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No Room for Error: The Covert Operations of America's Special Tactics Units from Iran To Afghanistan (Hardcover)

~ Col. John T. Carney (Author), Benjamin F. Schemmer (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Colonel John T. Carney Jr. is the first commanding officer of the U.S. "special tactics" units. Ably assisted by West Point graduate and veteran Ranger Schemmer, he has written a timely book that's part memoir and part history. Carney was an air force officer whose career was going slowly until he was assigned to Combat Control School. A descendant of the WWII pathfinders the men who jumped first and marked the way for paratroopers the combat controllers were an overlooked bunch in the air force. Stationed on a base in Texas, the hardworking Carney turned his lackluster command into a top-flight outfit that soon got noticed. Nicknamed "Brand X," Carney managed to get his command attached to the new Delta Force only after a lot of infighting among the services. After even more rigorous training, the combat controllers were an integral part of the failed rescue attempt of the U.S. hostages in Iran in 1980. Carney pulls no punches in strongly criticizing official stories of the success of Operation Urgent Fury, which liberated Grenada. By 1989, when American forces overthrew Manuel Noriega in Panama, the special forces had learned even more from their operations and acted more in unison, even though some army units still didn't want any of Carney's men attached to their units. (Carney is quick to point out how these units foundered when his men were kept out of action.) Carney's men were used to locate Iraqi Scuds during the Gulf War with varying success; operations in Somalia and Haiti, among others, reinforced the need for special operations units such as those Carney describes. His dramatic tales place special operations history in perspective, particularly as the war in Afghanistan has been led by special forces units. Of America's 277 combat deaths in six major operations since 1980, 36% were special forces.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist

Carney participated in the disastrous 1980 special-ops mission to rescue American diplomats in Teheran. By that year, Carney had redirected his career from coaching football at the Air Force Academy to organizing the service's "combat control" units--the specialists who set up airstrips in hostile territory. Carney did so in Iran and gives here (with the help of professional writer Schemmer) his eyewitness account of what went wrong when Delta Force arrived at his improvised airstrip. His point in baring problems he experienced (he also flays with equal force the deadly mistakes made during the 1983 invasion of Granada) is to illustrate lessons learned and the increasing reliance on special-ops units by the U.S. military. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (November 12, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0345453336
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345453334
  • Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #472,478 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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John T. Carney
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21 Reviews
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4.3 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Thought Provoking, March 5, 2003
Col. John T. Carney, USAF (ret.) takes the reader through his professional career and the history of U.S. Air Force special tactics units from the early 1980s through 2002.

Special Tactics, which has operated in most every American military action since Operation Eagle Claw (aka Desert One) in 1980, has its foundations in the Pathfinder units of WW2, and are often known as 'combat controllers.' They are often the first in and the last out.

In a frank and engaging manner, Carney lays out the history of special tactics and their operations, including Eagle Claw, Grenada, Panama, Achille Lauro, Desert Storm, and Somalia, through Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Given his firsthand involvement in the majority of these operations, Carney offers a unique perspective and pulls no punches in his assessment of Air Force and U.S. Special Operations. Nothing is glossed-over and the reader gets the sense that Carney bears more self-imposed crosses than he probably should.

If you are interested in a unique perspective of U.S. Special Operations and Air Force Special Tactics, this book should not be missed.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, February 4, 2003
This review is from: No Room for Error: The Covert Operations of America's Special Tactics Units from Iran to Afghanistan (Audio Cassette)
Special operations forces were all born from necessity, yet always treated as the bastard children of their traditional counterparts. So it was with the creation of the US Air Forces Special Tactics Units. They may not be as well known as the Army's Rangers and Special Forces, or the Navy's SEALs, but they are every bit as important.

Colonel Carney was personnally involved in the creation and development of these critically important units. While they have played in the shawdows of all recent conflicts, the participation of these Special Tactics Units came to the fore during Operation Enduring Freedom. There, in Afghanistan, their courage became legendary as they directed devastating bombing missions that quickly broke the back of al Qaeda and Taliban forces. With other special operations units, they fought on the ground where it gets up close and personal.

This book will give the readers an insight into a world they seldom hear about and a historical perspective of the battles of the Air Commandos - all told from the firsthand perspective of a true American hero.

You will also learn of Col Carney's continued service to the SOF community. Currently he runs the Special Operations Warrior's Foundation which provides scholarship to the children of our fallen comrades.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Reading for Students of Military History, November 12, 2002
By Ray Calafell (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I am privileged to have received and read an early copy of this book, a timely reminder to all Americans that "Freedom is not Free." Colonel John T. Carney, Jr. (Retired), is President of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a very special charity that provides full scholarships to the children and families of fallen special operations soldiers, sailors and airmen. As a member of a fraternity of men known as "Quiet Professionals," it must have been terribly difficult for him to put into words acts of incredible courage which have heretofore been closely held knowledge among very few people. On the verge of retirement from the Air Force after a disappointing and stalled career, Carney gets a word of advice from an old friend, changes his career track and begins a journey down a lonely road towards the creation of a special Air Force unit that expertly handles air assets during special operations missions. The road for his "Brand X" unit is full of obstacles, but with slow acceptance among some of the Army's Special Forces legends, like Colonel Charlie Beckwith and Lieutenant Colonel Lewis "Bucky" Burruss, he doggedly champions his unit's abilities and repeatedly demonstrates the utility of having a trained combat controller in situ with the Army's Special Forces teams. Having previously been a football coach for the Air Force Academy, Carney's program for his special tactics teams is as tough as any training the services can muster, including HALO, HAHO and scuba training. Skydiving is fun. HALO and HAHO with special operations forces in the dead of night, in all weather conditions, and with 200 pounds of equipment is deadly serious business and not much fun at all. The men whose job is to maintain that edge now have a safety net for their families: the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. They can do their jobs comfortable in the knowledge that the net is held by an American hero, Colonel John T. Carney, Jr., founder of the Air Force Special Tactics teams.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, On time
I received this book in the time I expected and it was inexpensive so I'm pretty happy with the selection. Read more
Published 2 months ago by B. Muse

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read - But Not Exceptional
Retired Colonel John T. Carney's "No Room for Error: The Story Behind the USAF Special Tactics Unit" is a combination personal memoir and story of the Air Force's contribution to... Read more
Published 4 months ago by A. Courie

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative of Air Force Special Operations
I was interested in the book because I was previously assigned as a logistics person to a simular unit and heard alot about Col Carney. Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Hard work and dedication that paved the way for the Air Force special operations of today!
"No Room For Error," is a book about all the guts, hard work and pride that Colonel J. T. Carney had in creating the United State Air Force CCT's as they are today. Read more
Published 11 months ago by R. A. Siersma

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, At times Hard To Follow
This is a great book about an ELITE group of Air Force Special Operations Forces. The author is a founding member of the Special Tactics Units in the Air Force. Read more
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4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding - highly recommended
The book is outstanding on several levels. As a chronicle of the evolution of the Air Force Combat Controller component of special forces it is an outstanding history of the... Read more
Published on February 20, 2007 by Steve Dietrich

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough and in depth look into the teams few know exist.
I enjoyed this book immensely. "No Room for Error" is an open, straight forward look into the history and present day missions of U.S. Read more
Published on February 6, 2007 by Daniel Zimmerman

4.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected
This book has an unusual pedigree and an even more unusual main author. John T. Carney is a retired Air Force Colonel who served for more than two and a half decades "traveling... Read more
Published on January 25, 2007 by David W. Nicholas

5.0 out of 5 stars Listening to/reading this book is not an error!
I listened to the abridged version of this book over the course of a few days and found it to be quite entertaining and informative. Read more
Published on July 17, 2006 by Gary J. Sampson

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quiet Professionals
No Room For Error fills a gap in military history. Such gaps have existed since the beginning of time whenever a 'special' operation was conducted. Read more
Published on August 7, 2005 by James W. Mcclain

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