Uncommon Valor

Finalist for the 2018 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards.

“No book is more aptly titled than Uncommon Valor: The Recon Company that Earned Five Medals of Honor and Included America’s Most Decorated Green Beret. This is an in-depth analysis of the American warriors who staffed the most covert and unique small-unit operations of the Vietnam War…. Moore deserves high marks for interviewing more than 100 SOG operatives in the course of researching this book, which could easily serve as a subject for a score of movies or several TV series if we were not in a time of political correctness. It is a must-read for the serious student of unconventional warfare.” —Association of the United States Army

“Uncommon Valor: The Recon Company That Earned Five Medals of Honor and Included America’s Most Decorated Green Beret is a Vietnam War history book for the ages…. It’s highly informative…. Even those familiar with SOG might be enlightened by the insights provided by Moore’s nearly one hundred interviewees.” —The VVA Veteran

“Uncommon Valor is a solid historical reference for anyone researching MACVSOG at Kontum, Forward Operation Base–Two (FOB-2), or U.S. Special Forces operating during the Vietnam War ‘across the fence’ in Laos or Cambodia.... Veterans of the MACV-SOG will find the stories in Uncommon Valor familiar because many of the descriptions and exploits of the men and their patrols could only have come from the men themselves in memoirs, personal interviews, and official reports. Academics will appreciate Uncommon Valor because Moore appropriately cites his details, and the appendix is a superb reference of the men assigned to FOB-2/CCC. The book has enough action for the armchair historian to make this book a true page-turner.” —The Journal of Military History

“The Special Forces world in Vietnam is often cloaked in secrecy even today; this work brings out their actions in clear, action-packed prose.” —Military Heritage
“Stephen L. Moore reminds his readers that war is so much more than black and white and invites us into the daily life of what it was like to be selected for this elite Kontum based recon company…. Reading through this book is like being allowed to sit in on the interviews themselves: there are no filters and no barriers between you and the warriors. What you see is what they got. Being able to have such an inside look on such a top-secret organization is something of a rarity.” —DEFENSE.info “Steve Moore’s new SOG book Uncommon Valor is well researched, well written, and is a must-read for any Special Forces warrior or SOG historian/afficionado.” —John Stryker Meyer, SOG Green Beret, One-Zero of RT Idaho, and author of Across the Fence

“Stephen L. Moore’s Uncommon Valor is a triumph — a masterfully researched narrative filled with tremendous characters and firefights that will send readers’ pulse rates soaring from the first page.” —James M. Scott, author of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist Target Tokyo and Rampage

"By interviewing more than 100 veterans during his research, Moore has compiled a rare snapshot into the daily combat operations of a Special Forces forward operating base. The United States government denied SOG’s existence until awarding us the Presidential Unit Citation in 2001 for ‘unheralded top secret missions behind enemy lines across Southeast Asia.’ Fast-paced and exciting, Uncommon Valor finally reveals the patriotism and raw courage displayed by so many of my brothers-in-arms, including five who earned the Medal of Honor." —Warren W. "Bud" Williams, Major, USA (Ret.)