{{short description|2002 memoir by Eric L. Haney}} {{Infobox book | | name = Inside Delta Force | title_orig = | translator = | image = Inside Delta Force.gif | author = [[Eric L. Haney]] | cover_artist = | country = United States | language = English | series = | genre = [[Memoir]] | publisher = [[Delacorte Press]] | release_date = May 14, 2002 | media_type = Print ([[hardcover]] & [[paperback]]) | pages = 336 pp (first edition, hardcover) | isbn = 978-0-385-33603-1 | isbn_note = (first edition, hardcover) | dewey= 356/.167/0973 21 | congress= UA34.S64 H36 2002 | oclc= 48649106 | preceded_by = | followed_by = }} '''''Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit''''' is a 2002 [[memoir]] written by [[Eric L. Haney]] about his experiences as a founding [[special forces|special forces operator]] in the ''1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta'' (also known as [[Delta Force]]) the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]'s [[counter-terrorism|counterterrorist]] unit. Haney recounts the formation and early operations of the unit, as well as his own recruitment, selection and training. Haney also evaluates the impact of inter-service rivalries and potential overlap created when Delta Force was formed, including the challenges of dealing with the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}} Central to the book is Haney's participation in Delta Force's first operation – the aborted 1980 [[Operation Eagle Claw]] to Iran to free [[Iran hostage crisis|American hostages]].
''Inside Delta Force'' formed the inspiration for the [[CBS]] television series ''[[The Unit]]'', in which Haney was involved as a writer, producer, and technical advisor.<ref name="Haney CBS">{{cite web |url=http://www.erichaney.com/unit.html |title=The Unit/CBS |access-date=2007-11-27 |work=erichaney.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007074552/http://www.erichaney.com/unit.html |archive-date=2007-10-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Criticism== Since the publication of ''Inside Delta Force'' in 2002 and Haney's subsequent success with ''The Unit'' television show, three of his former Delta colleagues accused him of embellishing his accomplishments within the unit and fabricating several of the events depicted. Some of the criticism directed at Haney has focused on his stating that he was a "founding member" of Delta Force. Former operators acknowledge only one "founder," Colonel [[Charles Alvin Beckwith|Charlie Beckwith]], who helped establish the unit and was its first commanding officer.<ref name="haney critics">{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Lardner |title=Delta Force Vets Dismiss Claims Of 'The Unit' Writer |url=http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBMS7AKVLE.html |publisher=The Tampa Tribune |date=April 11, 2006 |access-date=2007-10-14 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060424151026/http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBMS7AKVLE.html |archive-date = 2006-04-24}}</ref> Haney used the term "founding member" to indicate that he was among the first operators assigned to the 1SFOD-D.
One operator, Logan Fitch, who first wrote publicly of the [[Operation Eagle Claw|Eagle Claw mission]] for ''[[Penthouse Magazine]]'' in 1984 and was highly critical of Beckwith,{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} called Haney a "crass opportunist" for capitalizing on his past service for personal gain.<ref name="haney critics"/> Despite the falling-out between Haney and some former Delta members, Haney stands behind the accuracy of his book.
Another original member criticized Haney for revealing too much about Delta Force's training, tactics and early missions.<ref name="haney critics"/> A U.S. Army historian has questioned if this is really the case, as the information in Haney's book was current in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Delta Force has surely changed its procedures since then. Moreover, operational information by Delta veterans had been made public before, including in ''[[Black Hawk Down (book)|Black Hawk Down]]'', [[Mark Bowden]]'s book about the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]], in which Delta operators participated, and most notably in Beckwith's own book on the formation and training of the unit.<ref name="army history">{{cite web | last =Crerar | first =Col. J.H. | title =Army History Research: ''Inside Delta Force'' Review | publisher =Army Historical Foundation | url =http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf2.aspx?pgID=877&id=253&exCompID=56 | access-date =2009-11-05 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100706191753/http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf2.aspx?pgID=877&id=253&exCompID=56 | archive-date =2010-07-06 }}</ref>
== Reviews == * [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_2_91/ai_106792200 Michael F. Dilley, ''Infantry Magazine'', Summer 2002] * [http://www.armyhistory.org/armyhistorical.aspx?pgID=868&id=253&exCompID=32 Col. J. H. Crerar, Army Historical Foundation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070727160735/http://www.armyhistory.org/armyhistorical.aspx?pgID=868 |date=2007-07-27 }}
== References == {{reflist}}
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[[Category:2002 non-fiction books]] [[Category:American memoirs]] [[Category:English-language non-fiction books]] [[Category:Biographies adapted into television shows]] [[Category:Delacorte Press books]] [[Category:Delta Force]] [[Category:Military memoirs]] [[Category:Non-fiction books about the United States Army]]