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US Troops wore IDF uniforms in Israel (old controversy)
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:29 pm
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:29 pm
![](https://i.imgur.com/cZXtZkD.jpg)
Former Delta Force chief shunned for relating experiences in book
By Sean D. Naylor
snaylor@militarytimes.com
Delta Force and its higher headquarters have declared retired Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin -- the controversial former senior Pentagon intelligence official and ex-commander of the secretive unit -- "persona non grata" for writing about the force in his memoir, according to sources in the special operations community. Being "PNG'd" has no legal significance but requires members of the organizations involved to shun the person.
Boykin is in hot water for breaking the unwritten rule that Delta operators should not publicize their experiences in the unit and including in the book a photograph of him and a future Army chief of staff wearing Israeli uniforms while working in Israel for Delta, according to the sources.
In a telephone interview, Boykin said the only action he was aware of was the withdrawal of an invitation to speak at a Joint Special Operations University event, "Combating Terrorism Executive Interagency Seminar," held July 29-30 in northern Virginia for senior intelligence and Defense Department personnel. That was when his book was published.
But Boykin said that being PNG'd from Delta would have a significant emotional impact.
"It's not superficial," he said. "Obviously it bothers me. ... I don't have any intention of spending a lot of time in the compound, but to be isolated from an organization that I spent so much of my life in would be a very painful thing." U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Ken McGraw declined to say whether Delta or its higher headquarters, Joint Special Operations Command, had PNG'd Boykin.
McGraw said "USSOCOM does not provide information concerning special mission units." However, McGraw issued a statement about what he described as "the unauthorized publication of classified information."
The statement said: "It is surprising and disappointing when former service members who held positions of special trust and responsibility elect to release information that is sensitive, classified or otherwise protected. The release of such information may put people, relationships and operations at risk and is contrary to the values and ideals of special operations forces." Boykin is not the first former Delta member to be PNG'd for going public, but he is by far the highest-profile alumnus of the special mission unit to be treated in such a manner. An original member of Delta, Boykin was the first person to complete the arduous 40-mile march in Delta's assessment and selection process. He rose to become the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence from 2003 until his retirement in November 2007.
Boykin became the focus of controversy in October 2003 when NBC News and The Los Angeles Times reported -- falsely, he claims -- on speeches he had given to Christian groups. The controversy dogged the remaining years of his career.
Boykin's side
To present his side of the story, Boykin wrote (with Lynn Vincent) a book called "Never Surrender" that was published July 29. While the book rebuts many of the criticisms, (he denies accusations that he made negative comments about Islam or cast the war on terrorism as a religious war), much of "Never Surrender" is a recounting of his career in the special operations community, with a particular emphasis on the time he spent in Delta, which is based at Fort Bragg, N.C. The unit's full name is 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta.
While Boykin and other sources in the special operations community acknowledge that the book contains little in the way of new information on Delta and its operations (Boykin turned over command of the unit in 1994), the response from Delta and its higher headquarters was swift.
During a video teleconference, JSOC commander Vice Adm. William McRaven told his subordinate commanders to avoid contact with Boykin, on account of Boykin allegedly violating the trust placed in him, said a source who served with Boykin in Delta and who has known him for almost his entire military career.
Delta's commander, a colonel who Marine Corps Times agreed not to name in this story at the request of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, issued a memo "basically saying [Boykin's] no longer welcome on the [Delta] compound," said a Fort Bragg source. The Delta commander acknowledged in the memo that he had not read Boykin's book, but he noted with concern the book's inclusion of a photograph of Boykin and thenDelta officer and future Army chief of staff Peter Schoomaker in Israel wearing Israeli uniforms, the Fort Bragg source said.
In the Marine Corps Times interview, Boykin said he had heard that McRaven had discussed his book in a video teleconference. However, he said he'd spoken with USSOCom commander Adm. Eric Olson and U.S. Army Special Operations Command chief Lt. Gen. Robert Wagner, and neither they nor any JSOC or Delta official had told him about being PNG'd.
The book has left a lot of Delta personnel "pretty disappointed," said a former member. "It's kind of an understanding that if you go to work there, you don't talk about it."
COURTESY HACHETTE BOOK GROUP
William "Jerry" Boykin, right, is shown with Pete Schoomaker, a former Delta officer and later Army chief of staff, in Israel in a photo that sources say raised concerns about Boykin's book "Never Surrender."
This post was edited on 10/24/23 at 12:30 pm
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:36 pm to 38tigers
quote:
in hot water for breaking the unwritten rule
People should really start writing the rules they don't want broken
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:37 pm to Green Chili Tiger
quote:
People should really start writing the rules they don't want broken
I nominate MLB to go first.
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/IconLOL.gif)
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:38 pm to 38tigers
Does this mean it was US soldiers who were doing a lot of fighting for the Israelis or something?
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:40 pm to CocomoLSU
quote:
I nominate MLB to go first
![](https://media.tenor.com/K_SLsgGvZBAAAAAC/second-futurama.gif)
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:42 pm to 38tigers
I love how SEALs and even DEVGRU members can write all the books they want while CAG shuns any guy who opens his mouth. True professionals.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:44 pm to Tom288
The Godfather of Delta, Charlie Beckwith, wrote a book and is still revered so the shunning is kind of situational.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:44 pm to CocomoLSU
quote:
I nominate MLB to go firs
Brian McCann has some ideas.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:44 pm to 38tigers
Being PNG'ed from the Unit is a very real thing. I personally know a guy (not a dude some dude's brother met once in a bar somewhere he can't talk about) who was interviewed for a book about Delta. He participated in the interview and gave some general background about his time there. He didn't reveal anything at all you can't find in a Google search.
He was subsequently notified that he was PNG and uninvited from all future retired member events, etc. They take that shite very seriously there.
It's kind of the opposite of being a SEAL. Those dudes are expected to write a book at a minimum. Bonus points for making a TV show or movie.
He was subsequently notified that he was PNG and uninvited from all future retired member events, etc. They take that shite very seriously there.
It's kind of the opposite of being a SEAL. Those dudes are expected to write a book at a minimum. Bonus points for making a TV show or movie.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:46 pm to Tom288
There's a metric frickton of former Delta Operators posting on IG and going on podcasts now. Even posting helmet cam footage from operations. Could be a new recruiting push. Either way I'm less interested in inter-service rivalries than the fact that our military personnel wear the uniforms of foreign countries while conducting operations. Not good for accountability.
This post was edited on 10/24/23 at 12:54 pm
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:49 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
The Godfather of Delta, Charlie Beckwith, wrote a book and is still revered so the shunning is kind of situational.
No one is saying you can't write a book. It depends on what you reveal in the book.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 1:06 pm to 38tigers
quote:
our military personnel wear the uniforms of foreign countries while conducting operations. Not good for accountability.
That’s actually perfect for accountability
Posted on 10/24/23 at 1:48 pm to 38tigers
Same thing happened to Chuck Norris.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 1:51 pm to TheRouxGuru
What's funny is the time they rescued some hostages and told them they were SEALs.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 2:17 pm to 38tigers
What's even funnier is that Sean Naylor, author of the article, wrote "Not a Good Day To Die. One of the prominent characters in his book was LTC (maybe COL) Pete Blaber. He was running AFO out of Gardez, which included Delta and SEAL personnel on recon and overwatch positions before and during the battle. I don't think there were any repercussions and that book has been out for about 20 years.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 2:43 pm to 38tigers
Was Boykin the guy that gave Mark Bowden all the deets on the Battle of Mogadishu?
His name sounds familiar, and there was one Delta operator that had a lot of POV chapters in that book.
His name sounds familiar, and there was one Delta operator that had a lot of POV chapters in that book.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 3:08 pm to 38tigers
Wonder how many American's are wearing Ukrainian uniforms as they run missions.
Posted on 10/24/23 at 3:22 pm to CocomoLSU
I’m up to date on 1994 now
Posted on 10/24/23 at 4:05 pm to 38tigers
Did they do that for other countries as well?
Posted on 10/24/23 at 4:15 pm to Towelie
quote:
Same thing happened to Chuck Norris.
You can't PNG Chuck Norris, he PNG's everyone in your group.
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