About the book
De Oppresso Liber (To Free the Oppressed) is a collection of poetry
by Special Forces soldiers about their experiences or thoughts concerning
their service to the country and of others like them in all parts of the
world.
Contents:
Tom Davis
Am I Forgotten?
It’s Time to Let Go (short story)
The Bloody Yawn (short story)
Dear Molly (short story)
Thomas A. Gluzinski
Brotherhood of Silence
Preparing the Way
Liquid Memories
The Tears of the Eagle
War is a Disease
Pillars in the Desert
Battalions of Angels
The “Teamhouse” over Time
Unconventional Warfare Our Stock In Trade
Haiku Forms For the Warrior Elite
Greg Hoisington
(A toast) To War...
Rick Schad
Burning Questions
Water Operations
The Jump
Kindling Truth |
James R. Jarrett
Horseman, Pass By
Death in the Ashau (short story)
Zulu
Sabers in the Sand
L.H. “Bucky” Burruss
I Will Remember You
This Has Become Our Home
Limp
Upon Return to Active Duty – 1969
CPT (R) Henry J. Briscoe
Flight
Howard B. Cohen
Hanoi Jane
Remembering Friends
Monsoon
Bar Girls
Body Bags
Medivac
Jeffrey Armadillo Forker
The Toasting Skull
The Infamous Green Beret
Tears From Sand
Ode To Murph |
Sample Poems:
Am I Forgotten?
Tom Davis
Brown leaves, curled and frost covered
Crunch beneath my feet
Morning air crackles
Its freshness burns my nose
In the distance, a combine whines
The dusty smell of peanuts hovers about
By a fallen tree, I sit
I turn for my father
He is not there
I cradle his Winchester
Overhead oak limbs intertwine
Like loosely woven burlap
Shafts of light beam down
Dotting the forest floor
Ringing echoes down the hall
The stench of Hanoi fills my nostrils
I knuckle eyes,
empty as a beggar’s cup
My feet swing to the floor
Turning, I stretch to my toes
And grind my fists into my back
I plod the cement floor
To grasp cold bars
And I wonder
Am I forgotten?
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Brotherhood of Silence
Thomas A. Gluzinski
For over fifty years we’ve served to date
Providing vigilance at freedom’s gate
Our names are legion and kept away
From prying eyes lurking everyday
Our campaigns are kept in secret script
Our deeds unknown silenced not stripped
From cold war days across the globe
To fields in the middle east yet untold
Always moving swiftly in the night
Our weapons at the ready with terrible might
Our brotherhood speaks in deeds not words
To rid the world of its evil scourge
From the rice paddies and highlands of Vietnam
To the caves of Tora Bora and well beyond
Our deeds are spattered with the blood of time
Our enemies defeated we remain in our prime
Like lightening bolts striking sharp and swift
Engaging with precision to create a rift
Our targets, our strategy ever true and engaging
The enemy on the run retreats while trembling
Our swords and daggers are sharp and straight
Carried with us always through deaths gate
Providing swift and deadly precision
At every turn when the battle comes to fruition
The arrows in our quiver are quiet when sent
Stealth of purpose our unrelenting intent
Quietly engaged in secrecy and silence
We execute our tasks with deep conscience
Our charter is simple but carries great weight
Our goal is the preservation of the state
To keep the bell of liberty ringing true
For all free peoples through and through
De Oppresso Liber in Latin, our motto you see
Freeing oppressed peoples our charge must be
The quiet professionals are first to the fight
And the brotherhood is always last out at night
That piece of green felt that we hold so dear
Is our badge of courage to abate our fear
We carry it every where that we travel
In combat or in peace we will not unravel
We mourn our comrades that have fallen in war
And prepare ourselves to settle the score
Preparing for the battle for another day
Our vigilance intact our minds don’t stray
All of my brothers have carried the weight
As we provide vigilance at freedom’s gate
These are men, America’s best
And proven so when put to the test
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About the Authors
Retired
Army CPT Henry J. Briscoe, a WWII
[503rd PIR in Pacific (Combat jump on Corregidor)] and Korean War (7th
ID) rifle company commander, was awarded a Silver Star in each war as well
as a Soldiers Medal, Navy/Marine Medal, Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.
He was his son’s hero. Submitted by his son, COL (R) Chuck Briscoe
L.H.
“Bucky” Burruss served two
tours in the 5th SFG’s country-wide reaction force, the Nha Trang Mike
Force. He is the author of five books: Mike Force, a Mission for Delta,
Clash of Steel, Heart of the Storm, and All That Matters.
He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1987 after serving as Deputy Commander
of the Delta Force.
Howard
B, Cohen’s M.D.Col.(Ret) poems can
be found in his volume of poetry No Slack Authorized. The poems
are about the Vietnam war and are taken from his experience and stories
told to him by wounded soldiers he cared for at Fitzsimons Hospital.
Thomas
(Tom) Hoyt Davis, III (AKA
The Squid), holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Georgia
and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Tom entered
the Army as a private and retired as a full colonel. He spent 20 of his
30+ years in the Army serving with Special Forces on four continents and
in ten foreign countries. He has worn a Green Beret at every rank from
2LT to Colonel and commanded at every level from A Teams to a Joint Special
Operations Task Force. The various A Teams he commanded specialized in
Mountaineering, Underwater Operations, High Altitude Low Opening (HALO)
parachute techniques, and Small Atomic Demolitions Munitions (SADM). In
addition to the Army’s Command and General Staff College and Army War College,
he has attended Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces, Underwater Operations
(UWO), Danish Combat Swimmer, Special Forces Surface Swimmer Infiltration
Technique Course, High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachute school, Small
Atomic Demolitions Munitions (SADM) and many others. He has had numerous
articles and short stories published in professional and literary magazines.
He has also had published a collection of short stories, The
Life and Times of Rip Jackson Growing up Southern and his first
action adventure novel, The
R-complex.
Jeffrey
Armadillo Mother Forker’s Poetry
has never appeared anywhere, and actually has been outlawed in the Western
Hemisphere, due to matters of taste and style. Nonetheless, Jeff continues
to write late into most nights. “It’s either that or drink,” Jeff likes
to tell detractors who often beg him to stop writing.
Author’s note: In
the poem “Tears from Sand,” Miller is Rick Schad, who has changed his last
name since his 5th Group days.
Thomas
A. Gluzinski, CWO3(R), 180A’s work
is a published poet and a distinguished member and ambassador of the International
Poet Society. He writes poetry in many forms and styles to express his
thoughts, feelings and emotions from his life experiences. Many of his
works have an intellectual flair with deep philosophical perspectives.
The work is for your intellectual stimulation, reading pleasure and personal
reflection. He is currently working on a book of poetry for publication
entitled The Warrior Mind. This work is completely in Japanese forms
using Haiku, Senryu, Tanka and others. You can find some of his work on
poetry.com and also poets.com. On poets.com look under the pen name skydyv.
Greg
Hoisington’s poetry and short
stories have appeared on latrine walls and other seamy locations,
as well as on munitions, in various parts of the world, often times under
different names. If he told you any more, he would have to kill you...
James
R. Jarrett soldier, horseman,
teacher, spy. It has been one hell of a ride. Project Delta Recon, 5th
Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces.
RICK SCHAD is also known throughout the Special Forces
community by his adopted name: Rick Miller. He legally changed his name
back to Schad in 1994.Schad graduated from Special Forces training in 1982.
He served in the 5th Special Forces Group as a communications sergeant
on ODA-553 and ODA-551. While serving in the 5thGroup, Rick traveled to
Sicily and Egypt. He transferred to the 7th Special Forces Group in
1986, first serving as a platoon sergeant then as the communications sergeant
on ODA-786. His assignments with the 7th Group took him to Panama, Bolivia,
Venezuela, and Belize. Rick became a Special Forces Instructor in 1989
and returned to the 7th Group in 1992 to assume the operations sergeant
slot on ODA-743. He left the Army in 1996 holding the rank of Sergeant
First Class. He has a Bachelor of Science in Police Studies from Eastern
Kentucky University, where he is also enrolled in the Industrial Education
M.S. program. He is presently working on two books for publication:
A
Boy Among Titans and A War Within.. Schad wrote the poem,
“Burning Questions” (included in this work) when he was sixteen years old.
This poem was folded and carried in his wallet all through Basic,
AIT, Jump School, Morse Code training, and SFQC. He has several published
articles in the Kentucky Law Enforcement Magazine. Schad lives
with his wife Shelia in Lexington, Kentucky. Their four children – Tina,
Ashley, Jessica, and Nick are all away at college.
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