War

The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander

The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander

  • Downloads：2621
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-15 09:54:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Pete Blaber
  • ISBN：0425236579
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

"A book about the complexities of combat that's just as applicable for dealing with the complexities of business and our personal lives。"--Kevin Sharer， chairman and CEO， Amgen

As a commander of Delta Force-the most elite counter--terrorist organization in the world--Pete Blaber took part in some of the most dangerous， controversial， and significant military and political events of our time。 Now he takes his intimate knowledge of warfare--and the heart， mind， and spirit it takes to win--and moves his focus from the combat zone to civilian life。

In this book， you will learn the same lessons he learned， while experiencing what the life of a Delta Force Operator is like--from the extreme physical and psychological training to the darkest of shadow ops all around the world。 From each mission， Pete Blaber has taken a life lesson back with him。 You will learn these enlightening lessons as you gain insights into never-before-revealed missions executed around the globe。 And when the smoke clears， you will emerge wiser， more capable， and better prepared to succeed in life than you ever thought possible。

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Reviews

Rob ，

Pretty standard military memoire fare with an extra emphasis on the decision-making process and bureaucratic leadership failures that are all too common。

Zac ，

Solid lessons in this book。

Wendy ，

Really interesting book。 I’ve never had a desire to read a detailed battle story before， and didn’t realize this book would have that。 But， I learned so much about how the early days in Afghanistan were completely different from what I saw in the war media machine reports from that time。 Great book！！

Matt ，

Brilliant leader with many great perspectives

Jon Ivar ，

This is just a great book from start to the end。 Insightful， funny， exciting， he explains not just what he did， but how and why he did it， showing great caricature when being pressured and pushed from higher ranking military leaders， he stands his ground and does what is best for his men， and the mission， at the possible expense of his own carrier。

Joe ，

Of the many military authors I’ve read Pete Blaber and I share a common mindset。 Clearly， I’m not an operator so don’t confuse mindset with skills。 It’s more about how we think about situations。 In my case， I found myself routinely constrained by Army orthodoxy， the way in which decisions and actions are taken within the Army。I thoroughly enjoyed this history in part because it’s written in an accessible manner with good maps and a high-quality reference at the end。 In part because I served unde Of the many military authors I’ve read Pete Blaber and I share a common mindset。 Clearly， I’m not an operator so don’t confuse mindset with skills。 It’s more about how we think about situations。 In my case， I found myself routinely constrained by Army orthodoxy， the way in which decisions and actions are taken within the Army。I thoroughly enjoyed this history in part because it’s written in an accessible manner with good maps and a high-quality reference at the end。 In part because I served under one of the GOs mentioned （the 10th Mtn CG） and Blaber’s characterization of him and my recollection are aligned; and his archetypes are likewise consistent with my experience in the Army - one in particular， the blow-hard MAJ， rang true！I recommend it because of his consistent emphasis of his five themes， including the “3 M’s”。 。。。more

Yannick Grenzinger ，

I hoped to found "lessons" from the military context and if， the principles （or "common sense" as the former Delta Force Commander tells us） are really deep and interesting， they are only a few presented。 The most part of the book is about the search for Al Qaida terrorists （especially the Operation Anaconda conducted in Afghanistan） and 。。。。 praising about the glory of the US military men :）If you love military stories， maybe the book deserves 4 stars。 I hoped to found "lessons" from the military context and if， the principles （or "common sense" as the former Delta Force Commander tells us） are really deep and interesting， they are only a few presented。 The most part of the book is about the search for Al Qaida terrorists （especially the Operation Anaconda conducted in Afghanistan） and 。。。。 praising about the glory of the US military men :）If you love military stories， maybe the book deserves 4 stars。 。。。more

V。 Romas Burton ，

This book is different from what I usually read but I thoroughly enjoyed it。 Blaber does an excellent job of explaining key leadership elements and the ins and outs of military leadership。

Gabrielle Myers ，

Great book on leadership and learning to listen and communicate with those around you and below you。

Davey ，

NF - This Commander's history of Delta Force NF - This Commander's history of Delta Force 。。。more

Razal ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Although I did enjoy the stories told in the book something about it kept it from really holding my attention。I can't really put my finger on it。 The other lessons felt like rewordings of the same cardinal lesson。 Which amalgamates to command doesn't know Jack。 The end to me also felt very abrupt。 Although I did enjoy the stories told in the book something about it kept it from really holding my attention。I can't really put my finger on it。 The other lessons felt like rewordings of the same cardinal lesson。 Which amalgamates to command doesn't know Jack。 The end to me also felt very abrupt。 。。。more

Brendan Powell ，

Great book。 Pete Blaber details the planning， training， coordination， and management building up to the battle of Takur Ghar。 Blaber led the AFO unit with great success in the area。 Of course， the battle of Takur Ghar went sideways， and there were fatalities across the board （USAF， Army， Navy）。 It was very good reading。 I'll be moving onto "Alone at Dawn" which focuses on John Chapman， the Combat Controller who died during that operation。 Great book。 Pete Blaber details the planning， training， coordination， and management building up to the battle of Takur Ghar。 Blaber led the AFO unit with great success in the area。 Of course， the battle of Takur Ghar went sideways， and there were fatalities across the board （USAF， Army， Navy）。 It was very good reading。 I'll be moving onto "Alone at Dawn" which focuses on John Chapman， the Combat Controller who died during that operation。 。。。more

Merritt McCully ，

A fun book， with the lessons very clearly laid out at the end of each chapter and at the end of the book。 It reads like a moto speech from a guest speaker。 He is definitely not a professional writer and at times just sounds cheesy， but that doesn't stop the book from being an informative read。 A fun book， with the lessons very clearly laid out at the end of each chapter and at the end of the book。 It reads like a moto speech from a guest speaker。 He is definitely not a professional writer and at times just sounds cheesy， but that doesn't stop the book from being an informative read。 。。。more

Bradford ，

DNF at 35%。 Started interesting， then tapered off。

Jarrod ，

This is pretty much a leadership book told in the context of a military career in elite forces。 It's well organized， flows good and gives really good advice。 The audible version of this has the narrator say a few words and places in the "non-traditional" diction of the words。 Just be warned - it's a slight distraction。 This is pretty much a leadership book told in the context of a military career in elite forces。 It's well organized， flows good and gives really good advice。 The audible version of this has the narrator say a few words and places in the "non-traditional" diction of the words。 Just be warned - it's a slight distraction。 。。。more

Katie ，

This book had some really solid insights， and I have a lot of respect for the author。 I think he has a great leadership style that I would like to emulate。 But I didn’t find the insights to be earth shattering， and the book was just good。

Alli Roper ，

3。8-4。0-ish。 Very military combat heavy， so not a light read。 But very interesting life lessons based off of his experience working as a Delta Force commander; first half was more interesting to me， the last part was just details of the Operation Anaconda - written largely for military men。

Matias Myllyrinne ，

I’m one of the better books on using military leadership to outline general principles。 Easy to consume and brilliant in its simplicity。

Tom ，

A bunch of quality lessons on leadership here！ Actually a pretty dang good and interesting book about leadership， planning and problem solving。 Side note: my kind of leader as he supports the role of humor。

Jim ，

Another no-nonsense look at how confusing war is！Once again I am humbled that such men live and fight for our country。 While written as a list of leadership principles， Mr。 Blaber excellently explains how to clear the fog of war and uncertainty。 Supporting out of the box thinking due to the latest and greatest information by the folks on the front lines cannot be overstated。 A thoughtful and straightforward tale of what it takes to lead some of the most elite warriors in the world。 This book is Another no-nonsense look at how confusing war is！Once again I am humbled that such men live and fight for our country。 While written as a list of leadership principles， Mr。 Blaber excellently explains how to clear the fog of war and uncertainty。 Supporting out of the box thinking due to the latest and greatest information by the folks on the front lines cannot be overstated。 A thoughtful and straightforward tale of what it takes to lead some of the most elite warriors in the world。 This book is well worth the time investment to read。 。。。more

Chris Sheridan ，

Blaber gives an interesting look at the perspective of a Delra Force commander through multiple operational environments and mission sets。 While telling those stories he laces in practical tips to complete the mission that could be applied to you own life。

Beth ，

A must read for everyone！ The lessons taught in this book are classic and would be useful in every aspect of life。 Amazing！！！

Johann Lilly ，

You get a sense of the unconventional approach to getting work done within the military bureaucratic system。 When considering joining SOF or SF， one thing you get told is they need to un-train you on "big Army" practices， then trained on practices in the community。 After reading this book， it seems that relationship with the military hierarchy is one such practice。 You get a sense of the unconventional approach to getting work done within the military bureaucratic system。 When considering joining SOF or SF， one thing you get told is they need to un-train you on "big Army" practices， then trained on practices in the community。 After reading this book， it seems that relationship with the military hierarchy is one such practice。 。。。more

Charles Wendt ，

Fabulous， either for military types or just corporate types in unwieldy organizations。

Eddie ，

Great read for those who have played with the alphabet soup and for those who are in the elementary throws of gathering information about the various SOF outfits。 Blaber’s injection of humor and guile make for an emphatic read from start to end。 Well done Blaber！

Will ，

Required reading for all Leaders

Art ，

A GPC primerGreat book， a little too personal at times。 Grat organizational and Leadership lessons。 Highly recommend to anyone who needs to understand high performance leading。

Nonya ，

Great book for both war stories and leadership advice。 Pete takes us through his life and military career before cultivating in his assignment as a ground force commander during the early days of the invasion of Afghanistan。 Along the way， he points out principles which tell a story and yet can be a metaphor for today's leaders。 Entertaining and thoughtful， I appreciated many of the lessons in the book。 Great book for both war stories and leadership advice。 Pete takes us through his life and military career before cultivating in his assignment as a ground force commander during the early days of the invasion of Afghanistan。 Along the way， he points out principles which tell a story and yet can be a metaphor for today's leaders。 Entertaining and thoughtful， I appreciated many of the lessons in the book。 。。。more

Tiffany ，

Great for offering concrete principles on good leadership and decision making。

Michael Papier ，

A great first person account of a more current Delta Force operator， commander and the varied missions that they often tasked with。 This book does cover some Operational issues and problems like being micromanaged from half a world away during an actual mission in a combat zone。 The author gives you his personal background and shared maxims that he's learned， often the hard way， through the years。 These "pearl's of wisdom" can often be applied to， not only the Military and Military Leadership， b A great first person account of a more current Delta Force operator， commander and the varied missions that they often tasked with。 This book does cover some Operational issues and problems like being micromanaged from half a world away during an actual mission in a combat zone。 The author gives you his personal background and shared maxims that he's learned， often the hard way， through the years。 These "pearl's of wisdom" can often be applied to， not only the Military and Military Leadership， but often to everyday life。 I would think anyone that is， or hopes to be， in any kind of position of leadership could reap benefits from his insights！！！ If you would like more on the earlier days of Operational Detachment - Delta， I recommend Colonel Charlie A。 Beckwith's book "Delta Force" and Eric L。 Haney's book "Inside Delta Force" for a solid background on the formation， foundation and operational abilities of this extraordinary organization。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0