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Not Your Father's Coast Guard: The Untold Story of U.S. Coast Guard Special Forces |  | Author: Matthew Mitchell
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Category: Book
List Price: $26.99
Buy New: $23.39
as of 7/31/2010 12:16 MDT details
You Save: $3.60 (13%)
New (6) Used (4) from $22.94
Seller: supermoviedeals
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 893938
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 260
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1
ISBN: 1449044395
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781449044398
ASIN: 1449044395
Publication Date: November 14, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
While the Coast Guard's many battles at sea in the War on Drugs are widely known, its participation in the ground offensive is not. Indeed, the Guard didn't just send its cutters to interdict narcotics-laden vessels attempting to bring their illicit cargo into Uncle Sam's territorial waters, it sent ground troops to foreign lands to train their forces and, when necessary, directly engage the enemy. But to create the type of force needed was no small task and would not be without tribulation, both from within and outside the organization. The road traveled to complete the mission was laden with obstacles. This is not a story about the Coast Guard you know, or think you know. Rather, this is a story about the other side, the side that history nearly forgot; not the standard, but the antithesis of standard. It is a story that will undoubtedly make even the most seasoned Coast Guardsmen question their understanding of the organization to which they belong. To be sure, "This is not your father's Coast Guard."
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 A Damn Good Idea January 12, 2010
John Galluzzo (Weymouth, Massachusetts)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Matthew Mitchell made an excellent move at the beginning of the book. He brought up the Coast Guard's "brown water" operations role in Vietnam, a specific precursor to what would happen a decade and a half later in Bolivia and Peru. The tie-in was not only thematic; it was personal. The man under whose watch the special Drug Interdiction Assist Team - under one of its names - operated was none other than Commandant Paul Yost, the recipient of a Silver Star in Vietnam as a result of combat.
The logic seemed solid. The War on Drugs had been declared in the early 1970s (narcotics began to flow into the United States in the late 1930s as a Prohibition antecedent) and by the 1980s cocaine had a firm grip on the nation. While intercepting narcotraffickers at sea was yielding some results, Yost hoped to strike at the heart of the industry. Handpicked men arrived in Bolivia to assist the local military forces, many of whom were in the pockets of the drug lords, to raid production facilities and blow up airstrips. In time, the narcotraffickers would fight back. The operations expanded into other countries, bent on taking down the scourge of drugs hitting the American streets and claiming American lives. This book is an important addition to any Coast Guard historian's shelf.
Important piece of Coast Guard history! December 2, 2009
John (USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
A true story about Coast Guard warriors that were almost forgotten. I've been in the Coast Guard for a long time now and always heard rumors about Coasties operating in the jungles of South America. It is nice to finally hear the true story of DIAT and IMLET's jungle operations from the mouth's of those who were there.
Overdue! Bravo Zulu! February 23, 2010
L. Rizzo
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
As a retired Coast Guardsman who once belonged to one of these special units I loved this book and did not put it down until the last page. I found the book very in depth, well researched, and most importantly, fun to read. This story was long overdue to be told and the author hit it right on the head.
NYFCG - Great Book February 23, 2010
Sean P. Lawler
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Normally I don't add reviews to these site because I hate other people's opinions. However, after reading the self bloating and snarky review left by one reader, I felt compelled to share a few things. First of all, this book is a very entertaining read. The other review seems to take steps to discourage you from reading this book, well I don't need any Hemingway like writing to be able to embrace and enjoy a story about a spectacular USCG unit that got no credit for their missions. I had always heard about the DIAT, but like many others, I thought it was "rumor". Having these men's role finally be know through this book is truly a great feat to be able to share it with the public. The historical account of the USCG is not needed when your just dealing with one mission, but I feel that the story told on this book is a entertaining read and well worth my time. If I wanted a story on the DEA, I would go to them for information, but who cares about that. That's why it's called "NYF Coast Guard...it's about the USCG's role in the mission. Mitchell does make the flub about the MK's, but as an MK, I am willing to cut him the slack. I can't imagine that the amount of effort required to research this book was easy. I know how the USCG keeps these stories, documents, and records. For the effort to bring a story to light, I applaud you.
If your looking for a great story about a band of misfit Coasties who were assigned to complete a pretty powerful mission with little planning, minimal assets, and even less funding, then you will like this book. If your looking for historical tales encompassing hundreds of years that tells a story through an annoyingly long descriptive narrative, then go read Dan Brown. I for one truly enjoyed this book and the role that these Coasties had in a unique part of our services history. Thanks Mr. Mitchell for the effort you put forth, at your own expense, to let this story be told. If anyone has issue with you doing it...well, I don't see their name on the cover of a book.
Mitchell has rescued a story we almost lost forever February 28, 2010
gary bowen (United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Matt Mitchell's book is an excellent contribution to the literature on Coast Guard Special Operations, and, as others have said, a critical "rescue" of a story we almost lost forever. This work is painstakingly researched, well written, and engaging. I first thumbed through it to find the stories and people I knew, and the book delivered. These are the guys who were there--not all of them, but enough to tell the story.
Matt Mitchell also clearly illustrates the cultural dissonance--what recent leaders have called "healthy tension"--that periodically flings the Coast Guard from one direction to the other. The contrast between the current Commandant and the most recent nomination for Commandant could be another chapter. Unless DHS proves up to the task, maybe it's time to think about how a Secretary of the Coast Guard and associated civilian staff might introduce a more stable, long-term vision, the way they do with the other Armed Forces.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
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