Vet News: Authors Explain Special Ops in 'Shadow Warriors'

WASHINGTON (Army News Service)

Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces was recently released after Tom Clancy and retired General Carl Stiner added a chapter on the aftermath of September 11 and the current war against terrorism.

Clancy and Stiner met hundreds of fans recently at a book signing in Pentagon City. Some waited in line for hours to have their book signed by the novelist and Stiner, the second general officer to head up Special Operations Command.

"This book is dedicated to all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines with whom I have been privileged to serve during 35 years of service," said Stiner in the book's prologue. "Among these, an elite brotherhood of warriors deserves the highest possible recognition - our nation's Special Operations Force, past and present. To those who have sacrificed their lives in defense of our freedom, we owe our deepest respect and gratitude. To their families, we offer our deepest sympathy and prayers for their future."

"This book is extremely important in educating America about Special Forces," Stiner said in an interview. "There is a lot of misunderstanding of Special Forces. Many Americans think of us as Rambos and snake eaters. Our main goal was to educate the public about what Special Forces do in peacetime and in war, and to let taxpayers know that they are getting the maximum amount possible out of each dollar spent on special operations."

During his time as SOCOM commander, Stiner was responsible for the readiness of all special-operations forces of the Army, Navy, and Air Force including the Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Rangers, Air Force Special Operations, PsyOps, Civil Affairs, and other special-mission units. Since he was only the second SOCOM commander, his job wasn't easy, he said.

To Meet New Threat

In this latest book, Stiner and Clancy trace "the transformation of the Special Forces from the core of outsiders of the 1950s to the rebirth of Special Forces in the late 1980s and 1990s, and on into the new century as the bearer of the largest, most mixed and most complex set of missions in the U.S. military.

"President Kennedy and Brig. Gen. Bill Yarborough saw the need for changes in special operations back in the 1960s with the new threats from the Soviet Union and from insurgencies. Unfortunately, our organization shrank considerably after Vietnam, mostly because each service ran their own special operations. When money got tight, they cut special ops," Stiner said.

"The special operations forces did a great job at what they were told to do, but they were too specialized," he said. "In 1986 the Goldwater-Nichols Act and the Cohen-Nunn amendment transformed Special Forces forever. The act created the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and placed all the special operations forces from each of the services under one controller."

Before Stiner commanded SOCOM from 1990-93, he also commanded the 82nd Airborne Division and then the XVIII Airborne Corps. As his book strives to educate the American people on U.S. Special Operations, Stiner said he also wants it to serve as a tool for modern Special Forces leaders.

"This book gives recognition for Special Operations soldiers and the sacrifices they made for our freedom," said Stiner. "But I also wanted it to be a source document for future leaders as well. Over the last two years that we were writing the book, we tried to capture the lessons learned over time and incorporate them. Even after the book was finished in late August, we went back and wrote information about the impact of September 11 on all Americans and the Special Operations community."

For the soldiers joining special operations today, Stiner said it's the most important thing they could possibly be doing.

"The honor from this sacrifice can not be taken from anyone who serves in protecting freedom for future generations," Stiner said.

Source: Army News Service via Veterans News and Information Service