Customer Reviews

Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Harvard Law School professor Alan M. Dershowitz last April complained to Publishers Weekly about its negative review of his new book. Amazingly, the editor-in-chief agreed and had the book re-reviewed. Billy Waugh should have them do the same. HUNTING THE JACKAL is an incredible look into the world of secret warriors working around the clock to safeguard our freedom. He has hunted--and found--terrorists who top the Most Wanted lists. And here he writes about Carlos the Jackal and Osama bin Laden and others. He's done the dirty work in the world's hellholes (just the descriptions of which seem to upset book reviewers). It is not pretty work, and what they do and how they do it is not particularly appropriate for some polite conversations. But that is the point. This is a well-written book--better than most--that lays out the real underworld in a clean, engaging fashion. You're quickly taken along on an amazing life, and before you know it, you're at the last page, overwhelmed at what you've "witnessed" ... and wanting more. The best-selling author W.E.B. Griffin said it best: "Waugh is the warrior's warrior. From Special Forces missions in Vietnam to black ops work around the world, he has fought our worst enemies hellbent on harming America in ways unimagined. We sleep soundly, our freedoms defended, thanks to men like Waugh. This is his remarkable story -- read it and understand what too few do."

This is truly an excpetional book about one of America's greatest modern day patriots.

I first heard of Waugh from a Retired Marine Corps Captain, when I was a 19 year old Force Recon Marine in Kosovo. Now after reading this book I know the full story of just who this man was and what he has done for our country.

My dad used to tell me about the SOG soldiers in Vietnam, and how they were pivital in America's war in Vietnam. The fact that Waugh left SOG and then contiued to work for the CIA hunting down terrorist filth like Carlos "The Jackal" and even fought in Afghanistan at age 72 is truly remarkable.
Probably the thing that will anger readers the most in the fact that Waugh could have assassinated Bin Laden if only his higher ups had found the guts to allow him to do it. I wonder how those people felt on the morning of September 11th, when they realized they had allowed Bin Laden to commit the worst terrorist act in History ON AMERICAN SOIL.

Wow...for those who are not that familiar with how the Special Operations/Clandestine intelligence communities work, this is your book. Billy Waugh provides an invaluable history of special operations and CIA clandestine operations from the early 60s to the present. To think that someone in his mid-70s is still in the thick of things with regard to the global war on terrorism is amazing.
Waugh's book provides some interesting insights into the genesis of America's interest with Usama Bin Laden, and how close we actually were to him in the early years of his rise.
However the best background this book provides (aside from his unbelievable 10 years in Vietnam with SOG) is his pursuit and role in the capture of Carlos the Jackal. A good review of how case work is done.
If you are looking for serious prose, this book is not for you. However, if you are looking for an incredible page-turner written by someone who was intimately involved in many classified operations, buy this book. Highly recommended!

I don't usually write reviews, but the difference between what the Publisher's Weekly review said and what this book is is like night and day.

If you're familiar with any of the books about MACV/SOG, especially the writings of John Plaster, then SGM Billy Waugh's name is slightly familiar to you. He participated in one of the first combat HALO jumps in Southeast Asia and had many other adventures.

This is a fast read, split between the author's time in Vietnam, his experiences in the Mideast as a contractor for the CIA, his surveillance of Bin Ladin, Carlos the Jackal, and others.

I must have read a different book. This is actually more poignant then most. Waugh describes running away at age twelve to join the USMC (didn't make it), the bonds of some of his comrades who are shot rescuing him while he is injured, his role saving a Cambodian colonel, and his 'final mission' going to Afghanistan at age 71.

If you are a 71 year old man in Afghanistan in 2002 and COL Mulholland, the commander of 5th Special Forces Group, walks up to YOU because he wants his picture taken with YOU, then there is something here. That's the author's life in a nutshell. This is a great work about an adventurous life well lived

This is a great book--five stars.

I found the book to be engrossing and very enlightening. Waugh shows the rest of us non-military Americans the difficult and sometimes horrible circumstances our military is subjected to, all in the name of preserving our freedom and blessed way of life. After reading this book, my heart and eternal thanks go out to every U.S. soldier, for their dedication and sacrifice. Thank God for our soldiers - without them, our way of life would likely not exist as it does today.

Waugh does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into his world, allowing us to glimpse his experiences in a very personal way. He is a true hero.

"Hunting the Jackal" is an incredible and important look into the world of secret warriors working around the clock to safeguard our freedom. Billy Waugh has bravely and fearlessly fought in the shadows for half a century. He's hunted--and found--terrorists who top the Most Wanted lists, and here he shares an insider's untold stories about Carlos the Jackal and Osama bin Laden and others. His covert, thankless missions in the world's hellholes has not been pretty work, and what warriors like Waugh do and how they do it is not particularly appropriate for some polite conversations. But that is the point, particularly in a post-9/11 world where stopping terrorist attacks will take more brave men like Waugh. This is a well-written book, much better than most of this genre, that lays out the real underworld in a clean, engaging fashion. You're quickly taken along on an amazing life, and before you know it, you're at the last page, overwhelmed at what you've read, and wanting more. From the Jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Africa, and to the mountains of Afghanistan, the author has seen it all.

Imagine that your Walter Mitty dream has come true and you are a star wide receiver playing in the 2007 Superbowl. You run to the huddle only to find a gray haired Joe Namath calling the signals and leading the team on a scoring drive. A dream, but for small teams of young Special Forces soldiers leading the anti-Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan is was very real. A soldier and operator who was a legend in their father's and grandfather's days is there in the middle of the fight.

Waugh, at age 72 is the middle of early days of the fight in Afghanistan, fighting not only the Taliban, but bone chilling cold in the thin air while hauling his share of gear. More than 50 years older than the young fellow soldiers, Waugh was a living, fighting legend. Few understand the impact made by mixed teams of Seals, Delta, Rangers, Air Force and CIA operators on the overthrow of the Taliban.

Understand that the literary review of this book was written by one of the testosterone deficient, panties all in a wad folks whose concept of self sacrifice is only cheating a little on their taxes. They are simply unable to comprehend two foundational truths, that they can write what they want, worship their own god, and speak their mind is created by people like Waugh and protecting their freedoms is a dirty, thankless task.

Do not expect to find the polished writing or the introspection of One Bullet Away, rather this is a story of doing, stripped of almost all emotion. Some of the reviewers questioned if the truth had been stretched. Most likely the bridging details were snipped by the CIA censors, in our interest. A google or amazon search for Billy Waugh normally points to many references to him, usually prefaced by "the legendary Billy Waugh."

Before Afghanistan there were years of fighting terrorism in the hellholes of the world. Waugh was tracking Osama almost a decade before 9-11. Later he was with the team that finally picked up the trail that lead back through a number of steps to legendary terrorist Carlos the Jackal.

Perhaps half of the book covers this lengthy search and then observation. Waugh captured the many months of frustrating waiting for the politicians in Washington to make decisions, especially when any hint that he was being tracked would have sent the Jackal on the run again to the safety of Iran or Iraq. That he was captured is a tribute to the CIA in both their ability to find Carlos and to keep the surveillance operation hidden and secret for months while the politicians fiddled, looking for a low risk way to get rid of Carlos.

In a very modest way Waugh also tells of getting leave from Walter Reed Hospital, where he was receiving care for very serious wounds, only to fly to Vietnam while on leave and ask to be sent back to the field. Despite the fact that he was still limping badly he was allowed to remain after badgering many in the chain of command.

The book has the feel the there was a lot more that was deleted during the CIA's review of the book. In some cases the deletion of information on methodology and technology leaves holes.

One wonders where do men Waugh come from, willing to devote 50 years to the service of their country, mostly in violence torn countries looking for bad guys and protecting the good guys.

My hope is that he will receive enough cooperation from the CIA to put together a few more great books.

I haven't read this book yet,but I know Billy Waugh personally,and knew people when I was stationed on Okiwawa and with SOG at Kontum who not only knew him,but had served on teams with him. No bolder man has ever lived. Any of you who read the book and who may have a tendency to doubt him,don't. He IS the "Real Deal". If you are ever cut off and alone in Indian Territory and need help getting out,there are few things that would bring you greater comfort than to hear that he is heading up a team to come in and get you out. He knows everybody there is to know on the operational edge of the intelligence community,and they all know him. The reason for this is he really HAS "been there and done that".

72 years old in Afghanistan! I thought I was getting a bit old at 45 for Security work. Billy Waugh is one of America's quiet professionals. (This Reviewer is Australian.)I really liked the way the man could do his job and serve his country without disparaging people from other countries. The relationships he develops with indigenous personnel are testament to this. Far too many books by American authors do so much flag waving it gets up your nose a bit.I really enjoyed the bits in Khartoum. I just returned from there and lived in the same neighbourhood where Turabi, Osama and Carlos lived. I saw Turabi's house. The bit about driving at night was spot on. To the reviewer who said it wasn't possible to jog around Khartoum at night as a Westerner....1. Billy was under diplomatic cover. 2. In Khartoum there is next to no street crime. It is safe to walk around there any time day or night. Sharia law is good for one thing. I did it all the time. I even rode the local bus. It was safer than riding around with a target for Al Queda marked on your vehicle (ie. the logo of a well known Humanitarian Organisation.) I reckon AQ is unlikely to target the local bus when there were so many UN vehicles available.

Billy's book has been a real motivator for me to get really fit again.

I used to subscribe to Publisher's Weekly, willing to put up with some of that publication's obvious left-leaning sympathies in order to get the most recent publishing news. But no more. I have just cancelled my subscription based on the incredibly biased and belittling review of American patriot Billy Waugh's book. I can only assume that the review was written by the same editor that reviews (negatively, of course) anything that is positive about America, our current President, conservatives, or the military. The author of this poison pill of a review chooses his adjectives as carefully as if he was attempting to craft fine literature. It is obvious that even a well-told tale of a life lived making sure that rags like PW can be published will never receive a fair review from the commissars at Reed Elsevier, Inc. Billy Waugh is not "a one dimensional, blustering character" and anyone who knows him will attest to that. What he is represents what the left so hates: a man who has devoted his entire life to the defense of this Nation, our Nation, his Nation . . . and you ought to be damn proud that he has.