If the big wars of the 20th century were about saving civilization and countries 21Ýsuperscript st¨ century wars are about saving people. Instead of defeating Hitler, they are concerned with the capture of international pariahs like Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Radovan Karadic or Colonel Aideed. The capture of such people and the rescue of hostages or prisoners-of-war: this is the two-fold mission of the US Army's Special Forces, the 'Green Berets'.David Isby investigates their most famous missions from the liberation of Allied prisoners at the end of the Second World War to the rescue of US Army Private Jessica Lynch from the Iraqis 2003. Leave No Man Behind reveals why some missions were such great successes while others turned to tragedy. The author compares them to other rescue operations, for instance the British Army's rescue action in Sierra Leonia, and questions how an increasingly 'zero defect, no tolerance for risks' US military can continue to carry out such perilous operations. As he observes, raids and rescues will be more typical of warfare in this century, so it is vital to understand the successes and failures American's elite forces. Read Less