Phase Line Green: The FCI Talladega Hostage Rescue Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a martial artist I find myself hanging out with a lot of "meat-eaters," you know, folks on the pointy end like security professionals, law enforcement officers, and military personnel who willingly run toward danger while everyone else freezes or scampers away. But, my friends and I hang out in the foothills and mid-slopes of the metaphorical mount meat eater. At the peak, the craggy heights where few dare to roam, are the real carnivores: US Army Green Berets, Navy Seals, and FBI Hostage Rescue Team operators, to name a few. If you've ever wondered what life is like at that place where speed, surprise, and violent action are a way of life, where only perfection keeps you alive, then Phase Line Green is an absolute must read.
The author truly knows what he's talking about. One of the most decorated Special Agents in the Bureau's 100-year history, McGee was awarded the FBI Medal of Merit, the FBI Shield of Bravery, the United States Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Heroism, the Department of Justice Certificate of Merit, the Federal Law Enforcement Officer's Medal of Valor, and the FBI Medal of Valor. Yeah, he's been there, done that, and has the physical and emotional scars to prove it. With courage, faith, and self-reflection he has survived to share his tale.
McGee worked as a fire-jumper and deputy sheriff before joining the FBI, where he recently retired after 21 years of service, six of which were spent on an elite HRT team. A world-class athlete, he could bench press 435 pounds yet run a forty-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. He spent 51 days at the Branch Davidian compound trying to bring David Koresh to justice after the murders of four BATF agents. He was at Ruby Ridge too, where he helped extract the bodies of Samuel and Vickie Weaver. And, he was involved in the Talladega Federal Prison hostage rescue in 1991 too, a focus of this book.
The book's title comes from a counterterrorism term, phase line green, the breach point where assault teams wait for their go signal before breaching a crisis site to save hostages. While the author doesn't disclose any trade secrets, he illuminates the life of an elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) in an unflinching, honest, and extraordinarily compelling way. Something of a memoir, the book is absolutely true, yet it reads as well as any thriller I've ever picked up. In fact, I finished the 230 page volume in a single day. It was that good!
Wholeheartedly recommended,
Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults and Martial Arts Instruction; co-author of The Way of Kata, The Way to Black Belt, and The Little Black Book of Violence

Click Here to see more reviews about: Phase Line Green: The FCI Talladega Hostage Rescue

Retired Special Agent James McGee offers readers a first-hand account of what it s like to be on the inside of one of the world s most elite counter-terrorism teams. On par with the British SAS and the Navy SEALs, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team is a group of highly trained men willing to sacrifice their own lives to save the lives of others. In 1991, a violent group of Cuban inmates in the Federal Correctional Institute in Talladega, Alabama, overpowered their guards and took hostages, demanding not to be deported to Cuba. As days wore on and tension escalated, the hostage takers threatened to start killing hostages. But the FBI HRT exists for just such situations. Witness the preparation and anticipation as the Team reaches Phase Line Green.

Click here for more information about Phase Line Green: The FCI Talladega Hostage Rescue