The Vietnamese knew the Long-Range Patrol Scouts as “the men with green faces,” a reference to the camouflage paint that they used. Operating in patrols of four to six men these men were like ghosts – scouting far behind enemy lines. This book examines the Long-Range Patrol Scout's superior stealth movement techniques, camouflage and concealment, tracking, counter-tracking, observation, and other fieldcraft skills. It also examines the occasions they participated in small-scale direct actions including ambushes and raids. Written by a Special Forces' Vietnam veteran, this book not only depicts the remarkable lives of these scouts when on campaign, but also details the training and conditioning that it took to become one of these shadow warriors.

The role of the Frontier scout in the US Army during the period of westward expansion, was often far more important than that of the commanding officer. They possessed a priceless knowledge of the geography, people and characteristics of the great, unknown American hinterland and from the earliest days of exploration, the US Army depended on its scouts to guide troops across the plains and through the mountains as they guarded the nation's frontier settlements. This book tells the colourful story of these frontier men, covering many famous scouts such as 'Wild Bill' Hickok and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody.

The official United States Army manual, U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Handbook provides tactics, techniques, and procedures for reconnaissance and surveillance planning, mission management, and reporting. Throughout history, military leaders have recognized the importance of reconnaissance and surveillance. Gaining and maintaining contact with the enemy is essential to win the battle, and U.S. military history contains many examples where our knowledge of the enemy, or lack of knowledge, directly led to victory or defeat. The role of reconnaissance and surveillance has not diminished on the modern battlefield; if anything, it has become even more important. Battles at the combat training centers prove that a good reconnaissance and surveillance effort is critical to successful attacks. On the other hand, a poor reconnaissance and surveillance effort almost guarantees defeat for the commander. The message is clear: success on the battlefield begins with reconnaissance and surveillance. This essential handbook covers: Surveillance Preparation Assets Equipment Planning Monitoring Organizing Missions Electronic warfare Counter-reconnaissance And more! It also looks at the development of intelligence, employment considerations for reconnaissance, and defines the roles of various personnel in planning operations. Intended for maneuver commanders and their staffs; intelligence staffs and collection managers; and other personnel involved in planning and reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance operations, and now available to everyone, U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Handbook provides an insider’s look into the world of Army intelligence.

Here is the oral history of the Apache warrior Chevato, who captured eleven-year-old Herman Lehmann from his Texas homestead in May 1870. Lehmann called him ?Bill Chiwat? and referred to him as both his captor and his friend. Chevato provides a Native American point of view on both the Apache and Comanche capture of children and specifics regarding the captivity of Lehmann known only to the Apache participants. Yet the capture of Lehmann was only one episode in Chevato?s life. ø Born in Mexico, Chevato was a Lipan Apache whose parents had been killed in a massacre by Mexican troops. He and his siblings fled across the Rio Grande and were taken in by the Mescalero Apaches of New Mexico. Chevato became a shaman and was responsible for introducing the Lipan form of the peyote ritual to both the Mescalero Apaches and later to the Comanches and the Kiowas. He went on to become one of the founders of the Native American Church in Oklahoma. ø The story of Chevato reveals important details regarding Lipan Apache shamanism and the origin and spread of the type of peyote rituals practiced today in the Native American community. This book also provides a rare glimpse into Lipan and Mescalero Apache life in the late nineteenth century, when the Lipans faced annihilation and the Mescaleros faced the reservation.

A fascinating, intelligent, often humorous memoir of World War II by a remarkable soldier, a scout working behind enemy lines for Patton's famed Third Army on the move.

This concise history chronicles the role of military recon, from the ancient warfare of Greeks and Romans to the operations of modern scout snipers. Since the earliest recorded military history, scouting and reconnaissance have been key tools for military commanders in order to make tactical decisions. As military strategy, weapons, and equipment developed over the centuries, methods of scouting and reconnaissance evolved as well but were never discarded. This short history paints a revealing picture of the art of military scouting and reconnaissance. From the secret sciritae of the Spartans and the scouts employed by Julius Caesar to the Middle Ages, Napoleonic Wars, and modern era of scout snipers and special forces units, this volume covers the evolution of recon operations across centuries of conflict.

The aeroscouts of the 1st Infantry Division had three words emblazoned on their unit patch: Low Level Hell. It was then and continues today as the perfect concise definition of what these intrepid aviators experienced as they ranged the skies of Vietnam from the Cambodian border to the Iron Triangle. The Outcasts, as they were known, flew low and slow, aerial eyes of the division in search of the enemy. Too often for longevity’s sake they found the Viet Cong and the fight was on. These young pilots (19-22 years old) “invented” the book as they went along. Praise for Low Level Hell “An absolutely splendid and engrossing book. The most compelling part is the accounts of his many air-to-ground engagements. There were moments when I literally held my breath.”—Dr. Charles H. Cureton, Chief Historian, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine (TRADOC) Command “Low Level Hell is the best ‘bird’s eye view’ of the helicopter war in Vietnam in print today. No volume better describes the feelings from the cockpit. Mills has captured the realities of a select group of aviators who shot craps with death on every mission.”—R.S. Maxham, Director, U.S. Army Aviation Museum

This publication, Field Manual FM 3-98 Reconnaissance and Security Operations July 2015, provides doctrinal guidance and direction for Cavalry organizations, as well as reconnaissance and security organizations. This FM establishes the foundation for the development of tactics and procedures in subordinate doctrine publications. This publication applies across the range of military operations. While the main focus of this field manual is Cavalry formations within the units listed below, all maneuver formations must be able to conduct reconnaissance and security tasks. - Armored brigade combat team (ABCT) Cavalry squadron. - Infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) Cavalry squadron. - Stryker brigade combat team (SBCT) Cavalry squadron. - Battlefield surveillance brigade (BFSB) Cavalry squadron. - It is applicable to the- - Scout platoon of maneuver battalions. - Combat aviation brigade air squadron. The principal audiences for FM 3-98 are commanders, leaders, and staffs responsible for the planning, execution, or support of reconnaissance and security operations as well as instructors charged with teaching reconnaissance and security operations. Doctrine consists of fundamental principles that describe how to fight. At the tactical level, doctrine consists of authoritative principles concerning how to execute reconnaissance and security operations as part of Army and joint operations that require professional military judgment in their application. Importantly, our doctrine must describe how brigade combat teams (BCT) and subordinate units combine the capabilities of various arms into cohesive, combined arms, air-ground teams and provide a clear description of how to execute reconnaissance and security operations. This publication provides the commander and staff of Cavalry formations with doctrine relevant to Army and joint operations. This publication explains how effective reconnaissance and security operations generate depth, allow commanders reaction time and maneuver space, fight for information and collect information through stealth, protect against surprise, ease the forward movement of follow-on forces, and provide commanders with flexibility and adaptability. The doctrine described in this publication is applicable across unified land operations. The previous proponent manual for Cavalry Operations was FM 3-20.96, published 12 March 2010, which included operational considerations. This publication provides doctrinal guidance for all formations assigned to the ABCT, the IBCT, and SBCT. The following is a summary of each chapter in the manual: Chapter 1 addresses the role of Cavalry in unified land operations and Cavalry organizations. Chapter 2 discusses understanding the threat, potential threat groups and threat characteristics. Chapter 3 addresses the operational environment, shaping, engaging, and influencing outcomes, and consolidating gains. Chapter 4 highlights the updated concepts of mission command in relation to commander's reconnaissance and security guidance, the operations process and information collection. Chapter 5 begins with an overview, followed by a detailed discussion of the fundamentals of reconnaissance, forms of reconnaissance, and reconnaissance handover. Chapter 6 begins with an overview, followed with the fundamentals of security operations, counterreconnaissance, and the forms of security. Chapter 7 provides a short overview and then devotes a section to reconnaissance and security stability planning, stability principles and frameworks, and stability tasks. Chapter 8 describes sustainment for reconnaissance and security tasks, sustainment planning considerations for reconnaissance and security, sustainment considerations for reconnaissance and security and special sustainment consideration.