Dr. Patrick R. Jennings, Ph.D., is a longtime U.S. Army historian and author who has previously headed the Oral History Department at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He is currently an officer in the Army National Guard and a regular contributor to The Year in Special Operations. He makes his home in Newmarket, N.H.

Ranger Raid in Mosul

By Dr. Patrick R. Jennings, Ph.D.

Since the dawn of gunpowder combat, every battle in every war has begun with an opening shot. Few, however, were…

SOCOM History Part 3

By Dr. Patrick R. Jennings, Ph.D.

On a cool October day in 1989, a composite Special Forces (SF) A Team from the 10th Special Forces Group…

A Bad Day on Khulfafa Street

By Dr. Patrick R. Jennings, Ph.D.

This entire article is based on an oral history conducted with Col. Warner Anderson by Maj. Paul Landry, 126th MHD,…

CW5 David Cooper at War

By Dr. Patrick R. Jennings, Ph.D.

When someone from outside the military envisions a special operations forces (SOF) soldier, the image that comes to mind is…

ODA 3336 in the Shok Valley

By Dr. Patrick R. Jennings, Ph.D.

In 1988, Demitri Zacharov was a 25-year-old soldier serving in a Soviet Motorized Rifle Regiment stationed on a small, gray…