05-28-2004, 14:49
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#1
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,812
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SFQC Reading List
This is the reading list developed in 1996 for the SFQC students.
It is not all inclusive nor would one stop after reading these, as an SF soldier is always seeking to learn new things.
It is presented to provoke discussion, and to answer a frequently asked question.
I can present a brief summary of any of these books of interest.
HTH.
TR
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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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05-28-2004, 16:37
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#2
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NC
Posts: 995
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TR,
Thank you for posting that. It is always slightly difficult to find any accurate books on the topic of SF and insurgencies because both fields are fairly mysteries, certainly the former is.
If you have any other reading lists, it would be much appreciated.
Solid
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Solid is offline
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05-28-2004, 19:56
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#3
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Vermont
Posts: 3,093
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I would add three more texts to this list:
Human Factors Considerations of Undergrounds in Insurgencies which is a DA Pam NO. 550-104, Sep 1966.
Insurgent Era by Richard H. Sanger
Total Resistance by Major H. von Dach Bern, Swiss Army.
Jack Moroney
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Jack Moroney (RIP) is offline
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05-29-2004, 03:46
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#4
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NC
Posts: 995
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I'm having massive trouble finding Human Factor Considerations in Underground Insurgencies. Is there any chance I could, when I move stateside, purchase or borrow one of your books?
Thank you,
Solid
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Solid is offline
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05-29-2004, 06:53
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#5
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,812
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Quote:
Originally posted by Solid
I'm having massive trouble finding Human Factor Considerations in Underground Insurgencies. Is there any chance I could, when I move stateside, purchase or borrow one of your books?
Thank you,
Solid
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I didn't find it either, but I did find a very interesting little piece while searching.
TR
http://www.statecraft.org/chapter10.html
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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05-29-2004, 07:05
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#6
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NC
Posts: 995
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I found the same thing. Printed it, but haven't read it yet.
Solid
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Solid is offline
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05-29-2004, 07:27
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#7
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,812
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Quote:
Originally posted by Solid
I found the same thing. Printed it, but haven't read it yet.
Solid
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The other Chapters are not bad either.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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05-29-2004, 08:01
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#8
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NC
Posts: 995
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When I saw the website for the first time, I started to look around to find out who the author was to see what position was being taken. I found this:
Quote:
Since World War II, assassination, sabotage, kidnaping, torture, the overthrow of foreign governments, and other terroristic activities have been intrinsic to our national defense policy. These have been justified time and again as necessary to combat communist insurgency and, more recently, terrorism-as the only effective response to the barbarism ascribed to, or projected onto, our enemies- be they Sandinistas or the PLO. . .
So it is that America has maintained forces -including the OSS, the CIA, the Green Berets, and the Delta Force-that have specialized in dirty warfare with impunity, in Nicaragua, Lebanon, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Africa, Cuba, Central America, and Greece, among other places. . .
Michael McClintock gives a fascinating and alarming expose of the dark side of American foreign policy, while examining its tactical roots-from the pronouncements of Clausewitz and Raymond Aron, to its ideological basis in the Monroe Doctrine, Theodore Roosevelt's "Big Stick" foreign policy, and Woodrow Wilson's post-colonialist crusade.
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The tone seems pretty anti-american, and I was worried that the bias might filter through into the work. McClintock has been a human rights monitor for sixteen years. Having said that, I have yet to read the piece. I suppose the question I should ask is- did you find an anti-american bias in his work?
Thank you,
Solid
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Solid is offline
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05-29-2004, 08:07
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#9
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 20,929
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Quote:
Originally posted by Solid
I'm having massive trouble finding Human Factor Considerations in Underground Insurgencies. Is there any chance I could, when I move stateside, purchase or borrow one of your books?
Thank you,
Solid
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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...209658-4006521
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"The Spartans do not ask how many are the enemy, but where they are."
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Team Sergeant is offline
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05-29-2004, 08:09
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#10
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
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He uses the right sources, and the rest of the piece, especially the chapters pertaining to SF and other areas I am familiar with are not particularly Anti-American, but more a historical retrospective.
I have scrolled through about three chapters, and saw that he took a small shot at Lansdale, other than that, it was pretty clean. Even then, it was more along the lines of whether we should be moral relativists and if the ends justify the means.
You have to occasionally look at things from another perspective, particularly one which is well researched and scholarly, in order to get some small sense of reality and how you are perceived.
Just my .02, YMMV.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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05-29-2004, 08:37
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#11
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Williamston, SC
Posts: 2,018
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Two More
Two that were on the list in 1963 were "Street Without Joy" about Dien Bien Phu; an"d Lawrence of Arabia." TYhe movie gives as good of an example of adviser/advisee relationships as I have ever seen.
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QRQ 30 is offline
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05-29-2004, 08:38
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#12
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NC
Posts: 995
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TS,
That's amazing: I checked last week and there was nada. Thank you for taking your time to find that for me, having that book means a lot.
TR,
I absolutely agree that if the 'other viewpoint' is well researched and scholarly, it deserves to be read and potentially incorporated into one's own view. However, determining whether that viewpoint is well researched and bears a modicum of truth is difficult when experience in the field is as limited as my own. Lies often go several books backwards in the bibliography, making on-the-spot fact-checking difficult, especially, as I said before, when it comes to the 'shadowy world of SF'.
Regardless, I read everything I can, this work will not be an exception.
Thank you for your opinion, and TS thank you for your time,
Solid
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Solid is offline
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06-02-2004, 12:07
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#13
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Consigliere
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland (at last)
Posts: 8,833
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Thanks, TR. I will have to read some of these.
I find it interesting that Bravo Two Zero is on the list, given some of the comments made here about it by qualified personnel.
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Roguish Lawyer is offline
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06-26-2004, 00:20
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#14
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: LA
Posts: 1,653
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The Ugly American by William Lederer
The Jungle Is Neutral by F. Spencer Chapman
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Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?
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NousDefionsDoc is offline
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06-26-2004, 00:27
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#15
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: LA
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Re: Two More
Quote:
Originally posted by QRQ 30
Two that were on the list in 1963 were "Street Without Joy" about Dien Bien Phu; an"d Lawrence of Arabia." TYhe movie gives as good of an example of adviser/advisee relationships as I have ever seen.
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They were still on the list in '85. While I think T.E. Lawrence is overrated as a G, the book is good. Street Without Joy is outstanding.
__________________
Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?
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NousDefionsDoc is offline
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