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Colonel John T. Carney Jr., USAF (ret.)
is, “the founding father of Air Force Special Tactics, was the first commanding officer of any such unit. Originally
a six-man team known as Brand X, this elite unit now comprises a group of seven squadrons deployed worldwide. In 1996, Carney
was presented the U.S. Special Operations Command Medal for his outstanding contributions to the revitalization of special
operations, and, in 1997, he was inducted into the Air Commando Hall of Fame. He is now President of the non-profit Special
Operations Warrior Foundation providing full college scholarships to over 360 children of Special Operators killed in service
to their country.”
Colonel John T. Carey is the
co-author of No Room for Error: The Story Behind the USAF Special Tactics Unit; How to Pass Elite Forces Selection;
Survive in the Mountains With the U.S. Rangers and Army Mountain Division; Learning Mental Endurance With the U.S. Marines;
Survive in the Arctic With the Royal Marine Commandos; Training to Fight With the Parachute Regiment; and, Urban Survival
Techniques.
According to the book description of
No Room for Error: The Story Behind the USAF Special Tactics Unit, “When the U.S. Air Force
decided to create an elite “special tactics” team in the late 1970s to work in conjunction with special-operations
forces combating terrorists and hijackers and defusing explosive international emergencies, John T. Carney was the man they
turned to. Since then Carney and the U.S. Air Force Special Tactical units have circled the world on sensitive clandestine
missions. They have operated behind enemy lines gathering vital intelligence. They have combated terrorists and overthrown
dangerous dictators. They have suffered many times the casualty rate of America’s conventional forces. But they have
gotten the job done–most recently in stunning victories in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, which Carney calls “America’s
first special-operations war.” Now, for the first time, Colonel Carney lifts the veil of secrecy and reveals what really
goes on inside the special-operations forces that are at the forefront of contemporary warfare.
Part memoir, part military history,
No Room for Error reveals how Carney, after a decade of military service, was handpicked to organize a small, under-funded,
classified ad hoc unit known as Brand X, which even his boss knew very little about. Here Carney recounts the challenging
missions: the secret reconnaissance in the desert of north-central Iran during the hostage crisis; the simple rescue operation
in Grenada that turned into a prolonged bloody struggle. With Operation Just Cause in Panama, the Special Tactical units scored
a major success, as they took down the corrupt regime of General Noriega with lightning speed. Desert Storm was another triumph,
with Carney’s team carrying out vital search-and-rescue missions as well as helping to hunt down mobile Scud missiles
deep inside Iraq.
Now with the war on terrorism
in Afghanistan, special operations have come into their own, and Carney includes a chapter detailing exactly how the Air Force
Special Tactics d.c. units have spearheaded the successful campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Gripping in its battle scenes, eye-opening in its revelations,
No Room for Error is the first insider’s account of how special operations are changing the way modern wars are fought.
Col. John T. Carney is an airman America can be proud of, and he has written an absolutely superb book.”
According to the book description of
How to Pass Elite Forces Selection, “This series will open a door for readers into the daily
life of elite forces all over the world. Read what it's like to survive at sea with the Navy SEALs or how to survive in
the desert with the French Foreign Legion. Amazing photography and detailed diagrams add to the experience.”
The School Library Journal said of Survive in the Mountains
With the U.S. Rangers and Army Mountain Division, “Terrorist attacks have raised children's awareness
of U.S. elite forces (described here as "the tip of Freedom's spear") and sparked interest in how they train
to do their work. McNab gives the history of the U.S. Rangers and Army Mountain Division, highlighting what to expect in this
terrain and climate, the safest way to move around, how to use ropes for climbing, how to build a shelter in the snow, the
dangers of avalanches, and basic first aid. Urban Survival reads like a training manual for new recruits on self-defense and
how to fight using the body as a weapon. Fitness, training, and discipline are stressed throughout. Color photographs, illustrations,
diagrams, and sidebars fill the books.
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