Inside Delta Force

infobox Book |
name = Inside Delta Force
title_orig =
translator =


author = Eric L. Haney
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = memoir
publisher = Delacorte Press
release_date = May 14, 2002
media_type = Print (hardcover & paperback)
pages = 336 pp (first edition, hardcover)
isbn = ISBN 978-0385336031 (first edition, hardcover)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit" is a 2002 memoir written by Eric L. Haney about his experiences as a founding special forces operator in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (also known as Delta Force) the U.S. Army's counterterrorist unit. Haney recounts the formation and early operations of the unit, as well as his own recruitment, selection and training. Haney also evaluates the impact of inter-service rivalries and potential overlap created when Delta Force was formed, including the challenges of dealing with the Central Intelligence Agency.Fact|date=November 2007 Central to the book is Haney's participation in Delta Force's first operation – the aborted 1980 Desert One mission to Iran to free American hostages.

"Inside Delta Force" formed the inspiration for the CBS television series "The Unit", in which Haney is currently involved as a writer, producer, and technical advisor.cite web |url=http://www.erichaney.com/unit.html |title=The Unit/CBS |accessdate=2007-11-27 |format= |work=erichaney.com ]

Criticism

Since the publication of "Inside Delta Force" in 2002 and Haney's subsequent success with "The Unit" television show, three of his former Delta colleagues accused him of embellishing his accomplishments within the unit and fabricating several of the events depicted. Some of the criticism directed at Haney has focused on him stating he was a "founding member" of Delta Force; it's acknowledged among former operators that there was only one "founder", Colonel Charlie Beckwith, who helped establish the unit and was its first commanding officer.cite news |first=Richard |last=Lardner |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Delta Force Vets Dismiss Claims Of 'The Unit' Writer |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20060424151026/http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBMS7AKVLE.html |format= |work= |publisher=The Tampa Tribune |pages= |page= |date=April 11, 2006 |accessdate=2007-10-14 |language= |quote= ] Haney's use of the term "founding member" is to indicate that he was among the first operators assigned to the 1SFOD-D.

One such colleague, Logan Fitch, who first wrote publicly of the Desert One mission for "Penthouse Magazine" in 1984 in which he was also highly critical of Beckwith,Citation | last =Fitch | first =Logan | author-link = | last2 =Feifer | first2 =Geroge | author2-link = | title =Death at Desert One
newspaper =Penthouse Magazine | pages = | year =1984 | date= March 1984 | url = http://usedmagazines.com/titles/Penthouse/1984/] called Haney a "crass opportunist" for capitalizing on his past for personal gain. Despite the falling-out between Haney and these former Delta members, Haney has stood behind the accuracy of his book.

Another member criticized Haney for revealing too much about Delta Force's training, tactics and early missions. A U.S. Army historian has questioned whether this was an issue, given that the information contained in Haney's book was current in the late-1970s and early-1980s and that Delta Force would certainly have changed their procedures since that time. Moreover, operational information offered by Delta veterans had been made public before, such as in "Black Hawk Down", Mark Bowden's book about the Battle of Mogadishu in which Delta operators participated, and most notably, Beckwith's own book of the formation and training of the unit.cite web | last =Crerar | first =Col. J.H. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Army History Research: "Inside Delta Force" Review | work = | publisher =Army Historical Foundation | date = | url =http://www.armyhistory.org/armyhistorical.aspx?pgID=868&id=253&exCompID=32 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2007-12-14 ]

Reviews

* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_2_91/ai_106792200 Michael F. Dilley, "Infantry Magazine", Summer 2002]
* [http://www.armyhistory.org/armyhistorical.aspx?pgID=868&id=253&exCompID=32 Col. J.H. Crerar, Army Historical Foundation]

References