by Dalton Fury
There are no “reluctant warriors” in Delta. All are eager to enter harm’s way. They aren’t stupid, don’t carry a death wish, and aren’t necessarily looking for any more holes in their bodies than the good Lord already provided. But these elite operators are paid more and enjoy millions of dollars more in funding than any other command. In return, they are expected to do more. It is their raison d’être, and they will not let down their mates.
As my wife, two daughters, and I pulled out of the compound shortly after the retirement ceremony, it came to me that Gus Murdock had been wrong about that last look in the rearview mirror. I had already seen that view, and now I had to look at it again.
I became a former Unit member—for the second time! It was twice as bad.
* Authors Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor document well Delta Force’s crossing of the Saudi border and long push into Iraq to start the war in their book Cobra II.
Index
Acid Gambit
AC-130 gunship (aircraft)
actionable intelligence. See also Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); HUMINT; intelligence
Admiral (U.S. Air Force combat controller)
Advance Force Operations (Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC))
Afghanistan. See also Tora Bora, Battle of (Afghanistan); Tora Bora Mountains (Afghanistan); specific Afghan cities, towns, and provinces
Bagram Air Base
culture of
Dailey, Dell
deception plan
Delta Force missions
deployment decision
intelligence
intermediate staging base (ISB)
Pakistan border
planning for
preparation for
quick-reaction force
Shelter Now International hostage crisis
Soviet Union
Tora Bora Mountains
United Kingdom
United States Marine Corps
Against All Enemies (Clarke)
Agam Valley, Afghanistan
Ahmed, Gul
bin Laden, Usama
capture of
Delta Force mission
described
helicopter evacuation
home of
Hot Wash
HUMINT
air force special tactics combat control. See also Admiral (U.S. Air Force combat controller); Tora Bora, Battle of (Afghanistan), air bombing
air supremacy, Tora Bora Mountains, Afghanistan. See also Tora Bora, Battle of (Afghanistan), air bombing
AK-47 assault rifle
Al (Special Forces officer assigned to CIA)
Alabama National Guard
Albright, Madeleine
Alexander the Great (king of Macedonia)
Alexandria, Virginia
Algeria
Ali, Hazret (Pashai warlord). See also mujahideen
al Qaeda
al Qaeda surrender
bin Laden, Usama
biography of
BLU-82 bomb (Daisy Cutter)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
combat practices of
Delta Force
demands on
espionage
Green Berets
headquarters of
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
media
money
night vision
politics
surrender and
Tora Bora, Battle of
Tora Bora forward command
Tora Bora tactics
victory declared by
Zaman Ghamshareek, Haji (Pashtun warlord) and
Al Majallah (magazine)
Alpha Team
al Qaeda. See also bin Laden, Usama; Taliban
Ali, Hazret (warlord)
bin Laden, Usama
BLU-82 bomb (Daisy Cutter)
casualties
deception plan for
equipment of
intelligence on
9/11 terrorist attacks
observation posts of
prisoners
Rumsfeld, Donald
Shelter Now International hostage crisis
Spin Ghar Mountains (Afghanistan)
surrender
tanks
Tora Bora, Battle of
Tora Bora Mountains, Afghanistan
Towr Ghar Mountains (Afghanistan)
Zaman Ghamshareek, Haji (Pashtun warlord)
Al Qaeda Martyr Memorial (Tora Bora, Afghanistan)
Al Qaeda’s Great Escape (Smucker)
American Indians
ammunition
supply problems
Tora Bora, Battle of
Anderson, Bruce
AN-PEQ2 laser
AN/PVS-5 night vision goggles (NVGs)
ANVS-9 night vision goggles (NVGs)
Arabic. See also language skills
Ashley, Jake
assessment process, Delta Force
Atef, Mohammed
Baader-Meinhof gang (Germany)
Badr, Battle of
Bagram Air Base (Afghanistan)
Afghanistan operations
supply problems
Tora Bora, Battle of
Balkans, Delta Force operations in
bandits, Afghanistan
Band of Brothers (film)
Bargewell, Eldon
beards, Delta Force
Beckwith, Charlie
Belvoir, Fort (Virginia)
Benning, Fort (Georgia)
Bergen, Peter
Berntsen, Gary
B-52 bomber
Bierce, Ambrose
bin Laden, Mohammed
bin Laden, Usama. See also al Qaeda; Taliban
Ahmed, Gul
Ali, Hazret (Pashai warlord)
BLU-82 bomb (Daisy Cutter)
capture rumor
Daruna, Afghanistan
deception plan for
Delta Force mission
disposition of
escape of
expectations of
intelligence on
last will and testament of
life and death decision
media
mujahideen
popular support for
reward for
Sudan
Tora Bora, Battle of
Tora Bora Mountains (Afghanistan)
United States and
Zaman Ghamshareek, Haji (Pashtun warlord)
bin Laden, Uthman
Blaber, Pete
Blackfeet people
Blackhawk Down (film)
Black Sea, Battle of (Somalia, 1993)
BLU-82 bomb (Daisy Cutter)
B-Monkey. See Bryan (code named B-Monkey)
bombs, unexploded
B-1 bomber
Bosnia. See also Balkans
Bradley fighting vehicle
Bragg, Fort (North Carolina)
Bravo Team
British intelligence
British Royal Marine commandos
British SBS commandos
British Special Air Service (SAS) commandos (U.K.)
British Special Boat Service (SBS, U.K.)
Bryan (code named B-Monkey)
bureaucracy, politics. See also military establishment; politics
Bush, George W.
9/11 terrorist attacks
Tora Bora, Battle of
Bushnell reflex HOLOsights
Cambone, Steven
Canada
capability exercises (CAPEXs), Delta Force
CAPEXs (capability exercises), Delta Force
capture rumor, bin Laden, Usama
Carlson, William
casualties
al Qaeda
civilian
Engagement Zones (EZ)
Kolokhel, Afghanistan
Tora Bora, Battle of (Afghanistan)
CBU-78 Gator mines
CENTCOM
Spin Ghar Mountains (Afghanistan)
Tora Bora
, Battle of
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). See also actionable intelligence; HUMINT; intelligence
Afghanistan
Ahmed, Gul mission
Al (Special Forces officer assigned to CIA)
Ali, Hazret (warlord)
al Qaeda casualties
bin Laden, Usama
BLU-82 bomb (Daisy Cutter)
Delta Force
George (agent)
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan
language skills
members of
money
munitions
Predator (drone aircraft)
Shelter Now International hostage crisis
Spin Ghar Mountains (Afghanistan)
Sudan
Tora Bora, Battle of
Tora Bora Mountains attack
Zaman Ghamshareek, Haji (Pashtun
warlord)
Zawahiri, Ayman al-
checkpoints
Ahmed, Gul mission
Balkan mission
Northern Alliance
Tora Bora, Battle of
Cheney, Dick
CH-47 helicopter
civilian casualties. See also casualties
Engagement Zones (EZ)
Kolokhel, Afghanistan
Clancy, Tom
Clarke, Richard
Clarke, Torie
Clinton, William J.
Clinton administration, Delta Force
close-quarter combat (CQB), Delta Force
Coalition Air Operations Center (CAOC)
Cobra II (Gordon and Trainor)
Combat Shooting and Tactics Inc.
Combat Talon aircraft
Combined Arms and Services Staff School
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force
Command and General Staff College
communications
9/11 terrorist attacks. See also intelligence
conditioning exercises, Delta Force
costs, Tora Bora, Battle of
CQB light
Crapshoot (assault team leader)
Cruise, Tom
C-17 Globemaster (aircraft)
Dailey, Dell
Daisy Cutter (BLU-82 bomb)
Dari language
Daruna, Afghanistan
Dayton Peace Accords
deception plan, Afghanistan mission
Delphi method, Delta Force
Delta Force. See also Tora Bora, Battle of (Afghanistan)
activities of
Afghanistan mission
Ahmed, Gul mission
air force special tactics combat control
Ali, Hazret (warlord)
Balkan operations
beards
bin Laden, Usama
capability exercises (CAPEXs)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
conditioning exercises
Dailey, Dell
deployment decisions
equipment of
evaluation for potential service process
frustration in
Fury, Dalton (Redfly)
Iran hostage crisis
Iraq War
life and death decision
media
members of
mujahideen
Murdock, Gus
observation posts
officers of
Omar, Mullah Muhammad, raid on
organizational model
planning by
popularity of
qualifications for, ix
readiness of
reconnaissance
secrecy and
selection and assessment process in
Shelter Now International hostage crisis
snipers
Sudan
supply problems
tactics of
Tora Bora, Battle of
training for
uniform of
urban reconnaissance
Delta Force (Beckwith)
desert camouflage fatigues
Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991)
The Devil’s Dictionary (Bierce)
Downing, Wayne
driving skills
drug kingpins
DShK-38 12.7mm heavy machine guns and 82mm mortar tubes
Dugan (sniper)
Durant, Mike
Du-Saraka, Afghanistan
ear protection
Eastern Alliance Opposition Group
organization of
supplies for
Egypt
Eliot, T. S.
Engagement Zones (EZ), Tora Bora, Battle of
escape, of bin Laden, Usama
Escobar, Pablo
espionage. See also Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); intelligence
Ahmed, Gul mission
language skills
Euripides
evaluation for potential service process, Delta Force
Farsi
F-18 aircraft
First In (Shroen) 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Delta Force). See Delta Force
flash-bang stun grenades
flex cuffs
Floyd, Brandon
food tasting
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Fort Benning, Georgia
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
France
Frankfurt, Germany
friendly fire
bombing
mujahideen
Tora Bora, Battle of
uniforms
Fury, Dalton (Redfly)
Ali, Hazret (Pashai warlord)
army enlistment
Balkan operations
childhood of
Delta Force
education
leadership
promotion of
Fusion Cell
Garmin global positioning system
GATOR mines
Genghis Khan (Mongol emperor)
George (CIA agent)
Gere, Richard
Germany
Ghulbihar (aide)
global positioning system (GPS). See also specific systems
GlobalStar satellite telephone
Globemaster (aircraft)
Glock sidearm
Gordon, Michael
Green Berets
Afghanistan operations
Ali, Hazret (warlord)
Balkan operations
Delta Force
mujahideen
Spin Ghar Mountains (Afghanistan)
terminal guidance operations
Tora Bora, Battle of
uniforms
Grenada, United States invasion of
grenades
Grinch (Jim). See Jim (MSS Grinch)
Grinch (Jim), Ahmed, Gul operation
Gritz, James “Bo,” 30–31
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
Haji Musa
Haney, Eric
Hard Rock Café (Washington, D. C.)
Harrell, Gary
hashish
Hekmatyar, Gulbuddin
helicopters
bin Laden, Usama escape
evacuation
landing zones for
MH-47 Chinook helicopter
Soviet Union
supply problems
Tora Bora Mountains
helmets
Herodotus
Hezb-e-Islami (militant group)
Hindu Kush Mountains (Afghanistan)
H&K G3 assault rifle
HOLOsights
Hopper (recce team leader)
Horrigan knives
Hot Wash
Howe, Paul
HUMINT. See also actionable intelligence; Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); intelligence
Ahmed, Gul
bin Laden, Usama
Hung Ho magazine
Hunt, David, ix–x
The Hunt for Bin Laden (Moore)
Hunting the Jackal (Waugh)
Hussein, Saddam
Hutmacher, Clay
improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
India Team
infrared pointers
Inside Delta Force (Haney)
intelligence. See also actionable intelligence; Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); HUMINT
actionable
Afghanistan mission
al Qaeda
bin Laden, Usama
British
espionage
proactive military stance
Shelter Now International hostage crisis
Tora Bora Mountains, Afghanistan
war criminals
weapons of mass destruction
Zawahiri, Ayman al-
intermediate staging base (ISB), Afghanistan
mission
Inter-Service Intelligence (Pakistan)
In the Company of Heroes (Durant)
IPTAL infrared laser
Iran hostage crisis
Iraq War
Delta Force
Haditha Dam raid
media
Murdock, Gus
proactive military stance
Silver Stars
Ironhead (squadron sergeant major)
Israel
Izlid infrared marking laser
Jackal Team
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Ali, Hazret (Pashai warlord)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
journey to
policing of
Zaman Ghamshareek, Haji (Pashtun warlord)
Jawbreaker (Berntsen). See also Team Jawbreaker Juliet (CIA point group)
Jay-C
JDAMs
Jester (sniper)
Jim (MSS Grinch)
Johnson, Billy “White Shoes,” 31
Joint Commission Observer teams, Balkan
operations
Joint Intelligence Agency Task Force
Joint Interrogation Facility (Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan)
Joint Operations Command (JOC)
Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)
(Advance Force Operations)
Joint Special Operations Task Force
Jordan
Kabul, Afghanistan
Central Intelligence Agency
Shelter Now International hostage crisis
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Kandahar, Afghanistan airport
Karzai, Hamid
Kevlar helmets
Khan, Adam (CIA agent)
Khost, Afghanistan
Khyber Pass (Afghanistan)
Killer Elite (Smith)
Kilo Team
Kipling, Rudyard
Kolokhel, Afghanistan
Lamb, Christopher
Lamb, Kyle
language skills. See also specific languages
Central Intelligence Agency
Delta Force
espionage
intelligence
Russian
Laos, prisoners of war
last will and testament, of bin Laden, Usama
leadership
Delta Force
Fury, Dalton (Redfly)
Leebaert, Derek
Leonidas (king of Sparta)
life and death decision
Delta Force
proactive military stance
London Spectator (English newspaper)
MacDill Air Force Base (Hillsborough County, Florida)
