Phoenix Rising

An arresting account of the birth of SOF through the prism of the Iran Hostage Rescue attempt by a direct observer. "As a junior officer and the lowest ranking 'gopher' at the creation of these forces, I saw how the several Services had great reservations regarding SOF to the point of studied dislike of it and a distinct distaste for its inclusion as a member of their force structure. The single lone exception was Army Chief of Staff Shy Myer, who saw terrorism and asymmetrical warfare as the emerging National threat and worked to build a missing capability. He did this as a lone wolf in that much of the Army leadership as well as the other Services, looked upon SOF as a high-risk loose cannon on their stable conventional deck." In 1980, the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was seized and the American citizens there taken hostage. The Joint Chiefs of Staff examined its inventory of capabilities and concluded it had in reality, no capabilities other than nuclear weapons or mass conventional forces - neither of which were rational outcomes. Any capability tailored for this form of conflict would have to be built from scratch. Keith Nightingale, then a junior officer, was Deputy Operations Officer of Joint Task Force Eagle Claw, commanded by Major General James Vaught, which attempted to do just that. This is his personal, unique account of the events leading to the rescue attempt, and how its failure directly led to the creation of the Special Operations competency that the United States enjoys today. AUTHOR: Colonel Keith Nightingale is that rarest of breeds - a hard-core military man who wields a pen as brilliantly as any weapon, and strategically deploys a full literary arsenal. Targeting our senses with the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even the tastes of war, his myriad of minute physical details, visual similes, and extended metaphors invariably strike home. To quote Pulitzer-Prize winner Tom Ricks, contributing editor to Foreign Policy: 'If you want to know about war, Keith Nightingale is your man'. Nightingale's work is further endorsed by General David Petraeus, General Volney Wagner, Susan Eisenhower, Emmy-winner Dennis Murphy, and other luminaries.

“"Eloquently written, meaty with detail and richly laced with insight, Nightingale's fascinating account of the struggles to stand up the U.S. military's special operations capability is worth buying just for his first-hand description of the planning behind the effort to rescue the Iran hostages."”

...vividly describes the government and military officials and forces involved in the operation, including the reasons for its failure. by Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International
I have read every book published on this operation to include the Holloway Commission Report and I can say without a doubt that if you have any interest in the Eagle Claw operation or US Special Operations than this is a must have book. Aviation Enthusiast Book Club

Keith Nightingale was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in 1965 from Claremont McKenna College. He graduated from Airborne, Jumpmaster, and Ranger Schools and retired as a Colonel in 1993. During this time he commanded four rifle companies, three battalions, and two brigades – all Airborne or Ranger units, and some in combat. He served two tours in Vietnam, was part of the Iran hostage rescue attempt, commanded an assault force in Grenada, and managed the Department of Defense Interagency Counterdrug Task Force for Latin America from Panama.After retiring from the military, he joined Science Applications International Corporation as Senior Corporate Vice President, managing over a thousand international contracts and security programs in the Middle East conflict zone. He presently serves as a consultant and advisor to several government personalities and organisations and conducts leadership seminars for several Fortune 500 companies. Col (Ret) Nightingale is a member of the 82nd Airborne and Ranger Hall of Fame, and is the author of The Human Face of D-Day (Casemate, 2023).

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