Chosen Soldier - Dick Couch [3]
Chosen Soldier is not a book about counterinsurgency warfare per se, but I want to be clear on what is at stake in this fight, and what our nation and the world stand to lose if we flinch. If the Islamists win in Iraq and Afghanistan, they’re sure to win in many other places as well. If they can force us out of Iraq and Afghanistan and unhinge the modest democratic reforms our troops are so desperately fighting to safeguard, then I fear the dark cloud of fanaticism will claim most of the world’s billion (and growing) Muslims, and we’ll recall with some nostalgia the comparative civility of the Cold War.
Chosen Soldier is a book about the training of Special Forces soldiers. It defines who they are, discusses where they come from, and explains what must take place before they ever don a Green Beret. The Army Special Forces soldier is a unique warrior, and the requirements of this special individual are like no other military professional. He must be tough and he must know how to fight, but there’s more than professional military skill and physical toughness involved. The Special Forces warrior requires a unique mind-set. We cannot win this insurgent war without the help of the villagers, tribes, and townspeople who represent potential sanctuary for insurgents. Warriors who understand other cultures, and who can live among them and gain their trust, have value beyond measure. These men are hard to find and, once found, must be rigorously trained and tested. Special Forces training is all about finding talented men who have adaptive, creative minds, and developing those abilities to create warriors who can succeed in hostile, ambiguous, unconventional environments. Physical toughness is a requisite; mental agility is essential. As Lieutenant Colonel Richard Carswell, a former company commander in charge of the Special Forces officer-training phase, put it, “We must find and train men who can enter an inhospitable, politically unstable situation and successfully navigate in a foreign culture. They must use all their intellect and cunning to accomplish the mission without compromising the ethical or moral standards of an American warrior.” First Sergeant Billy Sarno, who helps select and assess Special Forces trainees, said it this way: “We gotta find guys who are smart, physically fit, and who play well with others. Then we gotta train the hell out of them.”
Not every soldier has the intelligence to learn the interpersonal and technical skills to live and work with another culture. Not every officer has the vision, maturity, and unconventional-warfare training to lead an elite force of professionals with this skill set. It’s not easy to assemble the kind of talent and experience found in a twelve-man Special Forces ODA (Operational Detachment Alpha) team. It takes time—years, actually. The average age of a Special Forces ODA team is close to thirty-two. Compare that to the average age of the entire U.S. Marine Corps—nineteen!
Chosen Soldier is the story of how these special warriors are recruited, selected, and trained. Chosen Soldier is also the story of the making of heroes. It’s the story of unusual young men who have chosen a path of hardship, danger, sacrifice, and service—who they are and why they volunteer