Books I'd Recommend

A friend of mine, Mac Epps, wrote a wonderful book I read before coming to Iraq. As a former CIA counterterrorism official, he most definitely has the qualifications for Terrorism and Personal Security: Reduce Your Chances of Becoming a Target. The book is perfect for the international traveler. All Western companies that have personnel or facilities in foreign lands should buy this book for their employees. The vignettes that accompany the suggestions are enlightening.

I've written about Dalton Fury in this blog a couple of times. At one point he put the link to one of my blogs about him on his website. The former Delta Force, counterterrorism officer and troop commander, was chasing down the world's number one terrorist in the mountains of Afghanistan right after 9/11. Kill bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man, can be preordered. It's due out this fall.

Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units. The link goes to Large Print. Not sure why. Aaron Cohen and I have been in close contact for a while. He was the Israeli equivalent of the U.S. Army's Delta Force. He's often see on Fox News, CNN and others. He owns a business in LA protecting celebrities now. After the Virginia Tech shootings he was on television speaking about police tactics. He called and we spoke in length about it.

Unfortunately, school shootings are all too common. Dave Grossman and I conversed not long ago via email. Dave is the foremost expert on school shootings and agression. His website is found at http://www.killology.com/, a term he coined.

A couple of years ago, at the beginning of the 34-day Israel-Lebanon war, I was at a counterterrorism conference with my friends from http://www.swatdigest.com/. If I had cell phone coverage, I would have gotten the message that I was needed to fly overseas and help provide security for the hundreds of Americans living in Lebanon, who were fleeing. On the news I remember seeing U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feldman. He's one of the greatest guys I've ever met in the federal government.

Anyway, while at the CT conference, I met and heard from John Giduck, author of Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy With Lesson's for American Schools. John knows, more than anyone else, the risk of terrorists attacking schools in the United States. We are not prepared to do what must be done. We cannot fight terrorists conventionally.

It was through my friends at http://www.swatdigest.com/ that I met Lisa Lockwood, a motivational speaker and the author of Undercover Angel: From Beauty Queen to SWAT Team...A True Story. Lisa is a kind and well-balanced person. She understands human nature and is an exceptional communicator. She has her priorities in order and fights for things that are good and worthwhile, like stopping domestic violence, sexual abuse and crimes against children.

Dr. Nancy Kobrin will change history. I have read and have become familiar with dozens of books and philosophies on Islamic terrorism. When I was introduced to Dr. Kobrin several years ago through a mutual friend, I quickly became impressed at her theories. Her forthcoming book The Sheikh's New Clothes: The Naked Truth About Islamic Suicide Terrorism, was abruptly pulled from publication by Looseleaf Law after the Pope's comments at Regensburg due to fear of Radical Islamist violence. She has now found a new publisher, The Center for the Study of Political Islam, which will be bringing the book out in 2008. Her work is being used by U.S. Central Command and has been referred to in the Jerusalem Post. Dr. Kobrin has presented at NATO and has taught law enforcement, US Army, USAF, the Madrid police (in Spanish) , Sri Lankan law enforcement and military. She has presented at the Interdisciplinary Center for Counter Terrorism, Herzliya, Israel. Her writings can be found at http://www.frongpagemag.com/ and www.geradts.com/anil/ij/vol_008_no_002/main.html.

Finally, but definitely not last, one of the best books I have ever read in my life was written by a friend of mine, Jeff Evans, an exceptional motivational speaker and storyteller. He led the world's first blind man to the summit of Mount Everest. His book, Mountain Vision: Lessons Beyond the Summit, is a collection of priceless stories of personal and team triumph, hope, courage and selfless service. It's a must read for everyone, everywhere.