Warfighter: The Story of an American Fighting Man

In Warfighter, Colonel Jesse L. Johnson, one of the most decorated living American veterans, recounts the action-packed true-life tale of a man who stood and fought at the crossroads of history. Spanning forty years of conflict, from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iran and Iraq, never has a modern military memoir covered such a vast landscape of all-out warfare. Never has one man fought on the frontlines of so many of America’s most heroic battles. Johnson led the most elite forces on operations that defined eras past and present, mentoring young soldiers who would rise to become some of America’s greatest generals. He held the ear of princes, kings, presidents, and even Hollywood movie stars. With an all-star cast worthy of an epic war film, this extraordinary hero’s journey sheds new light on some of the most transformative events of our time--crises, conflicts and covert operations that have shaped the world as we know it today. More important, Warfighter offers us a deeper understanding of the personal sacrifice and human toll of a lifetime at war, and the honor-bound code of a man whose instinct in battle was to always charge ahead of those under his command--into the fight.

Col. Jesse L. Johnson is one of the most highly decorated combat veterans living today--the man General H. Norman Schwarzkopf called ＂the unsung hero of the Gulf War.＂ Colonel Jesse L. Johnson served a distinguished military career spanning thirty-four years on active duty. He spent the majority of that time in Special Forces, Delta Force, and the most legendary units of both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. In 1965, Johnson deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Air Cavalry Division. As a Sergeant First Class, he received a direct commission to the rank of 1st Lieutenant for combat actions during his first tour in Vietnam. As a Captain, he served a second tour in Vietnam as a company commander and staff officer in the 9th Infantry Division. During this tour, he earned three Silver Stars and a Distinguished Service Cross in a single month of combat and became lifelong friends with Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart. After a tour at NATO, and with an airborne combat team in Europe, Colonel Johnson returned to the United States to serve as Deputy Commander of the Army’s elite Delta Force after it was formed by President Jimmy Carter. He was a lead operator on Operation Eagle Claw, the 1980 attempted rescue of U.S. hostages in Iran. When the Italian Red Brigades kidnapped General James Dozier in Rome, Colonel Johnson spearheaded the January 1982 mission that led to his safe return. He helped lead Operation Urgent Fury, the 1983 rescue of American medical students in Grenada. For his leadership at Delta, Colonel Johnson received the prestigious Legion of Merit. After earning a second Legion of Merit as commanding officer of the 10th Special Forces Group, he assumed command of SOCCENT (Special Operations Command of Central Command), arriving at MacDill Air Base, Florida, less than one month before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in July 1990, finding himself smack dab in the middle of SOCCENT’s area of responsibility. One month later, he deployed to Saudi Arabia to run all special ops for Operations Desert Shield and then Desert Storm, including command of Task Force Normandy, which fired the crucial opening shots of the war. Colonel Johnson holds more awards for valor than any other special operator or covert commander in the United States Armed Forces, with the exception of the few that hold the Medal of Honor. His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross; the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (normally reserved for three- and four-star generals); three Silver Stars; four Bronze Stars (two with ＂V＂ device); two awards of the Legion of Merit; the Soldier’s Medal; the Army Commendation Medal (with ＂V＂ device); three Purple Hearts; the Master Parachutist Badge; the Free Fall Parachutist Badge; and parachutists badges from Germany, England, Belgium, Canada, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar; along with numerous other service medals. Civilian decorations include the Gold Medallion and Seal from the Central Intelligence Agency. Colonel Johnson has appeared in twenty-eight books, including Year of the Horse by Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth D. Mertel; It Doesn’t Take a Hero by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf; Every Man a Tiger by General Charles Horner and Tom Clancy; Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces by General Carl Stiner and Tom Clancy; Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden; and most recently, Shadow on the Mountain by Katharine Holstein and Shaker Jeffrey. He is a frequent speaker for veterans and other military and civic organizations. - Author’s Previous Titles: This is Col. Johnson’s first book.