Tony Schwalm, a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army Special Forces, is the author of The Guerrilla Factory (Free Press, 2012).

     In more than twenty years in the Army, he has served around the globe in leadership positions in combat operations, humanitarian assistance missions, and counter-drug operations. He has served with U.S. Special Operations Command Central and Joint Special Operations Command, creating state-of-the-art technologies to support Special Operations forces. As a tank company commander in Operation Desert Storm, he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor.

“[A] well written, eye-opening memoir . . . Rich with twists, anecdotes and insights into how officers are selected and trained to lead small units of tough, highly trained fighters behind enemy lines. . . . [This] is first-rate reading.” —Dallas Morning News

“A retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer provides a behind-the-scenes look at the physical, psychological and emotional toll one pays to join the ranks of America’s most elite fighting force. . . . An eye-opening, unconventional war story in which the war itself resides in the training.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Schwalm’s insider perspective on the training for unconventional warfare gives his book a fresh, authentic voice.” —Publishers Weekly

“A gritty, muscular, compelling account of what it takes to join the ranks of America’s elite warrior-diplomats, the Green Berets. This is not just a memoir by a top soldier, leader, and scholar—it is a fine tale of courage, compassion, and selflessness from one of our country’s finest.” —Eric Greitens, author of The Heart and The Fist