Eric L. Haney

This is a really incredible, revealing look from a many part of Delta Force from its beginning Panama (Noriega), and beyond. Beyond includes a summary of his feelance efforts and commentary on the post-9/11 world. The meat of it is a Delta Force history that is a different view from that of Shadow Warriors. Clancy's book now strikes me as an administrative history, told from, the point of view of management, whereas Haney tells it from the NCO level. Case in point: I got the impression from show more Clancy's book that Special Forces (SF) was an untutored, vestigal appendage of U.S. military units with no counterterrorism (CT) capability and this led to the Desert One disaster. Haney documents a thoroughly prepared and successful CT force that was led down by gutless Navy pilot without the nerve or equipment for the nearly successful mission. Haney points to The Guts to Try: The Untold Story of the Iran Hostage Rescue Mission by the On-Scene Desert Commander as further support for this point of view. Here may have been the seeds of Haney's growing disatisfaction with American military policy extending to the purposeful wrecking of missions to recover POWs in Laos, with the complicit help of Bo Gritz. Later in South American missions, Haney's confidence is further eroded. show less

This is not the sort of book I normally read. But I have to admit, once I had it in my hands, it was nearly impossible to put down. It is one of those books that you read far into the night, making it very difficult to get up for work the next morning.

Eric Haney was one of the first Delta Force recruits and he tells a low key, often funny, story of what it was like to serve in this elite unit. I had no idea Delta operators were so skilled. They make your average SWAT team look like a troop show more of Boy Scouts. Extremely lethal. Extremely competent. So it is disturbing that Haney feels like Delta operators were often misused in the pursuit of political agendas in the murky and confusing world of counterterrorism. I will say, though, that if I'm ever taken hostage on an airplane, I will feel better knowing these guys are outside planning my rescue! show less

A fairly well written thriller with not quite enough action that has a plot with an odd twist/ending.

Tanner is a Delta vet who is hired by the US government to find the little grandson of an emir whose son and family were killed by terrorists and who is being held hostage somewhere in north Africa. He's given virtually unlimited resources to do this. One of the things that was strange for me right off the bat was that the location of the terrorist army was easily pinpointed and known by all show more involved. Okay, how did that happen? Then, Tanner and his crew go to a group of Bedouin-type tribesmen who have a bone to pick with this army and align themselves to attack their fort together. During all of this, everything goes right for Tanner. In fact, during the whole book, everything goes right for Tanner. He finds the boy and the boy's nurse and rescues them, the militia exact their revenge, he sends his crew away and he's off to Italy, where he actually encounters his first difficulty, only to escape it almost immediately. And that's why this book gets three stars instead of five. It's not remotely realistic. Nothing happens so easily to a thriller hero. Something always goes wrong. In Alistair MacLain's work, numerous things go wrong all the time. Makes it more exciting. This? Just not believable. I doubt I'll pick up another Tanner novel. It was too disappointing. Not recommended. show less

Eric Haney tells a great tale. He's good at it. The book is partly a story about training to be a Delta force "operator" and partly about the time he spent after he became qualified...making history in Grenada, Beiruit, Iran and Central America. As always, there is some stupid stuff and some controversy. By and large, he compliments those who deserve it and flames those who don't. It was a well written book, whether you believe everything he says, or not.