Elite Units: U.S. Army Special Forces Books, Videos

This is the exciting true story of an ambushed U.S. Army Ranger Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol in the jungles of Cambodia and the dangerous rescue that followed. Jorgenson, who was part of the 15-man rescue force, captures the fear, pain and gut-level emotion of what happened that day and what it took from those who were involved.
$9.95
Hardcover 978-0-87364-822-6 296 pages 5.5" x 8.5"

This is a reprint of the famous Army Field Manual 31-20. It covers improvised weapons, intelligence, psychological ops, communications, logistics, survival, infiltration, Special Forces field maneuvers, demolition, raids and ambushes, amphibious air ops and more.
$35.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-546-4 536 pages 5.5" x 8.5" illustrations

Now, more than ever, Special Forces is the frontline defense for strategic U.S. military interests around the world. This official U.S. Army manual fills in the gaps that exist in Special Forces doctrine and teachings in the areas of planning, constructing and maintaining an "A" Camp. It reflects the "real-world" experience of notable Special Forces veterans on selecting sites, emplacing weapons, maintaining communications, operating motor pools, protecting perimeters, constructing camps, building power stations and fuel bunkers, and much more.
$40.00
Softcover 978-0-87364-783-0 280 pages 8.5" x 11" illustrations

U.S. Army Special Operations in Afghanistan chronicles the "boots on the ground" actions by U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) from September 11, 2001, until May 15, 2002. What makes this book so significant is that the history was captured as USASOC troops (Green Berets, Rangers, PsyOps, SpecOps Aviation and Civil Affairs) were fighting the war, providing an easily understood snapshot of the war as it happened during those first critical months. The authors include the mistakes, frustrations and failures of the war along with the successes. Rather than an armchair historian's overall strategic view 10 years later, it is an account of what individuals and small teams did with bravery, skill and honor on a day-to-day basis to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists, and assist the Afghan people and begin the vital work of rebuilding the infrastructure of Afghanistan.

Charles Briscoe is a retired airborne infantry and U.S. Army Special Forces officer.

Richard Kiper served in Special Forces, airborne and infantry units stateside and overseas.

James Schroder served in military intelligence, Special Forces and Special Operations aviation units.

Kalev Sepp served in Special Forces, airborne, Ranger, artillery and armored cavalry units and on General Staffs in the United States and abroad.
$40.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-515-0 434 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

A combination memoir and combat photography book, Running Recon reflects both the author's experiences in the top-secret Studies and Observation Group (SOG) from April 1969 to April 1970 and the collective experiences of SOG veterans in general. What sets it apart from other Vietnam books is its wealth of more than 700 photographs, many never before published, from the author's personal collection and those of his fellow SOG veterans.

Frank Greco had these photos because after running recon with Command and Control Central (CCC) for eight months, he was put in charge of CCC's photo lab at Kontum. His duties included developing photos taken by the teams on their cross-border missions and taking photos on aerial reconnaissance missions. When a fire destroyed the lab during his last days in Vietnam, he rescued hundreds of photos, and when he returned to the States in 1970 he brought them home. If he had not, they would have been destroyed by government order in 1972 when SOG was disbanded, and an irreplaceable historic resource would have been lost forever.

Through these photos, firsthand accounts by SOG veterans and now declassified top-secret documents, Greco shows what it was like to run highly classified, extremely dangerous cross-border recon missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail into Laos and Cambodia. Color maps marked with operations and locations help readers follow the action of the CCC recon teams and the larger Hatchet Forces. New details and photos of SOG's best-known mission, Operation Tailwind, are also included.

Running Recon is sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in SOG, the Vietnam War, special operations or military history in general

Frank Greco served in SOG from 1969–1970 in Command and Control Central as part of Recon Team Colorado. He and his wife live in a coastal community, where he pursues a number of different activities and interests. This is his first book. For more information, check out his web site.
$50.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-526-6 448 pages 8.5" x 11" 700+photos, color maps

When the top-secret Studies and Observations Group (SOG)was disbanded in 1972, its thousands of photographs and negatives were ordered burned. But some veterans had brought home personal copies of "official" photos taken on operations, along with thousands of snapshots taken by the men themselves. When Major Plaster, himself a three-tour SOG veteran, began working on his history of SOG he contacted his secret war comrades and uncovered this wealth of photos. The result is the greatest special operations photo collection ever assembled.

Be one of the first to get your hands on more than 700 extremely rare photographs of SOG recon teams in action behind enemy lines in Cambodia, Laos and even North Vietnam. These irreplaceable photos bring to life the stories of SOG legends Larry Thorne, Bob Howard, Dick Meadows, George Sisler, "Q" and others, and documents what really happened deep inside enemy territory: Operation Tailwind, the Son Tay raid, SOG's defense of Khe Sanh, Hatchet Force operations, Bright Light rescues, HALO insertions, string extractions, SOG's darkest programs and much more.This powerful book is the companion photo history to SOG: The Secret Wars of American's Commandos in Vietnam and belongs on the bookshelf of every American.

Major John L. Plaster served three tours in the top-secret unconventional warfare group, Studies and Observations Group, in Vietnam. As a long-range reconnaissance leader, he led tiny intelligence-gathering teams behind enemy lines in Laos and Cambodia before leaving SOG in late 1971. He was decorated for heroism four times and retired from the U.S. Army as a major.
$79.95
Softcover 978-1-58160-597-6 496 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

All Roads Lead to Baghdad was written in a clear and concise style, free of military jargon, by U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) historians to document the exploits and achievements of individual Army special operations soldiers and units in their traditional role of supporting the conventional force during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. It is the second in this USASOC series; the first (Weapon of Choice: ARSOF in Afghanistan) chronicled the invasion of Afghanistan shortly after September 11, 2001, and is also reprinted by Paladin Press under the title U.S. Army Special Operations in Afghanistan. This historic book details the planning and direction provided by Gen. Tommy Franks to U.S. Special Operations Command Central and on down the line to the two Combined Joint Special Operations Task Forces (North and West), and a Naval task force - and then, as in all campaigns, how the units and individual soldiers executed their specific missions with courage and skill. To ensure accuracy in their reporting, the authors received unparalleled access to classified documents and personal accounts from soldiers on the battlefield.
$45.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-600-3 552 pages 6" x 9" maps, color photos, illust.

In the years since the Vietnam War, the elite unit known as SOG has spawned many myths, legends and war stories. But few of these stories are told with the perspective and detailed recall of Special Forces medic Joe Parnar.

Parnar served with SOG during 1968 in FOB2/CCC near the tri-border area that gave them access to the forbidden areas of Laos and Cambodia. During his tour with SOG he served as dispensary medic, chase medic, Hatchet Force medic and as a recon team member. This variety of roles gave him experience not only in combat but in dealing with and treating the civilians and indigenous peoples of that area.

His candid stories capture the extraordinary commitment made by all the men of SOG and reveal the special dedication of the tireless medics, who put their own lives at risk to save the lives of their teammates.

Joe Parnar served in the U.S. Army Special Forces from August 1966 to April 1969. After military service he became involved with several veterans' organizations. He is a 39-year member of the American Legion and served as Commander of Gardner Post 129 in 1989 and 1990. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America and the Special Forces and Special Operations associations.

Robert Dumont works in the General Research Division of the New York Public Library and is the author of two works of fiction, Borough of Churches and NYC Transit[s].
$29.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-645-4 164 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

SOG was the most secret elite U.S. military unit to serve in the war in Vietnam, so secret it was "black" – meaning its very existence was carefully concealed, even denied by the government. Innocuously code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG contained only volunteers from such units as the Army Green Berets, USAF Air Commandos and Navy SEALs, and answered directly to the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs, with some missions requiring approval from the White House. Inside Vietnam, only General William Westmoreland and a few senior non-SOG officers were briefed on SOG activities. Now Major John L. Plaster, a three-tour SOG veteran, vividly recounts the never-before-revealed exploits.

SOG took on the most dangerous assignments, going behind enemy lines to penetrate North Vietnamese military facilities in Laos and Cambodia and along the heavily defended Ho Chi Minh Trail, where only air support – and sometimes no support at all – was available. As colorful as they were he­roic, the men of SOG were bound together by their dedication. Though few in number, they were awarded ten Medals of Honor and hundreds of Purple Hearts. Their ranks included the war's most highly decorated unit, as well as the most highly decorated American soldier. Now their stories, among the most extraordinary to come out of the Vietnam War, can at at last be told.

This Paladin reprint contains an exclusive new foreword by General John Singlaub, who served as Chief SOG from 1966 to 1968.
$39.95
Hardcover 978-1-58160-676-8 384 pages 6" x 9" photos