Customer Reviews

Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era

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

 

 

The reason there are no reviews of this book is that it was purportedly removed from circulation by the government for security concerns. Most of the information contained here will never be available to the public and seems to have been cross checked with multiple sources. Mr. Emerson has produced a fascinating look at the capabilities and foibles of the special and covert operations community during the 80's. Highly recommended for folks wanting to learn more about the "silver age" of US special operations.

After waiting quite some time to get a copy, I found the book to be an interesting insight on the genesis of the US Special Ops community. Today, Emerson has capitalized on this early research and is now in the forefront of documenting terrorism. It would be interesting to see if he is utilizing many of the sources he obtained while writing this book.
I thought he had excellent sources, and many of these chapters could have been easily expanded into more in-depth stories. The Iran-Contra mess certainly weighed heavily while writing this book, and unfortunately, Emerson tried to cover the scandal without getting too bogged in that mess...that being said, I don't think he succeeded very well in drawing the ties between IRan-Contra and the organizations he covered so well throughout the book. Nevertheless, a must have for any library on US intelligence operations...a great read!

This book is the only one I have seen of its vintage which discusses operations of US Army counterintelligence agents. Some of the stories have been confirmed by people I have had the chance to speak with. Some of the the details were altered to protect certain items. Careful research of the ESP/PSI related bits in other publications may reveal differing views on the outcome of some operations.

It's relatively high level of veracity, easy flow, it was written at the 10th grade level, and humor made it a good read for anyone interested in this topic.

The book is well written and reminds me of a time when covert ops were still in their growing pains after Desert One. Some got it right, though the "mission first, damn the rules" mentality did present its own challenges. I'm glad I'm not George (Ch 9).

I give it four stars because of the excellent research Mr. Emerson did. He crossed checked all his information. But as far as secret warriors do not expect many stories about daring commando raids. It is a good insight view into the military of the 1980's and all the bunglers and egotist officers during that era. To think I was in the military during the early 1980's.

Overall it is a good read and for historians of intelligence a must read.
It gave the author of Killer Elite a great base to write his book. More like copy Mr. Emerson's book.

Most of the information contained here seems to have been cross checked with multiple sources. Mr. Emerson has produced a fascinating look at the capabilities and foibles of the special and covert operations community during the 80's. Highly recommended for folks wanting to learn more about the "silver age" of US special operations.

A facinating book regarding this particular topic. It seems to have been fairly well researched and the writing style was maintained my interest throughout.

Ironically, Emerson seems to fall prey to the very flaw he attaches to the subjects of this book;
"what happens when some men think they know what's best for the country".
Obviously authors like Emerson seem to think THEY know what's best for the country when they reveal leaked classified information in their writing without a regard to the men and women they are unknowingly placing in jeopardy.
But thanks to Emerson, at least if these operators are killed in the line of duty, we can rest easy knowing our own curiosity was satiated.

This book may be just fine for the conspiracy crowd, but falls far short of the thruth, as the author's political aganda has gotten in the way. The gaps are filled with speculation presented as fact - and those gaps started with the openning words. I guess starting with 1983 during the Reagan years was easier for his agenda than starting in 1978-79, with Carter's own agenda for a highly trained group of assassins in violation of Pres. Ford's Presidential Order. Thank God the CIA double-crossed Carter and wanted a written order before deploying, and he lost the next election. "No Rules" for Zero Company.

One of the first books I read on special operations. Well written and full of info. I read the paperback and found it to be well-researched and hard to let go. I took it with me on vacation a few years ago for a re-read and it became the group favorite; friends would not give it back willingly. I wish Emerson would write more like these. Excellent book and worth reading more than once.

Mr. Emerson sheds more light on the amount of cover ups the government has conducted. The book shows how scary our intelligence and covert operations apparatus is. Although most of the operations are hair brained schemes, it shows us how misinformed the public is to the true nature of out government.