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Summary: Because I Was There....
Review: I consider Colonel Kyle's book the one that opened the floodgate on consequent books about special operations and forces. While it is mainly an after action report of a perceived failure by US military forces, it is also a personal account of one of the task force commanders in charge of several hundred hand picked volunteers who earned their degrees at the 'University of Blood, Sweat, and Tears'. What makes it unique is Colonel Kyle's desire to be accountable for what happened that night when so many who were involved, both political and military, chose to save their own skins and point fingers. It is a good read for those who say history can and will repeat itself. For those who were there, it is the 'welcome home' parade that we never got. It is an attempt to honor those who gave their all to rescue Americans they didn't know. For me, it is a well-worn aid I carry with me everywhere to remind me how fragile life is, how precious, and how wonderful it is to live in a country where those who serve their country do so in honor, unlike many of those who are appointed over them. For me, it is very personal. I lost my crew that night. My brothers. Very special men who taught me in the years since, to live life with purpose. This book tells their story as much as it tells what happened that cold clear night in the desert, when Americans flew from their homeland to that of an opressor, in the name of humanity.
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Summary: Review by a key participant in the rescue attempt
Review: I was the commander of the MC-130 squadron chosen to participate in the mission. Jim Kyle, author of "The Guts to Try", was my boss throughout the preparation for the mission. I had kept detailed notes on all the training, rehearsal, etc., with the intent to write my own book. I am the one mentioned on page 7 in the "guts to try" story that lead to the book's title. I was the commander of the 5 Air Force fatalities at Desert One. Col Kyle and I were raked over the coals by the US Senate and House military committees with Kyle taking most of the heat over the accident. I went on to be the chief air planner for preparation for the second attempt buy Kyle was replaced by General Richard Secord as the senior Air Force member of the task force. I therefore surrendered by notes to Kyle and helped him put together the book rather than pursue my own. He did a remarkable job in telling the story correctly. Out of the ashes of Desert One has emerged a capability to do Special Ops better and with few casualties. "The Guts to Try" is an important accounting of the bottoming out and rebirth of Special Ops. Few people realize how much our capability improved during the 5 1/2 months of preparation--this book helps the reader realize that there was more to be proud about associated with Desert One than is apparent. Special Ops would have achieved its current high capability eventually---but Desert One and Jim's book got us there quicker. Roland Guidry,...
Rating:
Summary: Review by a key participant in the rescue attempt
Review: I was the commander of the MC-130 squadron chosen to participate in the mission. Jim Kyle, author of "The Guts to Try", was my boss throughout the preparation for the mission. I had kept detailed notes on all the training, rehearsal, etc., with the intent to write my own book. I am the one mentioned on page 7 in the "guts to try" story that lead to the book's title. I was the commander of the 5 Air Force fatalities at Desert One. Col Kyle and I were raked over the coals by the US Senate and House military committees with Kyle taking most of the heat over the accident. I went on to be the chief air planner for preparation for the second attempt buy Kyle was replaced by General Richard Secord as the senior Air Force member of the task force. I therefore surrendered by notes to Kyle and helped him put together the book rather than pursue my own. He did a remarkable job in telling the story correctly. Out of the ashes of Desert One has emerged a capability to do Special Ops better and with few casualties. "The Guts to Try" is an important accounting of the bottoming out and rebirth of Special Ops. Few people realize how much our capability improved during the 5 1/2 months of preparation--this book helps the reader realize that there was more to be proud about associated with Desert One than is apparent. Special Ops would have achieved its current high capability eventually---but Desert One and Jim's book got us there quicker. Roland Guidry,...
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Summary: Guts to try
Review: I was there working for the 1st SOW in Egypt when word came that the ec-130 (formerly ABCCC bird from Keesler AFB) had burned on the ground at Desert One. This book answered some haunting questions I have had for many years and asks some more. Well written, with insight and understanding.
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Summary: The Iran Rescue was a usmc failure
Review: Readers will finally see in his book that the Iran rescue failed due to the usmc demanding it get a role it was not qualified or equipped to fill. This ad hoc attachment of helicopter pilots using untried equipment doomed the mission and led to the 8 men dead in the desert. Col. Kyle goes into great details about the dynamics of Special Operations flying and it becomes clear that the MC-130 Combat Talon I is one heck of a fine airplane that saves the day when the helicopters failed. Looking at history with 20-20 hindsight it seems more reasonable to have used USAF Special Operations combat pilots still on active duty from the nearly flawlessly executed Son Tay POW camp rescue in 1970 and flown them and their helicopters inside transport planes to Manzariyeh airfield secured by U.S. Army Rangers from the first than to have messed around with Desert One in the first place. Delta Force itself should have parachuted into the outskirts of Teheran met up with the trucks with hidden compartments to infiltrate into the city for the assault to free the 52 American hostages. The helicopters would only have been used to fly to the soccer field and back to Manzariyeh, where the entire force could have flown out by USAF jet transports. Its clear from Col Kyle's book that the Rescuers "had the guts to try" but not the political guts supporting them to keep unqualified participation away so the very BEST plan could be put together instead of a compromised one. The Goldwater-Nichols Defense Act has corrected this today by insuring SOF units have their own aviation assets fully qualified to fly such daring missions. But it came at the price of 8 men dead and at least 1 man's career ruined--Colonel "Charging Charlie" Beckwith who became the "fall guy" for the operation when it should have been the usmc. Col Kyle's book is a must read for every military professional alive today. Airborne!! Mike Sparks 1st Tactical Studies Group (Airborne)
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Summary: factual, but very one sided.
Review: the book was not that well written, but he did provide the suspense that must have been evident when actually underway. i talked to one of the herc pilots involved and was informed the flying facts were properly presented. it was a quick read but i found it the best version of what really happened i have been able to find.
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Summary: An incredibly detailed description of a mission.
Review: This exhaustive description of the planning and execution of Operation Eagle Claw, the attempt to rescue the Iranian hostages, gives the reader a sense of how complex the mission was. There is an old aphorism about the military that says, "The amateur talks about tactics and strategy while the professional talks logistics." This is one of the few military books I have read that provides enough (almost too much depending on your taste) detail about what it takes to carry out a mission deep in enemy territory. At the beginning, after realizing the problems they faced, I could not see how they could succeed. That they came as close as they did is what is truly amazing. It also speaks to the decrepit state of the military seven years after the end of the Viet Nam War. They had the men but lacked adequate resources. Fortunately changes were coming. This story helped to lead the way.
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Summary: An incredibly detailed description of a mission.
Review: This exhaustive description of the planning and execution of Operation Eagle Claw, the attempt to rescue the Iranian hostages, gives the reader a sense of how complex the mission was. There is an old aphorism about the military that says, "The amateur talks about tactics and strategy while the professional talks logistics." This is one of the few military books I have read that provides enough (almost too much depending on your taste) detail about what it takes to carry out a mission deep in enemy territory. At the beginning, after realizing the problems they faced, I could not see how they could succeed. That they came as close as they did is what is truly amazing. It also speaks to the decrepit state of the military seven years after the end of the Viet Nam War. They had the men but lacked adequate resources. Fortunately changes were coming. This story helped to lead the way.
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Summary: Desert One from the Air Force Perspective
Review: This is the story of the April 1980 hostage rescue mission into Iran written by the USAF MC-130 commander. There are many interesting insight into the mission planning, including intelligence gaps and Kyle follows the development of the plan from conception to execution. One particularly odd item is the overconfidence that Desert One was a deserted area, when even the pre-raid reconnaissance mission saw signs of activity. COL Beckwith, Delta commander, appears as an inflexible jackass who can't back off by even one man from his 130-man force for an embassy takedown. The plan always appeared flawed and attempting to do too much with helicopters. Even if the force had gotten to Tehran it is apparent that the extraction plan was overly-optimistic and likely to turn into a debacle. Maps adequate.
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Summary: Desert One from the Air Force Perspective
Review: This is the story of the April 1980 hostage rescue mission into Iran written by the USAF MC-130 commander. There are many interesting insight into the mission planning, including intelligence gaps and Kyle follows the development of the plan from conception to execution. One particularly odd item is the overconfidence that Desert One was a deserted area, when even the pre-raid reconnaissance mission saw signs of activity. COL Beckwith, Delta commander, appears as an inflexible jackass who can't back off by even one man from his 130-man force for an embassy takedown. The plan always appeared flawed and attempting to do too much with helicopters. Even if the force had gotten to Tehran it is apparent that the extraction plan was overly-optimistic and likely to turn into a debacle. Maps adequate.
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