Desperate Lands: The War on Terror Through The Eyes of a Special Forces Soldier

by Regulo Zapata

DESPERATE LANDS is the unprecedented story of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers and the missions they have carried out while fighting the war on terror in the Horn of Africa and in Afghanistan. The book is unique and timely, in that it tells the compelling story of our nations struggle and of its soldiers fighting a new and different kind of war never fought before a Global War on Terror. This true story comes at a time when our nation has divided feelings and opinions about this war a division that exists among both government leaders and the American people. These pages offer a different perspective that of lower enlisted soldiers reflecting their personal experience in combat zones in Africa and Afghanistan as they witnessed and experienced the fog of war. The author Special Forces Master Sergeant Regulo Zapata, Jr. shares his extraordinary journey through ancient and desperate lands at the front lines of this ongoing war. Here are true stories of sacrifice, bravery, excitement, horror, anger, tedium, fear, camaraderie, and more a firsthand look behind the headlines at the reality of the exceptional and difficult challenges U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers face as they defend America against the terrorist threat.

Genres: Military Fiction, History

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2007

Reviews

[Eric Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is informative and I liked it. However some grammar and spelling issues were present. Other than that the book is pretty good, and a good way to describe Operation Enduring Freedom from the startish of the deployments. The information is good to write as a way of getting my own characters into something and also to get more ways to write special forces soldiers, even though I got the book back then to just learn something new. Maybe I should have read it sooner, but whatever, it's read and despite the issues, it's a good read.

[Al Lock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid account of a Special Forces Soldier and his experiences in Afghanistan during the early portions of the Global War on Terror. It would have been improved by a good editor. The text is often repetitive and could be tightened up and made much more readable. DOL, MSG Zapata.

[Timothy Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the first decade of the 21st Century, Master Sergeant Regulo Zapata was a Special Forces soldier assigned to the Horn of Africa, and then Afghanistan, to fight the War on Terror.

His book, "Desperate Lands," is a first-hand account of the United States military structure and operations in those theaters, told from the viewpoint of a member of the American armed forces on the ground.

Zapata delivers with the devastating power of a .50 caliber machine gun. Moreover, he provides meticulous details only someone truly in the fight could possibly know. You will go on sorties with the US Special Forces and their allies, the Afghan Army-in-training. And you will come under the guns of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and Afghani warlords, all seen through the eyes and minds of US military personnel on the front line.

"Desperate Lands" is a story you'll never get on "60-Minutes, CNN, or the nightly news. The reason? Those reports come from journalists.

Zapata's is a soldier's story, recounted in the blunt language of a modern day warrior.

If you have an interest it some of the most important military action of our times, pick up Regulo Zapata's "Desperate Lands - The War on Terror through the Eyes of a Special Forces Soldier."

[Rachel Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just goes to show that despite the fact that we have the most educated NCO Corps the Army has ever seen that most of them can't write. This book was TERRIBLE!

[Chance Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting... Very low key with a lot of repetition and no action