Born Twice - by Dale Hanson (Hardcover)

About the Book

"...a near-unbelievable story of deadly missions carried out by small Green Beret-led teams operating deep in enemy territory against all but impossible odds."

Book Synopsis

"...a near-unbelievable story of deadly missions carried out by small Green Beret-led teams operating deep in enemy territory against all but impossible odds."

-Michael P Buckland, Special Forces SOG warrior

"These were extremely dangerous, top secret operations, which tested Hanson's mettle; the Christian values of his youth...shone brightly. Read this book and you'll agree with the Green Berets who knew him: Hanson is one of the best."-Maj. John Plaster, Ret. Special Forces, SOG author

"Born Twice takes the reader from the bitterly cold Minnesota winters of his youth to leading a MACV-SOG recon team in the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia. If you want to know what it was like to run reconnaissance missions into denied areas during the Vietnam War, then Born Twice is a book you must read." -Dennis J. Cummings, author of The Men Behind the Trident: SEAL Team One in Vietnam

"Dale Hanson was given the name Kam Baw Ya Chin, meaning 'eternal life, never die' by his Chinese mercenary counterparts in the secret Special Forces projects during the Viet Nam war. After reading some of his near death experiences, this name seems fitting. It may seem contradictory to be at once a committed Christian and a lethal Green Beret, but Hanson was and is. Highly recommended." -Major John "Doc" Padget, Special Forces Ret.

"Hanson brilliantly sets the stage for being hunted by communist soldiers on the ground in Laos in the dark of night, casually mentioning the damage his fingers sustained following face-to-face combat with three AK-47-firing enemy soldiers. Then he deftly shifts gears, taking you through his childhood in Ojibway country in northern Minnesota and his coming of age before joining the Army. Both aspects of this proud Green Beret's history make for a fascinating read. This isn't his first book and I hope it's not his last." -John Stryker Meyer, author of Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam, On The Ground and SOG Chronicles: Volume One

Review Quotes

"Dale Hanson takes us from a northern Minnesota boyhood to the incredible stresses of U.S. special operations during the Vietnam War, the deadly world of MAC-V-SOG, the top-secret Special Forces project that conducted America's Secret War against the Communist forces on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Shrouded in mystery and equipped with exotic weaponry, SOG operators suffered casualty rates in excess of 100% for three successive years.

Dale Hanson served with Recon Team Florida during one of the legendary missions of SOG, the killing of an enemy colonel who was carrying super-secret documents of enormous importance to the American war effort. After intense fighting, those documents were brought back by the team. Dale survived and went on to serve three tours with the legendary special operations group.

The American heartland can bring forth young men of great valor and commitment, and one such man wrote this book. To read it is to go along on a near-unbelievable story of deadly missions carried out by small Green Beret-led teams operating deep in enemy territory against all but impossible odds."

-Michael P Buckland, Special Forces SOG warrior

"At times light hearted and other times deadly serious, this recounting of Dale Hanson's formative upbringing and remarkable combat as a 'Green Beret' is exciting, fascinating reading. We both served as U.S. Army Special Forces recon volunteers, operating deep behind enemy lines on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, and infiltrating enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia. These were extremely dangerous, top secret operations, which tested Dale's mettle; the Christian values of his youth - integrity, placing others above himself, never shying from hard work and always demanding the very best of himself - shone brightly. Read this book and you'll agree with the Green Berets who knew him: Dale is one of the best." -Maj. John Plaster, Ret. Special Forces, SOG author

"Fifty years after the eight-year secret war ended in Vietnam, well-written non-fiction books by SOG recon men are surfacing. Add Born Twice by Dale Hanson - who served three tours of duty during the war - to the growing list of SOG books. Hanson's Born Twice is actually a story within a story. He brilliantly sets the stage for being hunted by communist soldiers on the ground in Laos in the dark of night, casually mentioning the damage his fingers sustained following face-to-face combat with three AK-47-firing enemy soldiers. Then he deftly shifts gears, taking you through his childhood in Ojibway country in northern Minnesota and his coming of age before joining the Army. Both aspects of this proud Green Beret's history make for a fascinating read. This isn't his first book and I hope it's not his last."

-John Stryker Meyer, author of Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam, On The Ground and SOG Chronicles: Volume One

"Each time I pick up a book or short story written by Dale Hanson, I know I'm about to read something unique and special. Dale is more than a writer, he is a wordsmith. Born Twice takes the reader from the bitterly cold Minnesota winters of his youth to leading a MACV-SOG recon team in the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia. If you want to know what it was like to run reconnaissance missions into denied areas during the Vietnam War, then Born Twice is a book you must read." -Dennis J. Cummings, author of The Men Behind the Trident: SEAL Team One in Vietnam