Page 115 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Fall 2016

Special Forces

A Unique National Asset Through, With, and By

Boyatt, Mark D. Special Forces: A Unique National Asset. Through, With, and By.
Denver, CO: Outskirts Press; 2016. ISBN-10: 1478766395 and ISBN-13: 978-1478766391. 578 pages.

Review by COL (Ret) Warner “Rocky” D. Farr, MD, MPH

K, a disclaimer right up front: I know this guy. He is a a total Special Operations Force array (Civil Affairs,
Ogreat Special Forces Soldier and a deep thinker. We served Psychological Operations, Logistics, Medical, Aviation,
together and knew each other at US Army John F. Kennedy Special Forces, Intelligence, Engineer, Military Police)
Special Warfare Center and School in regionally focused, language qualified, and all under a
the late 1990s. Mark has had a varied designated regional Special Forces Group. It was a har-
career, from Green Light Team to Blue binger of what the Theater Special Operations Com-
Light member in the 1970s (ask around
if you do not know what those are) to a mands have become today.
successful Special Forces Battalion com-
mand in the 1980s, and as 3rd Special This book could stand alone as a textbook for Special
Forces Group (Airborne) commander in Forces training. Mark covers everything from the ethos
the 1990s in Haiti. Gee, have I menti- to the doctrine to the real stories on how it happened. It
oned that while at Army War College he should be required reading for all US ambassadors, con-
wrote a thesis in which he originated the gressmen, and anyone else who has to deal with Special
term “through, with, and by”? 1 Forces. However, it is more. It should be read by all Spe-
cial Forces Soldiers to see our origins and how we got
This is an very interesting book. It covers Special Forces to where we are today. In the interest of accuracy and
from selection, to assessment, to training, to mission set, truth, every US Senator and Congressman, staffer, mili-
to regional focus, and to ideology. Much of this broad tary reporter, and senior military officer should use this
brush of what is Special Forces is accomplished through book for a desk reference. I cannot recommend it too
excerpts from various manuals back to and including highly as a one-source reference for all of Special Forces.
several from the Office of Strategic Services. The book
is necessary to have simply for all the references. Per-
sonally, I found many needed references in this book Reference
for a monograph that I am writing (thanks, Mark). In 1. Boyatt MD. Unconventional Operations Forces of Special Op-
particular, Mark discusses the groundbreaking concept erations. 1993. www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a264031.pdf.
of Special Action Forces, a 1960–1970 effort to have Accessed 18 July 2016.

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