Rating: 
Summary: Lack of balance undercuts story of amazing accomplishment.
Review: I understand without reservation that Army Special Forces are amazingly brave, skilled, well trained, kick-... soldiers. The story of their success in Afghanistan is worth recording and remembering, especially in light of current world conflicts. It demonstrates that America can and will prevail when it must, contrary to the constant hand-wringing and nay saying from the mass media and misguided "anti-war" (often "anti-America") personalities. So, accepting this account as true, we all can agree that Army Special Forces are some of those best and brightest, and that they accomplished amazing results in Afghanistan. This book fails, however, because the author, Robin Moore, does not seem to believe we can hold Army Special Forces in esteem unless we denigrate virtually every other American involved in the conflict, including CIA special ops, Navy Seals, Navy pilots, all non-special forces military personnel, senior officers, the Pentagon, etc. etc. etc. This book presents them all as incompetent, ineffectual, and irrelevant to the success of the Afghanistan campaign. A more balanced approach would make for better reading. Americans still need an account of this campaign that praises what was praiseworthy, recognizes and analyzes failures when and where they occurred in all branches of the service, and generally presents the real story of this amazing achievement. So if you are searching for a one-sided tribute to Army Special Forces' role in the Afghanistan campaign (amazing as it was), this book will do fine. If you seek to understand the integrated campaign, with all its complexities and accomplishments, you must seek further.
Rating: 
Summary: What is a truth?
Review: I do not believe Moore is telling the full truth about what really happening in Afghanistan during US war against Taliban. I am skeptical that he is telling us the truth. I understand the need to protect classified activities. But the most important thing is what is a truth? 1. I do not care about how many soldiers are there.
2. I do not care about how many people are live in Afghanistan.
3. I do not care about oil.
4. I do not care about what languages that Afghans speak.
5. I do not care about US government's reasons for war in Afghanistan.
6. I do not care how many wars have we learned from the lessons.
7. I do not care what do you think about this book.
8. One thing that I care is truth. Most people does not know what is truth. I know what is a truth. I can define truth. But I am not telling you what does truth mean. Most people does not know how to telling the truth. TRUTH IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON.
Rating: 
Summary: Good review of SOF in Afghanistan
Review: This book was a good read about the behind the scenes activites that occured during Operation Enduring Freedom. The author is openly biased against all other US military forces which was a disappointment. The author seems to put the Green Berets on a pedestal where they did and could never do any wrong. That is the major drawback in this book. The author could have been more objective in that regard, but I still enjoyed it. It gives a very good glimpse of the special operations and tactics used in conjunction with the Northern Alliance forces.
Rating:
Summary: Green Berets in Afghanistan
Review: This is a book that show how a few hundred Special Forces troops took over a country.
While the U.S. wanted to do something in Afghanistan, our regular military had no plan. A SF Colonel had a plan, which was implemented. Our men made alliances with the groups fighting the Taliban, and brought in air strikes to kill most of the enemy. Northen Alliance men killed many of the others. Robin Moore writes a cheerleading book about the Special Forces.
Unfortunatley, if you are not SF, you are incompetent, in this book. He denigates the Air Force types there helping target the Taliban. REgular Army, especially Tommy Franks is dumped on.
From other stuff I have read, a lot of Robin Moore's information is not accurate, such as the torture of Mike Spann. If you want to know about the hunt for Bin Laden, this is not the book. Moore uses a lot of comic book phrasing, as when he describes an SF sniper knocking over the Taliban like tenpins.
There were SAS and SEALS in the fight too, but not noted. Apparently Robin Moore wrote a book based on the recall of a convicted felon, Idema.
It reads like a movie script, which it may become some day. One facet gone into is the financial devastation that occurs to the family of slain soldiers. This book is about the only detailed account of the battle at that time.
It was a great success due to a bunch of brave men that Moore writes about. But there were others that he did not include, anyone not a Green Beret.
Rating: 
Summary: Rah! Rah! Special Forces!!
Review: This book can be looked at as either an historical piece about the war in Afghanistan or a Special Forces propaganda piece written by Mr. Moore who is unabashedly, unashamedly and unapologetically a major booster of the green berets. The distinction is needless, as the historical account of what the green berets accomplished in that war naturally extols their virtues as amazing fighting men. The first 50 pages grabbed me unlike any other historical account I can recall. It read like an exciting war novel. The book bogged down a tad as each special forces team's campaign was related. Several were so similar I am not sure why they were accounted for separately except that Mr. Moore wanted to give all the credit where it was due. Beyond the straight historical account, this book presented a valuable and thought-provoking look at special forces' type of unconventional warfare versus conventional warfare. I do not think Mr. Moore will be invited to Gen. Tommie Franks' house for dinner very soon as he repeatedly rips the general for old-fashioned bureaucratic laden warfare strategy. That Mr. Moore knows his subject is obvious. What warms the historical account is that he also knows the people involved. The added personal descriptions and anecdotes added much to the book. As we approach a war in Iraq, this book left me with mixed feelings about our prospects there. On the one hand, a reader could only have confidence in our fighting men and women if the special forces "dogs of war" are let loose. On the other hand, one is left to wonder about the effectiveness of our conventional forces. As Mr. Moore extolled the virtue of the special forces in Afghanistan and pointed out the short-comings of the conventional forces there - including how they screwed up (I cleaned up Mr. Moore's language there) the only operation in which they participated, I wished he addressed where - if anywhere -he thought the more conventional forces would be an asset. This book is a wonderful account of truly great American warriors, a thoroughly entertaining read and more thought-provoking than one would have thought at the outset. I strongly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A terrible book and a betrayal of trust
Review: I missed meeting Robin Moore by a few hours at K2 and I am glad that I did. This book is an embarrassment to SF and betrayal of the trust that SF has placed in Mr. Moore. Most all of the people mentioned by name in the book had asked and been promised by Mr. Moore to mention them by first name only and not to use their photos. This promise was broken. The Rah Rah comic book style of the writing is an insult to the professionalism of the Special Operations Community. If you want to know why Robin Moores new book is nothing more that a paste up of news clippings, his unprofessional actions in writing this book is your answer.
Rating: 
Summary: Looking for fleeting glimmers of truth? Read this book.
Review: This book will aid in your search for information that is not forth coming from any other source that I've read as of yet. If you are trying to glean information you also know that the material you will have to read may not be pulitzer prize stuff. So I would ignore the literary critics, and I can see through their criticism's. They don't want you to know about or believe how effective we can be using Spec Op Forces correctly. This arguement has been going on for over 50 years! Remember the press warning everyone before the Iraqi War and during it, we didn't have enough forces, Rumsfield was stupid, etc.. The conventional force's lobbyist's were trying to politicize this debate in the press, they showed how far they will go with our soldiers lives, our national goals, just to keep from sharing their big budgets for large conventional forces.
Rating:
Summary: Annoyingly disjointed
Review: I bought this book for my Dad for his birthday and when he lent it back to me after reading it, I felt I owed him another gift...and an apology. I don't think there are two consecutive paragraphs in this book that are related to each other. Did Moore drop the manuscript on a windy day on the way to his editor, pick up the pages in random order and say "what they heck, I'll just hand it in this way...a paycheck is a paycheck". Seems like he had the access to make a better book. Disappointing. (Sorry, Dad.)
Rating:
Summary: The Hunt for Bin Laden
Review: The book did an excellent job in telling what the various Special Forces A-Teams were able to accomplish in Afghanistan. It was great to read about the no-holds-barred warfare that they were able to wage during the start of the war. His bias towards the Green Berets is clear. The apparent statements with out sources may not be as clear; however, I found them easy to understand. I had no problems weighing the biases and statements for what they are and make my own decision as to its credibility. Having some background in the area, I'd put more weight to them being accurate. I'm only giving it four stars instead of five for a lack of depth in some areas. I know some of you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about. I would have like to seen even more focus on the men in the teams. Learn more about them, the interactions, etc. Some of the chapters involving some of the teams seemed to fly by and left me wondering more about the guys. I guess in a way it leaves me wanting more and maybe that means it deserves that fifth star? Regardless, the book is enjoyable, and leaves me feeling even more proud for the Special Ops guys than I already am.
Rating:
Summary: An insider's view of a secretive people
Review: Special Forces and CIA Special Activities Division operatives know the value of the truth, how to use it tactically, and know who deserves it. Robin Moore, by virtue of his history among the men of "Group" from Vietnam to the present, has proven to many of them that he's one of "us", a brother in the Special Ops fraternity, who deserves his ration of the truth, along with his share of the hyperbole doled out along official channels, purposefully obfuscated for the benefit of those who have no need or desire to know, and sleep better not knowing. The book itself reads like what it is: stories collected from men who had their boots on the ground, saw things from their own worms eye perspective, and had stories to tell. His sources, apparently, were people, not documents, court records, or briefings. He talked to the guys. This is a history of what the guys did, according to a friend of the guys. He can be called to talk for his worldview (as one reviewer here has done, presumably because it conflicts with the reviewer's lofty worldview) or for what he didn't include (details about the British SAS, Australian Special Forces, and others). His biases are quite apparent. He obviously doesn't like the idea that Air Force Combat Controllers were attached to SF ODAs, and refers to the actions of "Dave", Mike Spann's co-interrogator, in a rather "piquant" manner. Still, this is an early history of a complex subject. There'll be PLENTY of histories which paint John Lindh as a sinless, idealistic angel, the Taliban as patriots and Al Qaeda as misunderstood, so here's a book written which presents these characters in another, less "enlightened" light. As it is, the book lets us in on how the people who had to do the dirty work felt, acted and reacted, in a frankly entertaining and informative manner. As one who's walked among them in my own time, I can attest that a great deal of what is said hints at what Mr. Moore and his subjects could or would not say. The book rings very true to this old soldier. Robin Moore knows Special Forces. This is as close to their story as you'll get until they begin writing their stories down for themselves. One day, ten years on, things will be declassified, enough original source books will be written, and we'll have a better view of the war in Afganistan. Reliable history is synthesis. That'll take time. For now, I heartily recommend Mr. Moore's work. De Oppresso Liber
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