In 1979 a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the U.S. Army. Defying all known accepted military practice -- and indeed, the laws of physics -- they believed that a soldier could adopt a cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls, and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them.
Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren't joking. What's more, they're back and fighting the War on Terror.
With firsthand access to the leading players in the story, Ronson traces the evolution of these bizarre activities over the past three decades and shows how they are alive today within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in postwar Iraq. Why are they blasting Iraqi prisoners of war with the theme tune to Barney the Purple Dinosaur? Why have 100 debleated goats been secretly …
In 1979 a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the U.S. Army. Defying all known accepted military practice -- and indeed, the laws of physics -- they believed that a soldier could adopt a cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls, and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them.
Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren't joking. What's more, they're back and fighting the War on Terror.
With firsthand access to the leading players in the story, Ronson traces the evolution of these bizarre activities over the past three decades and shows how they are alive today within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in postwar Iraq. Why are they blasting Iraqi prisoners of war with the theme tune to Barney the Purple Dinosaur? Why have 100 debleated goats been secretly placed inside the Special Forces Command Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina? How was the U.S. military associated with the mysterious mass suicide of a strange cult from San Diego? The Men Who Stare at Goats answers these and many more questions.
Ronson's Them: Adventures with Extremists, a highly acclaimed international bestseller, examined the paranoia at the fringes of hate-filled extremist movements around the globe. The Men Who Stare at Goats reveals extraordinary and very nutty military secrets at the core of George W. Bush's War on Terror.
I remember getting lost in all the details of who, where and when of the film of this book so hoped it would all become clearer in the written version. Unfortunately, I still feel none the wiser. I like a good conspiracy theory - and my next read, House of Rumour, is a fantastic conglomeration of many - but the book just didn't grab my attention. Perhaps the writing is too segmented so I didn't get a sense of an overall narrative, more a selection of varied events that, despite the best efforts and research of the author, didn't convincingly hang together.
Review of 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This book is like a long, strange conversation. It is sometimes amusing, sometimes serious, and often disturbing. There are pieces of undeniable truth throughout the book, but it is sprinkled with hearsay. Or perhaps it is the hearsay that is sprinkled with truth. Regardless, I am disturbed that the military might try to 'influence livestock from afar' and all the further implications of that practice.
