We often assume that if there is any training or advising to be done, we Americans naturally should be the trainers and advisors, and the third world folk should be at the receiving end of our knowledge distribution effort.

I worked with the Contras in their base camps in Honduras, but I never crossed the border into Nicaragua, so in spite of my time with them, I never really got a complete picture of how they were operating in their country. It was obvious that some of them were operating and succeeding as true guerrillas -- they were not dependent on air drops, they were being supplied by civilian supporters in their areas of operation. But I didn't understand how they were doing this.

After the war, Tim Brown, the guy who'd been my boss in Honduras, went back and took a very close look at how, exactly, the contras had operated in Nicaragua. He wrote a book about it, "The Real Contra War." It is a fascinating look at how a third world peasant army successfully organized itself for guerrilla war. As I read Tim's book, I found myself thinking that the contras should have been advising us on G warfare.

It's not too late. Tim's book describes how they did it. A must read for anyone interested in guerrilla warfare. The Nicaragua focus will make it of special interest to the Forum's Marines. I have a link to the book on my web site (below).