was a member of the United States Marine Corp. A war hero, he served in Vietnam from January of 1966 to February of 1967 when he returned home to serve stateside. On his second tour, which he voluntarily signed up for after many from his former platoon were killed, he arrived in Vietnam in July of 1967 and was there until his death on the battlefield in January of 1968.

A look at two of the United States military's most elite and successful snipers of all time: Chuck Mawhinney and Adelbert Waldron. In 1991, Chuck Mawhinney was reluctantly dragged out of anonymity when it was revealed that he held the record among United States Marine Corps snipers with over 103 confirmed kills. Before there was "American sniper" Chris Kyle, there was Adelbert "Bert" Waldron. Waldron had over 109 confirmed kills in the Vietnam War.

In researching the competition for who had the longest distance kill in military history, the majority of laymen would expect to see a Navy SEAL or a Marine heading the top of the list. A little research, however, shows the top three long-shot kills are Craig Harrison (United Kingdom), Rob Furlong (Canada), and Arron Perry (Canada). The late Chris Kyle, of American Sniper fame, is eighth on the list. There is a South African Special Forces sniper that is sixth on the list whose name is withheld as is a Norwegian Army sniper.