The fourth iRead session for Three Cups of Tea featured Cumberland University English Professor Dr. Buck Smith speaking about his first-hand experiences as a Green Beret in
Dr. Smith began by giving a brief history of the Green Beret Special Forces. Their history traces back to Lawrence of Arabia and can be seen throughout World Wars I and II. The modern day practice of wearing green berets got its start in 1961 when President Kennedy visited the
The motto of the Green Berets is “To Liberate the Oppressed.” They do this by requiring soldiers to be knowledgeable about culture—speak the language, meet with local leaders, and develop relationships. During the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, there were even some soldiers who trained to become “horse soldiers” by riding with local leaders and learning how to carry supplies while on horseback. This process of learning the culture is the same approach that Greg Mortenson took in Three Cups of Tea.
Green Beret soldiers go through a rigorous training process which culminates in a field exercise in unconventional warfare in a rural part of the
Dr. Smith’s company arrived in
Dr. Smith closed with a quote from Capt. Sir Basil Liddell Hart in Thoughts on War: “If you wish for peace understand war, particularly the guerilla and subversive forms of war.” Dr. Smith also provided the following quote from Greg Mortenson, which appeared on the dust jacket of the book Horse Soldiers, by Doug Stanton. Mortenson said: “Their [the Green Beret Horse Soldiers] secret mission against the Taliban was intelligent, brave, and undertaken with great care for the good people of
Dr. Smith offered suggested readings for further knowledge on the United States' role in Afghanistan:
- Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton
- One Tribe at a Time by Jim Gant
- The Only Thing Worth Dying For by Eric Blehm
- Steven Pressfield Blog: A Video Blog from Author and Historian Steven Pressfield
- The Ugly American by William Lederer and Eugene Burdick
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