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Following the 9/11 attacks, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed the Marine Corps to establish a unit that would answer to US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The eighty-six-man “Detachment One” was formed with a two-year charter to train and deploy as a “proof-of-concept” to assess the viability of a larger Marine Special Operations contribution in support of the Global War on Terror.
For such a departure from the norm, a special leader was needed. The Commanding Officer—Colonel Robert J. Coates, a Marine Force Recon legend—was given his pick of personnel. One of the four team leaders he selected was Gunnery Sergeant John A. Dailey. Coates gave Dailey and the others free rein to select their men from a crew of proven Force Recon Marines with the sole stipulation that they be: “Tough, rugged bastards with strong backs and hard feet.”
These men built a unit from nothing, trained for unknown missions in an unknown location, and deployed amid controversy and skepticism. Once in Iraq, they were dubbed “Task Unit Raider” and quickly won over the naysayers who doubted the Marine’s ability to operate successfully in the fluid and unconventional special operations environment.
This book tells Dailey’s story of the creation, training, and volatile 2004 Iraq deployment of Task Unit Raider that led to the creation of the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). Det-1 served as the bridge between the Raiders of WWII and the Marine Raiders of today.
“A frontline memoir coarse with the harshest truths of combat, Tough Rugged Bastards is not for the faint of heart. Where this book finds weight, however, is in its thoughtful, honest reflections, an invaluable perspective that could only be earned with distance and time. Neither vain nor sentimental, John Dailey has delivered a must read on the backside of America’s twenty-year war.”
“Many stories about soldiering lack the literary touch of an artist. In his memoir, Tough, Rugged Bastards, John Dailey shows that he did not stop at being a great Marine—he is one of those rare literary talents who writes beautifully--with clarity and wisdom. This first book promises literary gifts to come.”
“Travel with Marine Raider, John Dailey, into the unpredictable and brutal world that exists only behind enemy lines. For the first time, Dailey shares his personal experiences following 9/11 of nerve-wracking desert patrols, midnight firefights, and missions where he and his team were often on their own. This is a page turner and burner— a must-read for anyone who is interested in our military and what they do.”
“Writers and Marines are not as dissimilar as one might imagine. Both are called to pursuits demanding discipline; courage, be it moral or physical; and the willingness to expose oneself, to become vulnerable. John Dailey is a writer and a Marine in the fullness of both. With Tough Rugged Bastards he gives us the truth of a life lived between domestic normalcy and the ragged edge of experience.
It’s a book that sometimes feels like a chat with a favorite uncle and at other times like a Hollywood thriller, all of it leavened by an artist’s soul. In that span we find truths about what it is to be a human pursuing a personal zenith in the worst of conditions.
Read Tough Rugged Bastards to learn what it is to commit oneself to living beyond accepted limitations as part of a story offered in the voice of a man who has committed himself to telling it in a voice far more thoughtful than that of most military memoir.”
"John Dailey’s story, … intertwines a well-written history, humor, and a bit of the 'Old Corps' to produce an account that is honest, entertaining, and is a significant contribution to the field of military history."
"This memoir is the closest most of us will ever get to the inside of the Marine Corps’ most dangerous command. Beautifully written and brutally honest, Tough Rugged Bastards is a reflective and unapologetic tour of the complexities of combat. Just as John Dailey joined an elite American fighting force in 2003, he now joins elite American writers -- Anthony Swofford, Tobias Wolff, and Tim O’Brien -- with this unflinching chronicle of war."
“As someone who has never served in the military, it is wonderful to read a book that opens a door to the life of special operations personnel in a way that is fascinating and accessible. John does so much more than tell the story of a pivotal time in the Global War on Terrorism, he offers the reader an unapologetic look into his heart and his mind.”
“John Dailey’s personal reflections puts the reader right by his side during the early days of Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC)…this book provides an insider’s account and historical framework you won’t find anywhere else. His attention to every detail and authentic storytelling style makes this book the premiere source for the chronology of Marines into SOCOM.”
“Part elegy, part homage, John A. Dailey’s memoir is a powerful work of art, an exploration of a life lived in service, in peace and in war, filled with memories and reflections of that 'beautiful, horrible thing.’ It is unforgettable.”
John A. Dailey joined the Marines at seventeen, leading to a career of over twenty years spent working in special operations, with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from UNCW in 2018.
Hi,
I’m John A. Dailey. I grew up along the Virginia/West Virginia border, and while I had a great childhood, I couldn’t get away fast enough. I joined the Marines at seventeen and never looked back.
Early in my career, I was fortunate to be trained as a sniper, from there I moved on to Force Reconnaissance Units where I spent the bulk of my time. I served in every position from point man to platoon sergeant and loved every minute of it.
I got to throw myself out of airplanes from 30,000 feet, dive murky waters, shoot until my trigger finger was sore, blow stuff up, run thousands of miles, and carry countless tons of weight on my back.
I watched the 9/11 attacks with my platoon from a pub in Darwin, Australia. By November we were in Afghanistan to help kick off the War on Terror.
Shortly after, the Marine Corps was directed to hand-pick a group of ‘tough rugged bastards’ to serve as the first USMC unit assigned to the US Special Operations Command. We were called Detachment One
We were sent to Iraq in 2004 to hunt insurgents, bomb makers, terrorist financiers, and other HVTs or ‘High-Value Targets’. The success of our deployment led to the creation of the modern Marine Raiders.
I retired from the Marines in 2008 and took a job that still has me training Raiders. As a kid I hated school, but I loved reading and learning. Since retiring I used the GI Bill to get a couple of master’s degrees, one of them was an MFA in creative writing from UNCW where the idea for this book came from.
I hope you’ll buy it. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Nowadays, when I’m not writing or reading, I’m usually outside with a ruck on my back, training for an ultramarathon, or hanging out with my wife and our aging dachshund, Max in our home in coastal North Carolina.
Contact me for writing or speaking inquiries.