Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units [Hardcover]

Aaron Cohen (Author), Douglas Century (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2008

At the age of 18, Beverly Hills native Aaron Cohen left his life of comfort to prove himself in the crucible of the armed forces - and not just any armed forces. He was determined to be a part of Israel's most elite security forces - the equivalent of our the US Navy SEALS and UK SAS. He was offered the only post a non-Israeli can hold: in a top-secret, highly controversial unit which dispatches operatives disguised as Arabs into the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to abduct Hamas leaders and bring them to Israel for trial.Between 1997 and 2000, Aaron Cohen would learn flawless Hebrew and conversational Arabic, lose any semblance of his all-American-90210 appearance, and participate in over 200 life or death missions, including: disguised as a Palestinian guest, he and his team crash the wedding of a Hamas leader's daughter, wrestle the enemy to the ground and steal him away for trial; posing as an American journalist to set a trap for one of the financiers behind the Dizengoff Massacre, taking him down in a brutal, hand-to-hand fight; and, pulling the dead and dying from the rubble of a shopping mall, the target of a suicide bomber who detonated a nail bomb.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The book gives an unvarnished account of life in an elite Israeli counterterrorism unit—a side of life with which few Israelis and almost no foreigners are familiar.” (Washington Jewish Week )

“It’s more than a story of the making of an elite unconventional warfare operative—it’s a real, in-your-face, and mesmerizing look at the birth of a patriot. You will be inspired, believe me.” (Dale Brown )

“He brings us into the shadowy world of Sayeret Duvdevan, offering details of his missions and his training, throwing in some contemporary and historical context, introducing us to his comrades-in-arms and delivering numerous gory anecdotes.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Aaron Cohen has something to say. And he knows what he’s talking about. If you’re conflicted about how aggressive America should be in the global fight against terrorism, read this book. Cohen knows that national survival ain’t free. A no-nonsense, riveting read.” (General Tommy Franks (ret.) )

About the Author

AARON COHEN grew up in Beverley Hills, California. After spending three years in the Sayaret Duvdevan, he returned home and founded IMS Security, a consulting firm specializing in protecting politicians, business executives, Hollywood actors and rock stars, as well as offering counter-terrorism training to the FBI, United States military, local police departments and SWAT units

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061236152
• ISBN-13: 978-0061236150
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulls no punches, May 4, 2008

By 

P. Willson (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units (Hardcover)

A compelling read, very well-written and a good balance of very personal perspective and simply amazing descriptions of the brutal selection and training of Israel's top counter-terror commandos (as done in the 1990's).

Cohen, like his instructors and fellows, pulls no punches discussing the positives and negatives of the process. His own experience of how this kind of preparation forever changes the men who survive it, and then how the work itself inevitably degrades social connectedness and relationships is as psychologically detailed and perceptive as anything I've ever read, and I commend his ruthless honesty.

He also gives a fond but hard-eyed look at the changing Israeli society and the often unfortunate way it is absorbing some of our less positive qualities.

VERY highly recommended. A great read.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Read, April 29, 2008

By 

Kyle Brodie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units (Hardcover)

I heard the author Aaron Cohen on a radio interview and decided to buy the book. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. It is much more than an inside look at the clandestine warriors on the front lines of the international war against terrorism. It is a coming of age journey about a young man who finds himself and the meaning of life amidst the most extreme circumstances imaginable.

My girlfriend thought it might not appeal to her, but she started reading it after I finished and now she can't put it down. This would make an amazing movie.

33 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "A JEWISH BOY FROM *90210* BECOMES AN ISRAELI SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER!", May 16, 2008

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units (Hardcover)

One of Israel's most highly respected Special Forces Unit is called "SAYERET DUVDEVAN". The name "DUVDEVAN" is something of an inside joke to Israelis; it literally means "cherry". As most native-born Israelis know, "there is a species of cherry in the Holy Land that looks no different from the edible variety, but which packs a strong and often lethal poison. As a Special Forces unit operating undercover disguised as Palestinian men and women, "DUVDEVAN" is the "cherry" that may look harmless but often proves deadly."

The Jewish author Aaron Cohen was born in Canada and when his parents divorced moved with his Mother and sister to southern Florida. When Aaron was eight-years-old, as his mother was dropping him off at elementary school, she casually told him she was moving to Beverly Hills with his sister, but he couldn't come with them. He would have to stay in south Florida with his Aunt. Aaron felt abandoned, as of course any young child would in the same situation. His mother was pursuing a career in writing in the entertainment industry. She wound up meeting an older writer and producer Abby Mann, who had won the 1961 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the movie "JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG". A year or so later Aaron wound up moving to Beverly Hills where a normal week might include visits to the house by Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. His Little League team was coached by "Sonny Corleone" himself, James Caan. "Caan would show up on his Harley with some gorgeous young woman on the back, and there was always a different girl for every game. He obviously hadn't slept and was still bombed from the night before. Caan would show up at the ballpark blasted out of his mind, and start yelling and flipping out at the umpires for making a bad call. I was still pretty new to L.A. and seeing such over-the-top movie star antics was a little scary." The author's Mother and Step-Father were so caught up in their Hollywood lifestyle that he felt like a piece of furniture. When he was twelve-years-old he wanted to be Bar Mitzvah but his mother was tied up in one of her screen projects, so he asked if he could go back to Montreal to live with his Father, so his Father could fulfill his paternal obligation to help Aaron get Bar Mitzvah. During the year in Canada Aaron got into some trouble and was sent back to Beverly Hills where he got in more trouble and his Mother said: "Pack your bags, you're going to Canada to Military School!" Aaron kept a poker face, "but for me it was actually a relief. Deep down I knew I needed some structure, some priorities, and most important, some discipline in my life." It turned out to be "THE" positive turning point of his life.

The Robert Land Academy is located in the Niagara Peninsula south of Toronto. The headmaster of the school was an officer in the Royal Canadian Army, Colonel Scott Bowman. "He was a Canadian intelligence officer who had done a yearlong stint in Israel, working with an international peacekeeping delegation around the time of the Yom Kippur War in the 1970's. During classes Colonel Bowman would talk about the Israeli Military. He told us that the Israelis were-bar-none-the most elite, cutting-edge military in the world." Aaron became mesmerized by Colonel Bowman espousing over and over that the Israelis were the toughest, smartest, soldiers, and it was the greatest privilege of his military life to work with them. He admired their capabilities as soldiers, their values, and the totality of the commitment to self-defense that the State Of Israel represented." Every waking hour Aaron spent in the library reading and studying everything available on the Israeli Military. When he was eighteen-years-old he decided to enlist in the Israeli Army, and when he went to Israel he set even higher goals. He wanted to be in the Israeli Special Forces, and he proceeds to lead the reader through the grueling, mind and body numbing training, that he had to "survive" in order to fulfill his dream. The unit he is selected for is the one that sends operatives disguised as Arabs into the Palestinian-controlled West Bank. The reader is "the-fly-on-the-wall" (up to the point of being limited by classified information) as Aaron and his team take down the number three guy in Hamas, a money guy, a fund raiser, with Aaron undercover as a reporter interviewing the target. On another occasion the reader is taken along as they go after "the father of the Holy War", the Hamas mastermind behind the Dizengoff Mall bombing that killed innocent Israeli civilians. Aaron was undercover as a Palestinian selling sweet-corn from a push cart, as the Israeli's infiltrated a wedding, and nabbed their man in sixty seconds. Throughout this fast-paced story Aaron points out the differences between Israel's counter-terrorism strategies as compared to the United States. One of the great quotes referred to throughout the book is from a defining speech by one of the greatest military hero's in Israel's history *MOSHE DAYAN* who said back in 1955:

"WE CANNOT PROTECT EVERY WATER PIPE FROM BEING BLOWN UP, NOR EVERY TREE FROM BEING UPROOTED. NOR CAN WE PREVENT THE MURDER OF THE WORKERS IN THE ORCHARDS, NOR OF FAMILIES IN THEIR BEDS, BUT WE CAN EXACT A HIGH PRICE FOR OUR BLOOD, A PRICE TOO HIGH FOR THE ARAB COMMUNITY, THE ARAB ARMY, THE ARAB GOVERNMENTS TO PAY."

When Aaron comes back to the United States after serving in Israel 1996-1998 he has a rough time gearing down from what he was trained to be for the last three years of his life. As a Viet Nam era Veteran, I can vouch for the absolute validity, of even the most minute detail of his descriptions of his personal battle to return to the everyday role of an American civilian. Aaron now owns his own security business and since 9/11 his company has been besieged by American law enforcement to teach them the Israeli way of security. I wholeheartedly agree with the author's warnings and suggestions for America in their fight against terrorism. This book may not describe the world the way you want it to be... but it describes it the way IT ACTUALLY IS!