Four Views of the Quiet Professionals

Army,  Mar 2006  by Spencer, Jimmie W

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Four Views of the Quiet Professionals 75th Rangers. Russ and Susan Bryant. Zenith Press. 128 pages; black & white and color photographs; index; $19.95. Weapons of the U.S. Army Rangers. RKSS and Susan Bn/ant. Zenith Press. 128 pages; color photographs; index; $24.95. To Be a U.S. Army Green Beret. CoL Gerald Schittnacher, USA Special Forces Ret. Zenith Press. 160 pages; color photographs; index; $19.95. Delta: America's Elite Counterterrorist Force. Terry Griswold and DM. Giangreco. Zenith Press. 128 pages; black & white and color photographs; index; $19.95.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command's unofficial name is "Quiet Professionals." These intrepid warriors have, from the very beginning, shunned the limelight-self-effacing heroes content to do their jobs quietly and just as quietly slip back into the shadows, leaving others to take the credit. The events of 9/11 changed all that.

In the first few weeks following 9/11, America threw its first counterpunch. We all saw images of U.S. Army Rangers exiting an aircraft in the dead of night somewhere over Afghanistan-grainy, green-tinted images brought to us in our living rooms through the magic of television. America strikes back.

We saw the now famous anachronistic pictures of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers (also known as Green Berets) with their Afghan counterparts on horseback doing battle with al Qaeda forces. America's elite forces were in the spotlight, and America was seeing them up close and in action for the first time.

Americans saw them as heroes, not because of their words, but because of their deeds. We have all heard stories of their exploits, the stuff of which legends are made. And most of it is true.

I recently read four books about these elite soldiers-books that would be best described as coffee-table books, the kind with lots of pictures that you read all at once, or if you prefer, look at during half time.

The first of two dealing with Army Rangers is 75th Rangers by Russ and Susan Bryant. The authors walk the reader through a short history of the Rangers and the 75th Ranger Regiment, from 17th-century North America, when English settlements had to defend themselves against American Indian attacks, to the 21st century and the need to defend ourselves against terrorism.

In the fall of 1973, Gen. Creighton Abrams, then-Chief of Staff of the Army, formulated the idea of re-forming a Ranger force. "The Ranger battalion is to be an elite, light and most proficient Infantry battalion in the world; a battalion that can do things better than anyone with its hands and weapons. The battalion will not contain any 'hoodlums' or 'brigands' and if the battalion is formed of such persons, it will be disbanded. Wherever the battalion goes, it will be apparent that it is the best."

With these words, the first of three Ranger battalions that make up the 75th Ranger Regiment was activated in the summer of 1974, and as they say, "The rest is history."

I would recommend this book for two reasons. First, the pictures are good; there are a lot of color pictures of Rangers in action.

The second reason I would recommend this book is to look for mistakes, and there are enough to keep you interested.

There are big mistakes like listing the subordinate units of U.S. Army Special Operations Command and omitting the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and smaller mistakes like referring to former Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) Gen. Bernard W. Rogers as the Command Sergeant of the Army.

Looking for mistakes is great fun if you know something about the Army in general and U.S. Army Rangers in particular, but if you don't, I would recommend that you just look at the pictures.

A much better book about the Rangers is, oddly enough, also by Russ and Susan Bryant, and is entitled Weapons of the U.S. Army Rangers. As you might expect, the pictures are good.

Don't let the title fool you; there is much more to this book than weapons. Although it covers that subject well, it also gives the reader a glimpse into the training and tactics used by Rangers, and it makes it clear that the strength of the Ranger Regiment is not in the weapons and equipment, but in the soldiers.

"The greatest weapon in the global war on terrorism is still the volunteer American male who is highly disciplined, intrinsically motivated, specifically trained and proudly wears the scroll of the 75th Ranger Regiment, whether of the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Battalions."

This book is well written and almost mistake free. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the U.S. Army Rangers and/or military history.

To Be a U.S. Army Green Beret by Col. Gerald Schumacher, U.S. Army retired, is written by someone who has obviously "been there-done that."

Col. Schumacher knows the subject and gives the reader a glimpse of what it takes to earn the coveted Green Beret. Starting with basic training, the author walks us through the gauntlet of assessment, selection and training required to become a productive member of a Special Forces Detachment Alpha (or A team). The six-phase training program of the Special Forces is longer, more academically challenging and more physically demanding than any other special operations training, and that's only the beginning.