Product Description

In combating terror, America can no longer depend on its conventional military superiority and the use of sophisticated technology. More than ever, we need men like those of the Army Special Forces–the legendary Green Berets.

In Chosen Soldier, Dick Couch draws on nearly a year spent at Special Forces training facilities and offers an unprecedented view of the education of these men.

Following the experiences of one class of soldiers as they endure this physically and mentally exhausting ordeal, Couch spells out in fascinating detail the demanding selection process and grueling field exercises, the high-level technical training and intensive language courses, and the simulated battle problems that test everything from how well SF candidates gather operational intelligence to their skills at negotiating with volatile, often hostile, local leaders. Chosen Soldier paints a vivid portrait of an elite group, and a process that forges America’s smartest, most versatile, and most valuable fighting force.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1808 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-25
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Among America's Special Forces, the Green Berets stand out because they can "do it all," according to this enthusiastic account of their training. Ex-SEAL Couch (Down Range) explains that Green Berets not only fight, they teach: living in the world's hot spots, they speak the language, win the trust of the locals, and train and fight alongside them to defeat a common enemy. They are the "Peace Corps with guns" and the key to winning the war on terror, he asserts. Only the most fit, smart, stable and multilingual need apply, but training is so rigorous that recruits first undergo 25 days of pretraining, from which only one-third proceed to Green Beret school, where attrition continues. Military buffs will enjoy the descriptions of exhausting marches, realistic combat simulations, high-tech weapons and dramatic instructor/student interactions. Though Thomas Ricks showed in Making the Corps that one can write an admiring account of an elite military unit without neglecting its warts and missteps, Couch loves the Green Berets too much to look beneath the surface; still. he tells an entertaining story. 16-page full-color insert. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Couch could have applied the opening chapter's title, "Special Forces 101," to the whole book, for it is a portrait of the men who arrive at the JFK Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, and the minority who make it though the training and join A Teams. Few of them are Rambos, for they need to be able both to function alone and to be closer than brothers to their teammates and the frequently foreign soldiers they train in combat and nation building. Whatever the future role of special forces in particular may be, the book adds substantially to the serious layman's knowledge of the men now playing vital roles in the war on terror, and who may number in their ranks more of the army's future leaders than the general media anticipates. A book worthy of the quality of the soldiers it profiles. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Dick Couch has written the definitive book on the making of a Special Forces soldier. It is high tribute indeed that a former Navy SEAL declares U.S. Army Special Forces the single most valuable asset in America's war on terrorism. Couch moved into Camp Mackall with a class of SF candidates for ten months and emerged to pen an insightful portrait of men whose cultural understanding, negotiating skills, and license for creative thinking represent the most sophisticated approach to today's unsettled world of terrorism and murky, backwater conflicts. Chosen Soldier should be read by every American who despairs of finding solutions to current tumult."
--Linda Robinson, author of Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces


"A superb book for any reader interested in just what makes a 'Chosen Soldier'...expertly carries the reader through the rigorous training and mock battles...impossible to put down."
--Robin Moore, author of The Green Berets, The Hunt for Bin Laden and Hunting Down Saddam


"A clear and fascinating description of how the world's best unconventional soldiers are selected and trained. Couch brings the reader inside the arduous process that makes the Green Beret the Olympic-class soldier: disciplined, mature and sophisticated."
--Bing West, author of The Village and No True Glory: The Battle for Fallujah


"One of the most impressive and insightful accounts I've seen of Army Special Forces. More accurately and revealingly than any author in recent memory, Couch shows how the finest warriors in the world are selected and trained. Chosen Soldier is a great portrayal of the heroes that defend America."
--James B. Woulfe, author of Into the Crucible: Making Marines for the 21st Century


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

A Professionals Eye
This book is very focused, and is made all the better because of that. The authors choice of focusing solely on the training of Green Berets, except for the first chapter, rather then on the whole history of the outfit and it's long list of achievements.

As a former SEAL, he clearly knows about special forces, and is able to translate that into detailed explanation. He gives enough background detail of the people he is talking to to be interesting without giving us page after page of soldiers that come and go (a problem with some history books).

He clearly recounts conversations, but only the parts that are applicaple to what he is discussing. Throughout the book, while you meet the soldiers in training, the only character you really feel like you get to know is the training itself.

The pace of the book is also noteworthy. Many history books are a little tough to read. Having to record so much information and so many facts can leave a book a little dry. Couch has a great writing style and the book really flows.

There are a few problems, such as going into detail about the same thing nearly verbatim in two different chapters. Not to often, but it was distracting. Also his insistence on calling the Green Berets special forces and naming all the other SFOR by name. In the beginning he even indicates that the Green Berets are the only real special forces. Something surprising coming from a former SEAL.

None of this detracts from the book. It is a well paced, informative read that anyone with interest in the military or history would be glad to read.

Inside the SF
My son is a Green Beret, and I had only heard a few of his stories about the intensive training that he went through. This was a real eye-opener for me to see exactly what went on. He was able to identify some of the cadre who had fictitious names assigned by the author.

If anyone is interested is signing up for SF, they need to read this book to get the real inside story.

Great insight
Dick Couch has provided great insight into the selection and training of one or our premier units.
He has a great blend of personal and training highlights that give a great feel for the making of a SF soldier.
Highly recommended for those wanting to know more about the making of the next greatest generation.