# Ex Special forces authors: why the hate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379 "2009-08-14T03:20:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/1 "2009-08-14T03:20:28Z")
I have heard that former Delta Force and SAS members who authored books about their time in the service often come to be reviled by their former comrades. Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/2 "2009-08-14T04:22:00Z")
Because best sellers aren’t covert? ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/3 "2009-08-14T04:32:38Z")
In the case of Chris Ryan it’s probably because he makes sure to point out that he used to be a member of the SAS approximately every five minutes. You might think I’m exaggerating, but his TV show about elite police forces practically sounds like a parody of Troy McClure at some points. I’m just waiting for him to start telling the story of how he scored four touchdowns in one battle. ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/4 "2009-08-14T06:15:04Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > I have heard that former Delta Force and SAS members who authored books about their time in the service often come to be reviled by their former comrades. Why is that? You’re not supposed to kill and tell. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/5 "2009-08-14T06:17:38Z")
I’ve heard that Green Berets are the same way. They just call themselves “Marines” when a stranger asks. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/6 "2009-08-14T06:58:16Z")
It’s a very specific form of special forces arrogance. The attitude is that those who need to know how good you are already know, and those who don’t, don’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/7 "2009-08-14T11:01:41Z")
They take seriously the oaths you took to keep what you did classified. It’s that simple. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/8 "2009-08-14T12:23:09Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I’ve heard that Green Berets are the same way. They just call themselves “Marines” when a stranger asks. Why would they lie about what branch of the armed forces they served in? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/9 "2009-08-14T13:10:46Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I’ve heard that Green Berets are the same way. They just call themselves “Marines” when a stranger asks. News to me as far as the SF and former SF people I’ve met… they’d rather not call attention to their mission when off-duty but they won’t deny being Army. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/10 "2009-08-14T14:12:52Z")
I think gui is thinking of SEALs. A few WAGs: Even the smallest piece of information on how they operate is useful to our enemies. It’s also useful to wannabes who want to fake SF staus. It’s amazing how much can be divined, especially when three guys write three different books each with tiny bits of truth dribbled throughout. It puts future troops in danger, and makes existing techniques obsolete - maybe before replacement ideas have been formulated. Then there are the ones who give the conspiracy theorists a grain of truth upon which to build. That’s also extremely annoying. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/11 "2009-08-14T14:37:14Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > They take seriously the oaths you took to keep what you did classified. It’s that simple. Well, I know that they aren’t giving anything up that is classified or they would be in prison. Besides, I believe that they have to have anything they publish reviewed by the DoD or the MOD or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/12 "2009-08-14T14:39:35Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I think gui is thinking of SEALs. > > A few WAGs: > > Even the smallest piece of information on how they operate is useful to our enemies. It’s also useful to wannabes who want to fake SF staus. It’s amazing how much can be divined, especially when three guys write three different books each with tiny bits of truth dribbled throughout. > > It puts future troops in danger, and makes existing techniques obsolete - maybe before replacement ideas have been formulated. > > Then there are the ones who give the conspiracy theorists a grain of truth upon which to build. That’s also extremely annoying. You could say the same about most shows on the military channel, though. If the techniques are classified, the author will go to jail. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/13 "2009-08-14T14:54:23Z")
We have two books right now that were written by former special ops guys- Marcus Luttrell (SEALs) and Eric Haney (Delta). Both are quite fascinating but I agree that Haney gets a lot of hate for his. Luttrell’s book deals with a mission that only he survived during the current conflict. Haney’s book, on the other hand, discusses (among other things) Selection in some detail, which is very controversial. He also outlines training scenarios and discusses actual missions (including his own killing of a CIA operative during an operation). He also talks about the disaster in Mogadishu, Somalia, which just about destroyed C Squadron (which, IIRC, took nearly a decade to repopulate with operators). I have met Haney, and he is an extremely interesting and thoughtful man (still a bad ass, too- my husband watched him _disappear_ into a crowd once, with his eyes on him the whole time- freaky). There are many things in his book about warrior culture and philosophy that I think are important. But I can totally understand that he violated the culture of secrecy and brotherhood of SFOD-D. And of course, it’s a page-turner. Holy crap. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/14 "2009-08-14T15:24:07Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > We have two books right now that were written by former special ops guys- Marcus Luttrell (SEALs) and Eric Haney (Delta). Both are quite fascinating but I agree that Haney gets a lot of hate for his. > > Luttrell’s book deals with a mission that only he survived during the current conflict. Haney’s book, on the other hand, discusses (among other things) Selection in some detail, which is very controversial. He also outlines training scenarios and discusses actual missions (including his own killing of a CIA operative during an operation). He also talks about the disaster in Mogadishu, Somalia, which just about destroyed C Squadron (which, IIRC, took nearly a decade to repopulate with operators). > > I have met Haney, and he is an extremely interesting and thoughtful man (still a bad ass, too- my husband watched him _disappear_ into a crowd once, with his eyes on him the whole time- freaky). There are many things in his book about warrior culture and philosophy that I think are important. But I can totally understand that he violated the culture of secrecy and brotherhood of SFOD-D. > > And of course, it’s a page-turner. Holy crap. Did Haney give away anything that wasn’t in Colonel Beckwith’s book? BTW, how did Mogadishu destroy C squadron? As far as I know, only two Delta operators were killed. Rob ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/15 "2009-08-14T15:41:18Z")
**TruCelt** said: > [@](#): > > I think gui is thinking of SEALs. But SEALs are _Navy_, not Marines. I think **guizot** just was confused which organization owns the Green Berets. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/16 "2009-08-14T16:18:25Z")
The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/17 "2009-08-14T16:31:00Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > Well, I know that they aren’t giving anything up that is classified or they would be in prison. Besides, I believe that they have to have anything they publish reviewed by the DoD or the MOD or whatever. Many of them feel that even things cleared by the DoD can be too revealing and can jeopardize operational security. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/18 "2009-08-14T20:48:21Z")
I get the idea that they are accused of lying as well, but I am not sure what they are lying about. Rob ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/19 "2009-08-14T21:43:37Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > Did Haney give away anything that wasn’t in Colonel Beckwith’s book? BTW, how did Mogadishu destroy C squadron? As far as I know, only two Delta operators were killed. > > Rob Not sure- didn’t read Beckwith’s book. Also not sure about how many Delta operators died, but I know it was more than two- two won the Congressional Medal of Honor, though. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379/20 "2009-08-14T22:22:14Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Not sure- didn’t read Beckwith’s book. Also not sure about how many Delta operators died, but I know it was more than two- two won the Congressional Medal of Honor, though. Ah, your right. Five were killed and another member was killed two days later in a mortar attack according to wikipedia. But is six enough to destroy a squadron? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-special-forces-authors-why-the-hate/506379.md?page=2)