Chosen Soldier: The Making of a Special Forces Warrior Paperback – March 25, 2008

I have been looking into RANGER school for some time now ever since I was denied my school date due to "paperwork mishap" in AIT. Ever since I have been looking to aim higher for my career. I read this book every morning during my guard shift and I can barely put it down to perform the appropriate customs and courtesy's the job entails. I have had the distinct pleasure of working and training with one of the groups mentioned in this book and have used it to plan my approach to the Special Forces selection and training. Dick Couch really goes into every possible detail about the trials and tribulations each individual in his ODA experiences. He clearly explains all the way through the "X-ray" option of enlisting all the way through the Q-course and selection as well as in depth descriptions about the individual MOS training. I now know what I want to focus on most and aim for when I go to selection. I think every American should read this book so they can really get a grasp on the training these people go through to make them one of the best. It might make some appreciate the freedoms they have that we as military forfeit, and they as special forces soldiers protect on a first hand basis. I only wish Mr. Couch would write a book about Delta Force.Def. a 5+ star rating, I have already told a few friends to pick up a copy because I don't want to let mine go.

Dick Couch is an excellent writer whose credibility is without question. His years in SOF as a Navy SEAL lends authority and perspective that can't be obtained from a writer lacking such a background. Couch's view is honest and straight-forward. The book is a detailed look at Army Special Forces' SFAS and Q-Course training. It illustrates why Green Berets are among the best and most highly versatile and effective soldiers in the United States military. A great read for anyone interested in SOF in general and Army SF in particular. Highly recommended.

I believe this is the first comprehensive look at the entire U.S. Army Special Forces selection, qualification and training process; certainly the most updated (as of around 2004-5). Couch, a former Navy SEAL, is full of praise for the abilities and character of those young sergeants and junior officers who earn their Green Beret. And while the prose at times lags with over emphasis on procedure, it is still a fascinating look at a world very few of us will ever experience.The main strength of the book is that it's more than an anecdotal telling of what these candidates had to go through. Couch also explores what the SF cadre instructors and trainers bring to the process as well. For instance, I was surprised to learn that there was little of the shouting and hazing that I suppose I'd expect to read about. Instead, Couch shows that throughout all four Phases, the cadre sergeants and officers are extremely considerate AND dedicated military professionals.Although this kind of experience is no longer for me, I believe this is an excellent book for those contemplating a military career in Special Forces. Couch spends a lot of time on each Phase, as well as each Special Forces specialty (communications, engineering, weapons, medical, etc.).There's also a section devoted to the preparation officers undergo to become ODA leaders, although I felt this was where Couch was at his most dryly procedural, whereas I wanted to read more about their field exercises. Finally, the book concludes with a satisfying overview of Robin Sage, the final Phase IV unconventional wargame exercise.Strongly recommended.

Great book

It does not matter if you are a future cantidate for SFAS or just someone who is looking for a well told description about a fascinating story, this book is definately for you. It is very well written and concise. The author speaks from a point of understanding and it shows. Reading this book will give you a very good look into the selection process and training of U.S. Army SF soldiers. I personally love the brief intra-action interviews the author did with the candidates to get their story and views amid the stress and struggle of training. Excellent source for information, excellent source for entertainment. i found this to be a book that I had trouble putting down.

An in depth look at the Green Berets. This is how they recruit, train perfect their skills as America's Elite.Thank you Mr Couch for this book!!!

I was born May 1941, seven months before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. That, coupled with other events like Korea, made me internalize the idea that boys grew up to go to war. So I went from the Cub Scouts, to the Boy Scouts, to the Explorers, into the US Army. And I loved it. When Vietnam started hitting the news in 1962, I had already been in the Army for four years. I immediately volunteered for duty there, but I was turned down because I had the wrong MOS (specialty). I was a Nike Hercules radar operator. So I tried again, this time requesting a transfer to Special Forces (I was then an operations/intelligence specialist). After not hearing anything for a year, I followed that request up with a tracer on my application. I was told there was no record of my application ever being received. Later, an officer about to get out of the Army confessed that he never submitted my application because I was doing such a good job for him....I left the Army in 1966 and entered law enforcement - ultimately retiring in 1995, but I always wondered if I could have made it through special forces training and cut it in places like Vietnam. Couchs' book answered that for me. Although I had scores high enough for OCS, and I'm pretty sure I could have "pulled the trigger", I don't think I would have made it through training for the green beret as Couch describes it. Not only that, but this book as well as many others describing what soldiers had to go through in Vietnam made me realize that I was probably extremely lucky I never made it there. God bless all those who did.