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    Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a Special Operations Marine
    Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a Special Operations Marine
    Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a Special Operations Marine
    Audiobook11 hours

    Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a Special Operations Marine

    Written by Dick Couch

    Narrated by John Pruden

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The Marine Special Operations Command ("MARSOC") is the newest component of the military's shift toward a fully integrated Special Operations Command structure. At first, the Marines were strongly against any Marines serving under anyone other than another Marine.

    Then 9/11 happened.

    In the years following, Marine forces found themselves growing more agreeable to inter-branch operational command, finally forming the Marine Special Operations Command in 2006. Always Faithful, Always Forward follows the journey of a class of Marine candidates from their recruitment, through assessment and selection, to their qualification as Marines Special Operators.

    The assessment, selection, and training regimes are a combination of psychological testing and intense military training as well as being a physical and professional rite of passage. MARSOC Marines must be efficient, agile, independent, and prepared to live hard in the field. They are warriors trained in the full range of military skills, as well as teachers who can train locals to defend their communities and lead them in battle. But above all, they are Marines. Their ability to leverage their numbers by embedding with the locals and to live in remote locations has, in their short history, made them a valuable force and one with great utility in remote reaches of the world.

    Retired Navy Captain Dick Couch has been given unprecedented access to this new command and to the individual Marines of this exceptional special-operations unit, allowing him to chronicle the history and development of the Marine Special Operations Command and how they find, recruit, and train their special operators.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 3, 2014
    ISBN9781452684512
    Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a Special Operations Marine
    Author

    Dick Couch

    Dick Couch served as a Special Warfare Officer with the SEALs after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy. While a platoon leader with SEAL Team One in 1970, he led one of the only successful POW rescue operations of the Vietnam War. His nonfiction books include The Warrior Elite, The Finishing School, and Chosen Soldier.

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    Reviews for Always Faithful, Always Forward

    4.5/5

    14 ratings2 reviews

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    • 3/5
      These rah rah military books get old and, unfortunately, I've read I guess one too many. I get that Spec Ops does cool stuff but that does not mean the the Spec Ops view of the world is right. Whatever... a mildly entertaining view of marine schooling. There are better, more exciting, books about Marines but this was OK.
    • 5/5
      Always Faithful, Always Forward The Forging of A Special Operations Marine
      By Couch, Dick

      If you think Marines are just muscle bound teenagers who want to defend their country with a taste for violence this book will prove you wrong. Special Operators are a class of warrior with specialized training in combat techniques, language, and diplomatic skills. The business of special operations is different from that of general purpose military forces. Their assignments are more focused and unusual. They are under the general control of US Special Forces Command There are 4 major combat organizations that are tasked to SOCOM, Navy Seals, Army Special Forces (i.e. Green Berets), Arrny 75th Ranger Regiment, and the Marine Special Operations Regiment. Entry into one of these units is on a voluntary basis. Entry is considered a privilege that is fought for and completion of training is not guaranteed. The drop out rate during the training period some of these units is close to 70%.This book focuses on the selection, training, and assignment of these special men, as they enter the Marine Special Operations Regiment. The book goes into great detail covering all the phases of training. Its coverage of one of the classes takes on the feel of reality television show, where not everyone wins the prize of becoming a warrior diplomat . I left the book with a greatly increased respect for both the military and the men who apply for undergo the training to become a member of very exclusive fraternity of Special Operators.