Chapter 3: Frustration in the Middle East

1 In 1981 … killed them all. Inside Delta Force, pp. 264–95; a Delta operator.

2 Gilden … in action. Secret Warriors, p. 184.

3 When yet … safety. Two Delta operators.

4 (The action … an enemy.) A Delta operator; “Our Hero in Combat,” by Wayne Herada, HonoluluAdvertiser.com, January 16, 2002, accessed at: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Jan/16/il/il04a.html.

5 But according … several Marines. Inside Delta Force, pp. 304–14.

6 In his autobiography … to death. Rogue Warrior, pp. 257–71.

7 Intelligence officials … next thirty years. The Twilight War: The Secret History of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran, by David Crist (New York: Penguin, 2012), pp. 131–38, 141, 154–55; The Secret War with Iran, by Ronen Bergman (New York: Free Press, 2008), pp. 70–72.

8 The initial … of kidnapping. A senior JSOC official; a Delta officer.

9 The satellite … in Curaçao. A Delta officer; a senior JSOC official; a JSOC staff officer; Never Surrender, pp. 143–54; Killer Elite, pp. 88–92; Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America’s War Against Terror, by David C. Martin and John Walcott (New York: Touchstone, 1988), pp. 174–75.

10 … Major General. Although still a brigadier general at the time, Stiner was “frocked” as a major general, meaning he was allowed to wear two stars before his official promotion date; he was officially promoted to major general July 1, 1985.

11 … about 120 people … A senior JSOC official.

12 Although Scholtes … at Langley. A senior JSOC official.

13 Stiner took command … J-alert birds. Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces, by Tom Clancy with General Carl Stiner (Ret.) and Tony Koltz (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2002), pp. 14–27; Secret Warriors, pp. 200–211; Best Laid Plans, pp. 175–88; Killer Elite, p. 135; a JSOC staff officer; a Delta officer.… Laurinburg-Maxton Airport … A Delta operator. Robert Stethem’s younger brother, Kenneth, was a SEAL who later joined Team 6.

14 In September … sidelines. Shadow Warriors, pp. 261–62; a JSOC staff officer; a Delta operator; a Delta officer; a Pentagon special operations official; Killer Elite, pp. 125–51. Nellis Air Force Range was renamed Nevada Test and Training Range in 2001.

15 Four months … against risk. Shadow Warriors, pp. 1–2, 27–28; Best Laid Plans, pp. 235–39; Secret Warriors, pp. 211–12; a JSOC staff officer.… Det 4 NAFCOS … No Room for Error, p. 169.… a squadron’s worth … Retired Lieutenant Colonel L. H. “Bucky” Burruss.

16 Already … command down. Best Laid Plans, pp. 237–38.

17 Part of … that happen. Shadow Warriors, p. 27.

18 It took about … to plan. Shadow Warriors, pp. 28–32, 265–67; Best Laid Plans, p. 238.

19 In the best case … on the liner. Shadow Warriors, pp. 265–66; Secret Warriors, pp. 212–13; Rogue Warrior, p. 229; Best Laid Plans, p. 243; a senior JSOC official; a senior Team 6 officer.… fast-roped … Fast-roping is a way of putting troops on the ground quickly by having them slide down ropes hanging from a helicopter.

20 But circumstances … leave Italy. Shadow Warriors, pp. 268–96; Best Laid Plans, pp. 238–57; Secret Warriors, pp. 213–15.

21 The following year … matters. Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Legislation: Why Was It Passed and Have the Voids Been Filled?, by Colonel William G. Boykin, a study project for the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, 1991, pp. 27–33; a senior JSOC official.

22 These steps … its campaigns. A senior Pentagon official.