Falcon Brigade: Combat and Command in Somalia and Haiti

—Colonel George F. Oliver, Parameters
"If you like the book Black Hawk Down ... then you will find Larry Casper's Falcon Brigade equally compelling."

—Scott R. Gourley, Army Magazine
"This excellent volume, with the author's real-world command experiences, contains vital lessons for every aspect of transformation."

—The Midwest Book Review
"Falcon Brigade is very strongly recommended ... for students of modern military operations."

—Dick Cody, Major General, US Army
"Captures the heroics, challenges, innovations, and teamwork our soldiers and leaders experienced on two dangerous and sensitive operations—a must read."

—Stephen A. Bourke, The Journal of Military History
"Casper debunks the image of antiseptic intervention and reminds us that warfare continues to be a dirty and dangerous business."

Book Description
Col. Lawrence E. Casper (U.S. Army-Ret.) narrates the first documented account by a military officer of the harrowing U.S. operations in Somalia and Haiti. As commander of the Falcon Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, and the UN Quick Reaction Force (QRF), Casper experienced Operation Continue Hope first-hand. Falcon Brigade and Special Operations aviators shared the skies over Mogadishu on October 3, 1993, providing cover as the Quick Reaction Force fought block by block to reach the stranded troops and remove them to safety. Casper's candid account of Operation Continue Hope, and the brigade's continuing involvement in Somalia until the U.S. withdrawal from the war-torn region some five months later, showcases the leadership skills and courage necessary for troop survival under beleaguered circumstances. Just six months after their return from Somalia, Casper and Falcon Brigade were on the flight deck of the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, preparing to air-assault 10th Mountain Division Lightfighters onto the shores of Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy. Casper brings to life the frustrations and challenges the brigade soldiers experienced as they worked around the clock for thirty days, and he captures the untiring cooperation between soldiers and sailors as they joined together to ensure the success of the operation. His account concludes with the brigade's subsequent four-month involvement in Haiti. Not only a telling and vivid history, Falcon Brigade is an insightful—and rare—discussion of what did and did not work, and what went on behind the scenes at the operational level.

About the Author
Lawrence E. Casper has served in the U.S. Army as infantry and aviation company commander, attack helicopter battalion commander, and aviation brigade commander, among other command and staff assignments. He has served in the 2nd, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 25th Infantry Divisions and commanded the unit that conducted the operational test on the AH-64 Apache helicopter. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star.


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Lawrence Casper was the commander of the Falcon Brigade and the United Nations Quick Reaction Force during Operation Continue Hope in Somalia. Falcon Brigade: Combat And Command In Somalia And Haiti is a candid and personal military story of aviators in the skies over Mogadishu, black by block ground combat to reach and rescue stranded troops, and the courage necessary for troop survival under beleaguered circumstances. Then just six months after their return from Somalia, Casper and the Falcon Brigade were aboard the USS Eisenhower, preparing to air-assault 10th Mountain Division troops onto the shores of Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy. Casper vividly recounts the frustrations and challenges of brigade solders working around the clock for thirty days. Falcon Brigade is very strongly recommended and informative reading for students of modern military operations as reflecting in two campaigns that affected both U.S. policy making and altered the basic nature of U.S. military involvement overseas.


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