Commandos: The Making of America's Secret Soldiers, from Training to Desert Storm

Despite General Schwarzkopf's reluctance to employ them, more than 7000 U.S. special-operations personnel took part in Desert Storm. Waller, a Newsweek reporter, describes an Air Force special-ops helicopter raid that knocked out early-warning radar in Iraq, a Navy SEAL mission on Kuwait's coastline that pinned down two Iraqi divisions, a deep-penetration mission into Iraq by Green Beret teams and the destruction of Scud missiles by Delta Force commandos. There is also a chapter on the contribution of the Army's 4th Psychological Operations Group, which dropped tons of propaganda leaflets that purportedly prompted the surrender of thousands of Iraqi soldiers. Waller argues convincingly that Schwarzkopf, the theater commander, bypassed many opportunities to deploy special-ops forces effectively during the Gulf War, and ascribes his reluctance in large part to the U.S. high command's traditional distrust of ``elite'' troops. Based on interviews with some 200 members of the special-operations community and his observation of its training methods, Waller has written a revealing, involving appraisal of the nation's most highly trained and specialized soldiers. Photos. First serial to Newsweek; Military Book Club main selection. (Jan.)