Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit (review)

Just as promised in his title, Haney takes readers deep inside the secretive Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta . . . well, actually Delta Force of a quarter century ago . . . okay, Haney's training session as a recruit to Delta Force a quarter century ago. Breathless jacket-flap hype aside, this is a memoir of a retired soldier who was accepted as a candidate for the then-newly formed (1977) Army strike force, underwent a challenging selection process that reduced 163 prospects down to twelve members, and then knuckled down to tactical training. Audience enjoyment of Haney's account depends largely on their tolerance of his narrative style. Some will doubtless be swept up in the tide of Rambo rhetoric ("We were not just going to go into harm's way. We were going to charge down harm's throat, grab a handful of his guts, and turn him inside out"), while others will roll their eyes over the chest-thumping bravado ("A Delta operator . . . is like the wolf that becomes a shepherd. He will guard the flock, but—make no mistake about it—he remains a deadly predator"). There's no denying that the details of selection and training are engrossing and often thrilling, from the physically punishing solo orienteering exercises to the anguishing shootouts with blank fire in simulated war games. In the end, though, one knows little about the current operations of Delta Force (yep, it does seem to be classified), or even any juicy bits about past missions. No matter, though. Plenty of kids will be perfectly content to cue up the Toby Keith and settle in for some vicarious butt-kicking.