One Green Beret: Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and beyond: 15 Extraordinary years in the life - 1996-2011

This is much more of the authors reflections and feelings about the conflicts he has been involved with, rather than deep descriptions of battles etc. He has clearly been negatively affected by all he has seen and done and this comes across in the book as an extremely strong anti-war sentiment. The sense of the stupidity and pointlessness of war is strong. It's also quite amazing and inspiring that towards the end of his military career he reinvented himself, learned a new set of skills and seemed to be very good at this new career. This is all OK.The major problem I have with the book is that it is a) Chronologically it's written with the authors last account first and he reflects on some of what he sees and refers to earlier events that happened to him - but which you have yet to read about and have no context for. I don't understand why he didn't just provide the account in the order in which they happened, would have made more sense and you could get why he responded in a certain way to subsequent events, based on what he'd already witnessed. This gives the narrative a disjointed feel. b) The grammar, sentence construction etc is not good and certain words used in places are just plain incorrect. I'm no English teacher, but I found this annoying. c) There's a lot of repetition and the text could have been shortened and made more punchy by removing this d) There are events mentioned in the book that are referenced e.g. '[65]' which are then expanded upon at the end of the book. I actually found these very interesting as they provide a very personal view and interpretation or response to the events being described in the Chapters. I just wish these could have been incorporated into the text. As they are, they again add to the disjointed feel of the book. I read this on Kindle, making going forwards and backwards in the book impossible, but this structure wouldn't be ideal in a paper copy either.Overall I enjoyed the read as it's not your usual 'blood and guts' view of conflicts, more about how the author has been affected by the horrors he's witnessed. It's just badly let down by its construction. The publishers should have helped out with this.

I have worked with and been around the SpecialForces community for a long time.And yes, no one can be a soldier forever.SF attracts a special (where have we seen that word before),or a unique type of individual.Even to this day, not everything (not even close) is known aboutwhat and how SF conducts their business.That is as it should be.One Green Beret, touches on many aspects of the SF World, goodand bad.It is not a rah rah, shoot 'em up, conventional forces war story.And some may not like how it ends.But, it is what it is.Not everyone can be SF, and no one is a soldier forever.

I downloaded this on Kindle after browsing the free sections on Amazon. Other reviewers have pointed out the negatives of this book (grammar, misused/misspelled words, confusing chronology, etc). Also, LOTS of footnotes (over 100); many of these comments could have been woven into the story for better continuity. the author's tendency to remind us of his awesomeness is a little odd. It would be easier to overlook the books architectural shortcomings if the author mentioned less how smart he is. In short, this book would have benefited greatly from the services of a proofreader/editor.The positive- the author gives an interesting perspective on some of the most significant political/military events in the post-Cold War world. I especially liked how his interactions with various locals in war-torn regions changed his thinking. Because I'm an Army veteran with three years of overseas service during the cold war, I could relate somewhat to stories about having one's perspective changed by different cultures. All in all, a good book.

This is a very good book. A very good description of the destruction in war followed by many good experiences that are possible in war and following war for a soldier. I have a great respect for Mark Giaconia and thank him for his service and such an insightful and well written book. It’s so wonderful he made it to retirement and time to spend with his family.

I like what this guy accomplished, but I did get a little tired of reading him brag about how smart he was. Other than that tiresome bit, this was a pretty good read and very educational which is one of the things I enjoy about reading the most.

True warrior poet. Smart. Confirms many other soldier depictions of the difficulties dealing with politicized military and why some didn’t and shouldn’t serve. Read with Sam Faddis’ CIA in Kurdistan and you’ll get good overlap and framework of the early days of Iraq war.

Having chewed the same sand as Mark Giaconia, his stories are real, accurately portrayed and accessible to both Military and Civilian readers.

Great Story, how your outlook changes after you experience the damages and mass killing involved with war. It sounds heroic until you see the carnage and waste of human life.

I came into this expecting a traditional special forces account. And while it does most certainly include that, it’s also so much more. This book has had a profound impact on me and is essential reading for anyone who has an interest in the military and combat to understand what the impacts are after the shooting has stopped, and the strength required to work through it.

Currently busy with a detailed article about TF Viking and operations in northern iraq, I found this book by chance. The style is certainly not the one of a professional author, but it reflects well the memories and reflexions of a special forces soldier, something we most of the time don't have. It relates events and stories not related in officials books, which is also fantastic to my point of view and give a pretty good first-hand account of the pre-war. The only criticism is the lack of pictures and datums, which should have been a great plus for someone passionate in military history like me. Only available in english, but easily understandable for a non-english native like me.