Ok, here is another good book that I just plowed through in one day. I think I read the thing in about 7 hours with 368 pages. whew! So if that gives you an indicator of how interesting this book was, then take note. My overall impression was that Boykin was a special operations hero who sacrificed much for this country. And after all he gave and all he went through, in the end he got screwed over by a bunch of reporters that wanted to take a cheap shot at the Bush Administration by attacking Boykin and his religious convictions. And they succeeded.
Boykin was a religious man, and this is what the media decided to stick their dagger into and twist. Just because you put on the uniform, does not mean your right to freedom of religion goes out the door. And they made Boykin out to be a Crusader after they got through with him. And after this hit piece hit cyber space, then all hell broke loose. He and his family were being threatened by numerous Islamic extremist sites, he was fired from his job in DC, and his good name was dragged through the mud.
Now personally, I am not that religious. But I do respect a person’s religious beliefs and for some soldiers and contractors out there, a belief in god is what gets them through the day. I don’t have a problem with that, just as long as it isn’t shoved down my throat. But I have to say that I am a believer in the concept that there is no such thing as an atheist in a fox hole. God, and whatever form of God you worship, can get you through those times where there are no answers for the really dire and down situations in life. So as you read through this book, you will see exactly how much faith impacted Boykin’s life as a Delta operator and leader and how ridiculous and wrong the media was in their judgment of the man.
I don’t want to give away all of the book, but I will give you a taste of some of the really interesting stuff. Boykin was part of the original group of Delta guys. He was a Vietnam veteran, Ranger, airborne, you name it, and he was trained in those early days by Charlie Beckwith(the founder of Delta). In the book, Boykin describes what it was like in those early days of the unit and he goes into the logic and some of the details behind the selection process.(which I found very interesting)
As you progress through the book, he continues on with his life in the Special Operations world. He was involved with the Iran Hostage mission, Grenada, Operation Just Cause and the rescue of Kurt Muse, Somalia, hunting war criminals in Bosnia, Wacko and the Branch Davidian Incident, and hunting Pablo Escobar. He also talks about his injuries, where he took a .50 cal round to the arm in Grenada and shrapnel in Somalia. All the while, remaining faithful to his men, country and god.
One last thing, just to give you an idea of the kind of stuff you will get in this book. Boykin often tells the real story behind all of these major events in our recent history since Vietnam. He lays to rest the idiotic rumors about Delta’s involvement in Wacko and Pablo Escobar’s death. He goes into detail why they really used rock music during the Operation Just Cause/Noriega negotiations deal and the behind the scenes about the Kurt Muse rescue. He talks about how Mike Durrant (the pilot in Somalia that was captured) was beaten on his face with the severed limb of one of his fallen comrades by his captors. These are the kind of details you can expect out of this book, and it was a real page turner for me. –Head Jundi
Product Description
In 1978, Jerry Boykin joined what would become the world’s premier Special Operations unit, Delta Force. The only promise: “A medal and a body bag.” What followed was a .50 caliber round in the chest and a life spent with America’s elite forces bringing down warlords and war criminals, despots, and dictators. In Colombia, his task force hunted the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. In Panama, he helped capture the brutal dictator Manuel Noriega, liberating a nation. From Vietnam to Iran to Mogadishu, Lt. General Jerry Boykin’s life reads like an action-adventure novel. Boykin’s powerful story will keep you riveted as he reveals how his military duty worked in tandem with his faith to bring him through the bloody storms of foreign battle-and through the political firestorm that ambushed him in his own country.
Lieutenant General William “Jerry” Boykin served in a variety of posts during his 36-year career in the Army, most of them involving Delta Force and Special Forces. He is an original member of the Army’s Delta Force. His last post was as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in the Pentagon, overseeing the gathering and exploitation of intelligence during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
