I have been reading military /tech thrillers since the age of 9 when a youth book about the evacuation of Dunkirk changed my life. Reading is my most favorite thing to do, and even though the mil/tech are my go-to, my training was in the classics and best of literature. I know a good read when I see one. I loved this book. The lessons about the true value of Green Beret assets in unconventional warfare are spelled out so clearly. Fry, 13 years after the fact, must have gone back to his journals and talks with his buddies and let his mind and body occupy the Pech once again. I have read so many books whose settings are in the Kunar and Nuristan provinces, and was actually an advantage that the origin story of Camp Blessing comes after the debacles of all the failures in those remarkable river valleys and mountainsides. Like the story of American Spartan, when Green Berets are allowed to fully engage their remarkable talents and training to become members of their communities while still overseeing and furthering their own mission, remarkable social changes occur. And it's not that what these highly trained military assets accomplish is a miracle, it's just that they engage indigenous persons and groups using exactly all the psycho-social and behavioral principles that have been proven effective in a million other settings. If Big Army can shut its mouth, get out of the way and let this branch of service persons do EXACTLY WHAT BIG ARMY TRAINED THEM FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE - ah! Victory and Success in surprisingly a cost effective and low body count methodology. But I preach to the choir. There are too many Custers roaming the plains, madly in love with themselves and leading their men to slaughter to let the common sense magic and influence of De Opressor Libre do what it does best. Special Forces methods and means are not a blanket solution. But in places where feudal and tribal influences divide and isolate people from one another and the world at large, this man to man relationship building is exactly right. Eric Eliason and his compatriot-in-God Taroon add such an essential element to the mix, of the importance of addressing all aspects of Man's existence in UW - mind, body and spirit. Reading of the far too short deployment of Hammerhead Six to Manogay is exhilarating and ultimately heart breaking. Inevitably, the replacements come who drink a different Kool-Aid and worship at the alter of Kaboom & Pew-Pew. sigh. For the monumental social shift that took place thanks to the men on that deployment in the establishment of Camp Blessing out of 10th Mountain's "Catamount" showcased the importance of the willingness of the team posted there - SF, Marines, an Airman, the chaplain, CIA attache' - to blend their particular skills into a flexible asset for the military mission it served as well as for the population of the greater Pech and Kunar valleys. From a psychological and sociological standpoint, this is a definitive read on effecting individual and social change in the most austere and challenging of environments: life and death hostility. As a military read its importance is burning - for all the print and hot air devoted to America's military efforts and expenditures, here is the textbook success story on how to do "It" and do it well and cheaply. And of course because it's not dramatic and absolutely does NOT serve the narcissistic community that drives anything involving Big Money, Big Attention and Big Ego, it's headed for the bookshelf.
Every time I move, I donate a truck load of books to local school or community libraries. I don't mark in them, being cognizant of their ultimate destination. I highlighted, pen-marked and defaced the hell out of Hammerhead Six. I bent pages over to mark them. I went back and re-read passages. I grabbed books written about later "episodes" in these valleys and compared passages about villages, local muckety-muks and warlords to Fry's writing. This book is a treasure in the military writing compendium. SO instructive to young men coming up who want to truly learn how to be GOOD, effective leaders of not only their troop, but in their communities. Kudos to Ron and Tad for putting so much information into such a readable format. It is an instructional manual of the highest order (thank you a zillion times for all the footnoting and the index!) as well as one of the best STORIES in this genre that I have read in 51 years of reading them - and I have read ...my mind tilts trying to even contemplate the thousands I have read over all these years. This is a GIFT to the genre, certain to become a military literature classic. Congratulations, gentlemen. Ron, it was worth the 13 year wait for you to get around to writing about Hammerhead Six.
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Very good example of US Army Special Forces success
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2017
OK: Here's what this book isn't, and with utmost respect and admiration to those who have written and participated in such events: it is not an action packed, shoot'em up, low on ammunition but resilient determination and a bit of luck saved us as we completed the mission.Here's what it is: The story of an Army Special Forces (Green Beret) A-Detachment sent to the Kunar Valley in Afghanistan that conducted unconventional warfare and counter-insurgency operations against the Taliban.Counterinsurgency and unconventional warfare is the specialty of US Army Special Forces. Public perspective of Army Special Forces identity and their missions became somewhat diluted under the formation of “US Special Operations Command” in the 1980s. The Command was formed to organize and direct a wide range of missions in all service branches, including Army Special Forces.Although Army Special Forces training and tasking include direct action missions, Hammerhead Six was tasked with a mission to conduct counter insurgency. The team then occupied and built a base for operations in the remote, hostile Pech valley. They then assembled, fed, uniformed, armed, trained, paid and lead Afghans in conducting combat operations against the Taliban. In other words, the team not only led their Afghan force, they sustained them as well.For those who enjoy military history, Hammerhead Six's mission almost mirrors another US Army Special Forces mission published in Jan 1965 edition of National Geographic titled "American Special Forces in VietNam" (http://www.sfalx.com/h_national_geographic.htm), and the article published in slate.com titled 'The Snake-Eaters and the Yards".This book also has a unique perspective in the Special Operations war memoir genre. Most of the detachment members were in their late 20s, 30s and 40s and possessed college degrees and civilian job skills, as well as military operational experience.This book is not written from a religious perspective. There are several references made to Gospel Scripture that had varying degrees of influence in some of CPT Fry’s thoughts and decisions. But I could find no reason to hold these beliefs as a discriminator in the team's leadership or decision making.Holding their mission and story up against other stories in the OEF-OIF genre is trite. Their mission, manning and time period in GWOT was unique. I hold the highest respect for all who have served and sacrificed in the OEF-OIF and present conflicts, regardless of their branch of service or status of active duty, mobilized reserve or national guard.Hammerhead Six and its mission is a good example of mature, ethical conduct of a Special Forces A-Detachment in war, regardless of any team member's religious beliefs or National Guard background. All US Army Special Forces "18 series" soldiers, regardless or active or "part-time" guard affiliation, go to the same schoolhouse in Ft Bragg and undergo the exact same selection assessment and training. As a career soldier I have seen the "best" and "not so good" on both sides of the active duty-reserve/guard fence. Good training and good leadership is what makes good soldiers and good units, not just their full-time or part-time status. Hammerhead Six demonstrates this principle.It would be a disservice to the Army's professional military development and future Special Forces soldiers to devalue the team's experience and success based on such biases.
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2017
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An honest and insightful account from an SF team commander. Recommended Reading!
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