Customer Reviews

Danger Close: Tactical Air Controllers in Afghanistan and Iraq (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, it looks like I'm the first to review this thing and it's a pretty good read. As a younger TACP, I found this book very informative. The author is a former Air Laison Officer. The author briefly talks about our "twilight worlds" where we're "held at arms length by the Air Force" and "not fully embraced by the Army" that we live with everyday. This book, at times, reads like a collection of events from the initial invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq told by TACP's in their own words. Among the numerous topics covered are the virtues of Close Air Support, the difference CAS makes on the battlefield, how TACP's are often misused by the Army, how reluctant the Army is to use TACP's, how CAS has saved the Army numerous times, and how TACP's always improvise and overcome obstacles to do our job. It talks about our fallen brothers and their sacrifices. It addresses the problems within the job and how in the past of TACP's, we were largely ignored before the war and how the future needs to be better as the battlefield evolves into the Joint atmosphere. There're about 2-3 years of war covered in the book, so it's a lot to address here. If you're a TACP, ALO, Army officer, or anyone curious as to what TACP's are or have done in the last two wars, buy this book. The book doesn't really offer any real solutions to the TACP problems it mentions, but I guess if you you at least identify the problem, that's a good start.

This is really a great book, hard to put down at times. You can see the battles through the eyes of the people that were there. You also get their perspective as well as the importance of the techniques that they are using, and in some cases developing for the first time. This is a must have for anyone interested in knowing the real story behind the overwhelming success in the initial days of Afghanistan and Iraq.

As a Crew Chief KC-135's in the AF, I have experianced the "rear" side of war operations. Reading how all of it was tied into a lot of these operations is just amazing! This book, in my opinion, is well written and should be read by anyone interested in the TACP community. If you were thinking about becoming one(as I have) then this book will make you want to do a PAST and give it a try ASAP. Awesome job Sir, well done!

As a member of our USAF and knowing several TACP Airmen, this book really put into light what exactly TACP's really are. So many people forget about how Air on Armour happens and its about time the ROMADS get the credit they rightfully deserve.

Really sets the record straight on who actually control Air Force air-strikes. A job well done!

So, I bought this book for a friend who is a ROMAD. He recently crossed trained into the job and thought it would be an interesting read since he will be deploying overseas in the future. I hadn't planned on reading the book myself. But as soon as I got it, I couldn't help but open it up and read it, and I'm glad I did. This book is awesome. It has helped me understand what he's doing and what he's talking about when we talk about his job. It makes me realize what a great asset he is to the military and how special he is to be doing what he always wanted. This book shows the obstacles and triumphs that TACP has had to overcome over the years. I have true appreciation for thier duties. I totally recommend this book!

This was an exellent look into an Air Force most Airmen do not even know about. The book was well written and provides a look at how all of those bombs fall on time on target.

The TACP's are smart, dedicated, Airmen that find ways to get air cover over our ground forces and save counless lives. More books like Danger Close need to be written about our forces that show the heroes that our men really are.

Mr. Call collected excellent primary source/primary actor interviews for this look at the role of Tactical Air Controllers. Coordinating between ground troops and close air support has been a thorny issue since the airplane was added to the military inventory. This book explains recent innovations at the battalion and under level, highlighting the professionalism of enlisted personnel as significant force multipliers. While members of the Air Force, they live "in the mud" with the troops on the ground, integrated with Army special forces or armored units.

Call makes the common-sense argument that neither air power nor "boots on the ground" win wars, but rather a seamless integration of the two. He uses the experiences of the TACPs on the ground during the initial wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to buttress his argument. Short discussions at the beginning and end of the book sum up his points nicely.

I only have a few complaints about this book. While it wasn't a problem for me, the military acronyms come fast and heavy. Readers with less experience reading military documents might struggle at times to understand what is being discussed. The glossary at the end of the book is a big help and should be marked by Kindle users. Secondly, I would have liked to see a further examination of airpower uses in the aftermath of the initial invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. As the Afghan war in particular has entered its tenth year, I would like to hear if the tactics outlined here have changed. Finally, while it was no problem for me, I could understand if some would call this book "war porn" for all the descriptions of large-scale slaughter of opposing forces. My response would be "it's war, that's what happens, and it's hell. Deal."

Overall, this is a good close examination of recent developments in close air support integration. Worth a read by anyone associated with the military or modern military history.

Danger Close fascinates not only the reader with accounts of the early stages of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, but provides insight for the controller alike. The men who lead the charge into both Wars as ETACs or ALOs provided valuable learning points and knowledge on how to conduct close air support. Reading it beforehand, all that the book held was exiting stories about battle with lots of "boring" or informative parts. Now, the value is tenfold: JTACs are not only able to learn tactics, but see trouble shooting done at the most paramount of times. Until another book is written on the subject, this is the definitive work of all things TACP, JTAC, CAS, and ALO.

Single order was sent in 2 shipments, but was either way delivered expeditiously.

Products was and will be used for mentorship in an effort to open all points of view of duty, loyalty, and honor in all environments and situations.