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For Special Forces officer-turned-writer Chester Wong, being a Green Beret was tough business. Okay, there were a few laughs—in fact, there were countless random acts of hilarity, but maybe it’s how Wong looks at life that makes the difference. In Yellow Green Beret: Stories of an Asian-American Stumbling around U.S. Army Special Forces, one thing is certain: becoming an Asian American Green Beret is a calling only the wild should answer.
Whether or not you’re in the Army, there’s a whole lot of adventure and a whole lot of “who’d have thoughts” and “imagine thats” in this military memoir. With short stories like “Johnnie Walker Brown,” “Wily Filipino Cell Phone Thieves,” and “Sniper School: Extending the Range of Personality Lethality,” Wong pokes fun at the ironies of special operations combat, the idiosyncrasies of military life, and the absurdities of life on the frontline; more often than not he heckles his own harebrained ways. Each vignette is a standalone anecdote; sometimes there’s a lesson, sometimes it’s just for a laugh. He reminisces his West Point and Special Forces training, working with various militaries in Southeast Asia, and serving in Iraq and the Philippines, as well as general tidbits of military life. With a self-deprecating humor style, he leaves readers rolling with laughter and reflection on his unique observations and lessons learned from a path not often taken, which is good since this memoir is the first in a three-part collection.
- Sales Rank: #145849 in eBooks
- Published on: 2011-11-21
- Released on: 2011-11-21
- Format: Kindle eBook
From Kirkus Reviews
What does it take to succeed as a member of the Army Special Forces? Author Wong (Yellow Green Beret Vol. II, 2012) found out when he attended West Point in the late 1990s and then set out to join the ultraelite Green Berets. After completing several years of arduous training, he achieved his goal and later earned two Bronze Stars for military service in places ranging from the Philippines to Iraq... His book makes clear that the route to joining the Special Forces has no shortcuts and that dismissal from the program lurks around every corner, but the experience can bring unique rewards... Although the breezy prose style at times works against a robust understanding of complex situations, the book offers a realistic look at a military institution romanticized by movies and other forms of popular culture. The author seems to have no agenda beyond the obvious: telling the story of a man who tried hard, failed many times but persevered even if the results didn’t always live up to expectations... Peppered with information on the Iraq War and the U.S. involvement in the Philippines, this book leads an informative expedition into a much mythologized part of the military, headed by an author who’s never been afraid to fail.
About the Author
After growing up in Northern California, Chester Wong attended West Point, and served in the United States Army as an Armor and Special Forces officer while based in Korea and Japan, respectively. He served and deployed in four combat tours to Iraq and the Philippines, and received several medals for his accomplishments, including two Bronze Star Medals. Wong also worked extensively throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East in special operations missions. Yellow Green Beret is his first book.
Most helpful customer reviews
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful.
..from another yellow Green Beret....
By Duc
First off I want to thank "Mr. Wong" for his service to our country and for this fantastic book.
It's unfortunate that there have been other SF or SOF guys writing reviews questioning the authenticity of his experience (and experiences) in the short time he served in SF.
I think everyone should keep in mind that our individual perspectives are shaped by who we are, where we come from, and where we've been. The authors unique perspective on his training and operational deployments while in SF was influenced by his Asian-Am background, the culture of the organization he belonged to and the snap shot in time of when he was in training or on specific missions.
Tales of the Ranger school or Q-Course I went to in the 1980's would sound incredulous to those attending today. Likewise the experiences a SF guy from another Group, let alone an operator from another service, will likely be far different than the ones described as seen through the eyes of an officer whose POV came from his work with one very small element in the larger SOF community.
Like the six blind men and the elephant, six different SF guys will describe their experiences six different ways. While the author never claimed to speak for SF (or SOF) at large, his experiences while they may be unique to 1st Group, were both entertaining (my opinion) and factual (from my experience.)
I believe I am in a unique position to review this book and comment on the authors claims due to my own background both as an Asian-American and as a 1st Group SF guy for the last 24 years (and four years in the Ranger Regiment prior). While I don't know "Mr. Wong" personally I have served in the same organization, the same company in Oki (possibly the same teams), attended the same schools, and was on many of the same missions he described (albeit different locations or at different times.)
I only stumbled across the book due to another SF guy finding it on a Amazon search who made fun of the title and asked if I had read it (partially a racial slam, he obviously expected that I read it because I was also an Asian SF guy.)
When he told me the title and explained it was written by a former SF guy from Oki who had gotten out I asked,
"So this guy was an officer?"
"Yup, I think he was the team leader for 13X." (real team number not important)
"And he...only did ..what.. like 3 years in Group?" (Officers traditionally serve only two years on an ODA but some are selected to serve an extra year if they transfer to a specialty team or specialized mission company within the battalion)
"So what you are trying to tell me is some cat wrote three books about being a "Yellow Green Beret" and by my standards he was barely yellow, and barely a Green Beret!"
With low expectations I looked up the book myself on Amazon and despite the cheesy Asian exploitation, chop-socky comic book cover, I made it down here to the reviews section and was reasonably impressed by the overall reception of whatever lies this obvious poser was telling.
So, barring better judgment, I ordered the book planning to tear it apart and give a "real review" from someone who could clearly see through any BS, especially coming from a "1st Group" guy. This ABC "Bai Tou" might be able to fool the uninformed reader but I was going to be the one to call him out...Yellow Green Beret...chigger please.
Imagine then my surprise in finding that this is one of the most enjoyable books on SF that I have read (and I have read pretty much everything.)
This was MY SF, the SF I knew and loved. These are SF stories as they would be told to other SF guys that traditionally start with "No s***, there I was..." It's a refreshing read in a genre chockfull of self-aggrandizing books about the most deadly killer sniper/Seal/contractor/operator/spy/you name it.
As other reviews have mentioned the book is a collection of short stories, in random chronological order, that depict the humorous and insightful experiences of an Asian-American, West Point commissioned, officer during his time in the US Army, with a majority of the focus retelling his adventures while assigned to 1st Special Forces Group in Okinawa Japan. While there are stories from his days at West Point or in other schools he attended, the book seems to follow the author's development as an operator as much as tell funny antidotes and war stories.
I found the authors descriptions and views spot on accurate having been to most of the same locations or having worked with many of the same people. The real value of the book is the insight it gives to the "real world" of SF as seen or understood by very few, even within our own community.
By the end of the book I was left with mixed feelings. As much as I loved it I fear that the book is perhaps too honest. Its presentation of SF, (or at least the SF I know) held little back, aired our human nature, and painted no pretty pictures of who we are or what we do. While I loved the "truth" of it, this type of honesty is like letting strangers into your house, not with fear of their opinion, but knowing that they might not see or appreciate the things inside it. After all one man's treasure is another man's trash. While some may see Mr. Wong's "walking the edge" as a negative I see it as a way of thinking that used to be the norm in SF (again only from my own experience and perspective) that is slowly disappearing.
After reading his book I'm sorry Mr. Wong got out, we need more guys like him in SF. He would have probably never been a general (hell he probably would never have made it to battalion command) but he definitely "Got it" and his moving on is in the end our loss.
Needless to say I ordered the second two books and look forward to enjoying them as well.
DOL
Duc
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
You just have to read it
By Better Asian Man
I just finished reading Chester Wong's Yellow Green Beret, Volume I, and I am pretty much speechless. It's almost impossible to "summarize" what's going on in such a vast array of personal experiences that cover various aspects of his military service, personal relationships, ethical dilemmas, and internal struggles. Wong, a former Green Beret, has generously provided us with a unique glimpse into the life of a member of an elite modern day warrior- an alpha male in the absolute truest sense of the phrase.
Wong provides plenty of anecdotes that have a humorous feel to them and are highly entertaining, but anyone labeling this as a "funny" or "light hearted" book would be making a sorely mistaken over-simplification. Wong's depth of understanding of the human condition is expansive, and he demonstrates this in his narration of the various events and experiences that he persevered through on his own, as well as the experiences he shared alongside his friends, colleagues, and fellow servicemen. In each chapter of Yellow Green Beret (Volume I), Wong effortlessly connects seemingly disparate topics into a single unit that serves to demonstrate a specific lesson, goal, or realization that he arrived at during that particular phase of his life experience. What do wilderness survival, meth dealers, smelly dudes cuddling together for body warmth, and, um..... Papa John's Pizza have to do with each other? You'll just have to read it to find out.
I am no warrior- far from it. I know next to nothing about the American military, how its structured, what our nation's soldiers do to protect our country, and quite frankly, I never really cared. Reading about the ordeals- emotional, mental, and physical- that Wong had to go through in order to stand side-by-side with some of the most highly trained soldiers was completely mind-blowing to me. As I read the details of what a fellow Asian American man went through during this same time period (note: I'm just guessing that we are about the same age based on the cultural references made in the book), I can only say that if I were in the same room with this guy I would definitely feel inadequate standing next to him. Can you imagine going for a hike through a mountain range with 100+ lbs of gear, every day, for multiple days, only being able to eat what is basically about 2 slices of Oscar Meyer's ham? Can you imagine going through a training that is so demanding that you will bring yourself to consume the contents of a salt packet? Do you know how hungry you have to be in order to WANT to do that? Then, can you imagine going to war and being in a nearly similar situation for real? I haven't, and I probably never will, and its thanks to guys like Wong to take care of those things for me, and for all of us.
It is only in the title of this volume, and in a few short sentences in the epilogue that you will find any specific reference to Wong's "Asian-ness" or anything specifically addressing Asian American issues. I recall, waaaaaayy back in my ancient history, when I was seriously confused about my "identity as an Asian American", I could see myself getting my panties in a bunch over something as myopic as "but he doesn't address what it means to be an Asian American in the military!!". I recall being in many conversations with many of my peers regarding various Asian men that were visible in mainstream media such as Yul Kwon, Masi Oka, Jackie Chan, etc., and how we would be all riled up that they, in one way or another, didn't live up to some expectation we had of how a publicly visible Asian man should address Asian American issues and "represent Asian American Men." However, in the case of Chester Wong, there is no question in my mind that just knowing that he is Asian American from the title and byline of the book is more than enough representation for me. In one anecdote, Wong describes his working relationship with the the leader of a foreign military unit in Kurdistan, and over the course of the long and complex story arc that he unfolds for us, it is evident to me that Wong is the quintessential role model that all Asian American men can look up to. Even after re-reading that particular section twice, I am still amazed at all of the things that Wong did during that period- establishing a relationship of trust with a foreign military leader, training a foreign military unit, facing a full range of successes, failures, obstacles, navigating the complex politics and social hierarchy of a foreign nation, planning and executing complex military operations, enjoying the highs of situations that worked out well, and dealing with the ramifications of situations that did not work out well. For many of us, accomplishing so many things at a similar level of complexity could not be achieved in an entire lifetime, or even in multiple lifetimes. Wong is simultaneously an untouchable hero that I can't imagine holding a candle to, and at the same time he is unmistakably human and relates his story with a humility that makes me feel that he is addressing his writing specifically to me.
I am honored to have the chance to read this book, I'm really happy to share my thoughts on it with all of you fine people. I'd like to suggest that you read about what Wong has done in his life as an extremely high, if not impossibly high, goal to set for yourself in terms of what you could do in your own life to improve your own Manly Skills. Sure, you might not be able to consistently knock out your peers in a boxing match, but you can understand, imitate, and unleash the same drive within yourself that Wong describes in his experiences with boxing at West Point (Manly Skills: Ambition, Competitive Spirit). You might not be able to survive 28 days in a frozen winter forest environment without a single ounce of food, but you can understand, imitate, and unleash the potential within you to set your sights on a goal, and see it through to the end (even if you fail the first time and have to try again) in order to bring yourself to a higher place in your education, profession, training, or life (Manly Skill: Determination). You might not be able to hike through a harsh mountain range all day, for multiple days, with only the equivalent of 2 slices of Oscar Meyer ham to eat each day while carrying 100+ lbs of gear, but you certainly can take the essence of that lesson and push yourself and your physical limits as far as they can go, and then work even harder to bring yourself to the next level past that (Manly Skill: Physical Dominance).
You've been waiting for more strong, dominant, and alpha Asian American men to look up to, and now, you have one more to add to your list.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Road less travelled
By A. Chang
By now it's cliche, especially among AsianAms, to hear of the "old" stereotypes (e.g., nerdy and bookish) and "new" stereotypes (e.g., we all drive rice rockets) people always cook up about Asians. The beauty of this book is that it is not about what it means to be Asian American. Or what anyone thinks it means to be Asian American.
YGB is one man's experience in the armed forces. Green Beret to be specific. He just happens to be Asian American. This book is highly entertaining and deeply insightful about the process, the people, and the everyday living of U.S. Special Forces life. Chester's storytelling is wrapped in a humorous light mixed with a calm, personal reflection bringing the reader closer to the author's own experiences.
If you are looking for something you won't be able to put down until it's done, this book is it.
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