By Christopher (Moon) Mullins.

A striking reminder that all the warrior’s kills, destruction, battle, wars, and narrow escapes from death have an end result on the body as well as the mind. This book narrows the vision to focus on the isolation and helplessness a warrior experiences near the end of their road. As John-Paul Jordan explains; his story is “a testament to the strength of the human spirit; to get back up and lead from the front”. He did not “go thru all that” for the sake of saying I went thru “all that”. A great read for modern Special Forces operators. A straightforward look at the impact of war on individual soldiers.

The Joys of War, indeed, are fleeting as the warrior’s ethos fails to remind modern-day special forces operators who navigate their way through the modern battlefield piling up kills, takedowns, body counts, missions completed, etc.

John-Paul Jordan tells a hero’s tale of volunteering for the French Foreign Legion at a young age. That assignment and the hard, brutal training motivated him to follow that assignment by training for selection into the British Special Forces, Special Air Services. His stories of train-ups and the impact on the body and mind will resonate with the modern-day Special Forces operator. John-Paul also served in mercenary forces, my words here, deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya fighting his way through the modern battlefield and the opportunities to lead combat forces, civilians, and news teams into some of the most dangerous war zones in the world.

I found John-Paul Jordan’s style of writing/speaking perfect for my style of reading. I would like to think I write in this form. He writes with a straightforward approach, and a lot of Irish slang, which adds a great flavor to the overall tone of the book. He speaks from a voice of deep experience and a good soldier can tell he knows what he is talking about and he explains it in a way that is clear and concise. I truly enjoyed this book on many levels.

More pain and misery via the PTSD train

Unfortunately, the Joys of War, (I hope you catch the pun there!) and the warrior’s path of destruction cover all Special Forces soldiers with glory. Rightfully so. But what I am hearing from John-Paul, about the after-effects strikes a similar tone to both UK and US soldiers returning from war and dealing with the horrors of what they have done on behalf of their country.

For all the pain and misery John-Paul, and most modern warriors, went through to qualify for selection and then deploy as a special forces soldier, at the end of his cycle, the end being – time to settle down and have kids, be a father, establish a home – you are forced to come to terms with all you have done. When that time comes, usually crashing down like a hard, southern Wales rain, you may find your mates, regiment, veteran organizations (US-VA, UK-MOD) not having your back as you expected them to!

You will have to follow his example and let the fog of opioids and painkillers clear, let the alcohol wear off, and help yourself and see it as another challenge, such as the selection phase or a long deployment, and simply knock it down with all your might. “If we deny your sickness, we deny our treatment. You can’t have one without the other.” I raise a pint of Guinness to John-Paul and say, well done Irish, Well done!

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This book review by Christopher (Moon) Mullins of Joys of War was first published by www.argunners.com. Republished with permission of author and editor. This book is available on Amazon.com (US), Amazon.co.uk (UK), and Pen and Sword.

SOF News Update 20170619 – Organization, mission, and training of the 75th Ranger Regiment; new approaches needed for an over-extended SOF force; a profile of the 5th Special Forces Group; USSOCOM shopping list; info on Bill McRaven at University of Texas, suicides in Navy SEAL community; and more.

Ranger Regiment Organization. Scott Gourley, a former U.S. Army officer and current writer, provides a detailed description of the training, mission, and organization of the U.S. Army’s Ranger Regiment in 75th Ranger Regiment Organization, Defense Media Network, June 14, 2017.

New Approach Needed for SOF. Phillip Lohaus, a former Department of Defense analyst and currently a research fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, provides his perspective on the overuse of America’s special operations forces. He believes that the Obama administration used SOF for missions that could very well have been done by conventional forces. He states that the over-extended SOF forces need to focus on priority missions that cannot be done by conventional forces. Read more in “The Uncertain Future of Special Ops”, U.S. News & World Report, June 15, 2017.

‘Decompression’ Time Needed for SEALs. A retired Navy SEAL officer is speaking out about recent suicides in the Navy SEAL community and the need to provide some decompression time to those who are transitioning from military to civilian life. Read “More ‘decompression’ needed: Recent suicides in Navy SEAL community”, The San Diego Union-Tribune, June 16, 2017.

A Pictorial Essay On Green Berets. Paul Szoldra, editor of Business Insider’s Military and Defense section, has wrote a piece (with some great photos) about the U.S. Army Special Forces in “Why Green Berets are the smartest, most lethal fighters in the world”, Business Insider, June 14, 2017.

Baltic SOF Conduct Training. SOF units from Estonia (K-komando), Latvia (Omega), and Lithuania (Aras) participated in a joint exercise in northern and central Estonia. (Baltic Times, June 18, 2017).

U.S. & South Korean SOF in a Korean Conflict. Col (Ret) David Maxwell, a former Green Beret, has penned an article about the possible role of U.S. and South Korean special operations forces should a conflict on the Korean peninsular occur. Read “How U.S., South Korean Special Ops Would Join Forces in a New Korean War”, The Cipher Brief, June 18, 2017.

Book Review – Special Forces Berlin. James Stejskal, a veteran of ‘Det A’ writes up a history of the Berlin contingent charged with a ‘cold war mission’ behind the “Iron Curtain”. Read a book review of his work in “Book Review: Soldiers’ secrecy part of mission”, Decatur Daily, June 18, 2017.

SOF in the Philippines. A small number of U.S. special operations forces are currently in the Philippines in an “advise and assist” role to help the Philippines retake Marawi – and inland city of more than 200,000 people. “Islamic State threat in Southeast Asia raises alarm in Washington”, Military Times, June 18, 2017.

McRaven’s Job at University of Texas System. Former Navy SEAL Admiral (Ret) Bill McRaven is completing his first three years at the University of Texas System. Will his time there be extended? Good Question. (Business Insider, June 18, 2017).

SOF Christmas Shopping List. Stu Bradin, President and CEO of Global SOF Foundation (and former SF guy), has penned an article about the budget requests sent to Congress by the services (and USSOCOM). With the 2019 US National Defense Budget taking shape he says it is important that SOF asks for everything it needs from Congress. Read more in The Special Operations Forces Christmas List, LinkedIn, June 15, 2017.

Profile of the 5th Special Forces Group. Read about the lineage, activation, history, past combat action, and current engagement of the 5th Special Forces Group of Fort Campbell, Kentucky in Profile: 5th Special Forces Group, Military.com.

SOF News Update for 20161009 – India’s COIN force and Paras, SOF operators and keeping secrets secret, U.S. SOF in Kunduz City fight, 281st Assault Helicopter Company remembered, SOF and PTSD, recognition for the OSS, JIDA (which used to be JIEDDO) is now called JIDO and is part of DTRA, CF and SOF interoperability, and more.

CF: SOF Screwed Up Ops. A book by Conrad Crane – Cassandra in Oz: Counterinsurgency and Future War – suggests that U.S. SOF screwed up things for the conventional ‘battlespace owners’. Hmmmm. Haven’t read the book so I can’t really comment. Read “Conrad Crane’s insider story on COIN doctrine: Spec Ops screwed up a lot of ops”, Foreign Policy, October 3, 2016.

37 Rashtriya Rifles. An Indian military member of the Rashtriya Rifles is being held by Pakistan after having been captured just over the border in Pakistan. Learn more about the 37 Rashtriya Rifles – a force created in 1990 to fight terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in a news report by News Nation (India), October 2, 2016.

India’s Paras. The Para Special Forces of India are specially trained for carrying out operations deep into enemy territory and engaging militants. Read more in “India turns to Para Special Forces for covert missions”, The Economic Times, October 1, 2016.

SOF: Trouble Keeping Secrets Secret. United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has been fighting to keep its secrets secret but much of the problem stems from the SOF operators. Many point to the Navy SEALs as a big part of the problem; pointing out that “BUD/S” now stands for “Book Under Development / Soon”. Read more in “Special Operations: Secrets To Die From”, Strategy Page, September 27, 2016.

Two U.S. Servicemen Wounded in Afghanistan. Resolute Support HQs reported that two military members were injured when their vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device on Saturday, October 8, 2016. The incident took place in Nangarhar province; the location where SSG Adam Thomas of the 10th Special Forces Group was recently killed by an IED during a dismounted patrol.

SOF and PTSD. An Army Special Forces general says that SOF personnel need to seek treatment or counseling if they feel they are experiencing PTSD. BG Don Bolduc, the commander of SOCAfrica, is featured in a news report “A General’s New Mission: Leading a Charge Against PTSD”, The New York Times, October 7, 2016.

SOF in Kunduz City Fight. One year ago, in September 2015, the Taliban took Afghanistan’s 5th largest city – Kunduz City, a provincial capital. It took Afghan elite forces (advised by U.S. Special Forces and assisted by U.S. airstrikes) two weeks to re-capture the city from the Taliban. On Monday, October 3rd, the Taliban once again attacked Kunduz City from four directions. U.S. SOF are once again in the fight. Read more in “US Special operations ‘enablers’ in Kunduz as Taliban reportedly enter city”, Stars & Stripes, October 3, 2016.

Original Navy SEALs Have a Reunion. Members of the original Navy SEAL Team One gathered recently for a reunion on Martha’s Vineyard just off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They were all members of the first Navy SEAL training course conducted in the early 1960s. Read more in “Original Navy SEALs Celebrate a Reunion, and Old Ties that Bond”, Vineyard Gazette, September 26, 2016.

SF Soldiers Talk About Partnerships in Iraq and Columbia. Representatives from the 5th and 7th Special Forces Group were in attendance at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting. While there they pointed to the lasting benefits from a long-term engagement with partner SOF units in Iraq and Colombia. Read more in a news report by Drew Brooks in The Fayetteville Observer, October 3, 2016.

281st Assault Helicopter Company (Vietnam-era) Honored. A memorial stone will be placed in Meadows Field Memorial Plaza outside the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, NC that honors a unknown helicopter unit that worked with the 5th Special  Forces Group and Project Delta in Vietnam. Read more in a news report by Aviation Pros, October 3, 2016.

From JIEDDO to JIDA to JIDO under DTRA. The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization was renamed to the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency. It is now called the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization and comes under the control of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Whew. Lots of acronyms there! Read more in “Improvised Threats Organization Becomes Part of Defense Threat Reduction Agency”, U.S. DoD, October 3, 2016.

OSS: Recognition Hung Up in Congress. Many of the veterans of the World War II Office of Strategic Services (OSS) – the predecessor of the CIA and U.S. Army’s Special Forces – are in their 90s and few of these OSS veterans are still alive. A bill to recognize the OSS and its members that would award the OSS – called the “OSS Congressional Gold Medal Act” – is hung up in Congress. Read more in “Legislation to honor heroic World War II-era spies hits regulatory snag on Capitol Hill”, The Washington Times, October 3, 2016.