The Night Stalkers

The co-authors of In the Company of Heroes share stories from the army's elite aviation unit, describing the harrowing adventures of some of the world's top professional helicopter crews during their missions in Iran, Granada, Iraq, and other locations.

Three authors, all army veterans, join forces for this history of their service's Special Aviation Regiment. Founded in the 1970s, the unit received a boost from the Iran hostage fiasco. It first went to war in Grenada in 1983 and since then has flown, usually by night, hence the name Night Stalkers, everywhere army special-ops troops have needed to be delivered and supported. Durant and coauthor Robert L. Johnson are veterans of the regiment itself, so they can retell, vividly but discreetly, what it feels like to go into action against what are frequently blood-chilling odds. Sometimes the Stalkers use state-of-the-art stealth helicopters, in whose development the regiment played a significant role; at other times, they use more conventional "birds" and rely on darkness and skill. The book's action scenes are numerous and spine-tingling, its portraits of men living a life of danger absorbing, and the regiment's sadly long roll of honor distinctly moving. Roland Green
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