DESC: This history of the early years of the U.S. Army's Special Forces is told by one of their own. He recounts their training and their secret missions in Asia in the 1950s and '60s, which included educating South Vietnamese soldiers and encounters with the Viet Cong. Part of their mission was to serve as ambassadors of good will to the people. Archer's personal experiences as a soldier, his views of the military, and of the decision-making process in Washington make this insider's account a valuable military memoir.