Against All Enemies

The tale sounds like something youd expect to read in the newspapers: Despite opposition from the United Nations, a complex combination of terrorism, drug trafficking and environmental issues lead the United States into a military operation against a rogue South American regime. Precision bombing and Special Forces open the campaign with a series of breath taking missions. A woman pilot is captured and becomes a POW. (Im sure youre wondering if Delta Force will rescue her like they did Jessica Lynch in Iraq. Its the first thing I thought of, and as I read the story, I kept looking back to the books publication date, surprised that it came out before Operation Iraqi Freedom. The book is full of experiences like that.) Soon Air Force commandos are fighting in the streets of a hostile city to try and save Army helicopter pilots from the same fate, producing scenes more horrific that the aftermath of U.S. vs. clan fighting in Somalia. Before you know it, Army Rangers are parachuting in to seize an airport and Marines are landing on the beaches. The end of the war comes quicker than expected, but then the nation building mission begins, and that might prove to be the hardest and deadliest part of the operation. Again, I was surprised this book came out before the war in Iraq began. Amazing foresight by the author.

This engrossing read will satisfy those who want factual accuracy as well as action, but it may not appeal to supporters of simple neo-macho thrillers that litter bookstores. This might explain the shocking one star review down there. The reader from Belton, Texas is missing the point of this book, but those who appreciate a more realistic and challenging story, especially those who enjoy nonfiction sepcial operations stories or want insight on what our Soldiers might be facing in Iraq right now, will agree with my five star ranking.

Woulfe does a great job of educating the reader about todays modern soldier, without the pedantic, over the top expostulation exhibited by Harold Coyle. In fact, Woulfes style reminds me of Coyles back when he was writing good books. While Coyle concentrated primarily on the Army, Woulfe has a broad knowledge of Army special ops doctrine, Marine special ops, and Naval aviation doctrine. His in-depth technical knowledge rivals that of Clancy, but he gives you just enough to keep it interesting, without detracting from the story.

My only criticism is that the art of proofreading seems to be dead in this modern age of Microsoft Word. There were numerous grammatical errors in this book that should have been caught by a semi-skilled proofreader, but I have seen worse in other books by other authors. They were mildly irritating, but not distracting. I hope to see much more from Maj. Woulfe!