DET One: U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Special Operations Command Detachment, 2003-2006 is a hardcover history of DET One produced by the Marine Corps and written by John P. Piedmont with a foreword by Charles P. Neimeyer. What makes this book so special is that rarely do we get a glimpse into special operations units, especially so soon after they are formed. While DET One is an extraordinary case as it was a limited experiment, it did lead to the formation of Marine Special Operations Command, a component of USSOCOM.
At SSD, we are lucky to be able to tell our readers about a little bit of the story that isn’t fully explained in the book. Starting on page 36, the book discusses CQB training conducted by a former Army SOF operator but what the book doesn’t say is who is it was. We can tell you that it was Larry Vickers MSG, USA (Ret) and that his initial training for the DET led to further contact with the Force Recon community that DET One recruited from, and ultimately completely revamped their CQB tactics and marksmanship training. Larry forged quite a few friendships during his time working with the DET, many of which continue to this day.
It’s really too bad the book doesn’t include anything about the DET One “Gunner”. That is always worth a couple of laughs.
The book is currently back ordered on Amazon but can be ordered from the Government Printing Office.
Tags: Larry Vickers