Great story, it was hard to read at times. The brutality of the Chetchen terrorists is unthinkable, EVEN BY TALIBAN STANDARTS !!

The herorism of the Russian soldgers that went all out to save as many children as they could restored some of my faith in humanity.

Great book that is something we should all read because it will happen here sooner or later!!!

This book should be be considered "must read" materials for parents with children attending school. The first 3 parts of the book addresses the terror attack itself and what the terrorists hoped to achieve. The last part talks about teaching your child to survive. In these days and times, children are "locked down" in a school when something happens. If I were a terrorists or just a VT or Columbine nutcase I would thank you for teaching your child to sit and wait for me. Please read this book and help keep your children alive. Even if you only read part 4 of the book, it will be worth it.

A fantastic book that connects the dots of terrorist acts in Russia to those in the U.S., the Middle East, Africa and Israel. Should be required reading for school administrators, military and law enforcement officers.

The attrocities committed by the terrorists are difficult to read about, but necessary in order to understand. I applaud the author for recognizing the contributions that can be made by the general population. It has been a long time since the public at large have been engaged in the defense of this country, and that needs to change as soon as possible.

I waited a long time to get this book, because it was sold out everywhere I looked, and now I understand why.

This story is a tragedy through and through. What happened in Russia cannot be allowed to happen here. It's time to stop being politically correct pandering to fanatics. These people do not understand good will, they only respect ferocity that is greater than their own.
Mr. Giduck puts you on the ground, at the school. You will hear the children , you will feel the anguish, and you will become angry. You will not be able to put this book down.
SSG John Tidona
NYG G3 NCOIC

Wow! A real eye opener. What has become of the human race?! This book is very powerful. Written to "capture" you from the first page. We live in a world with so very many differences. Wars have been fought from the beginning of time. Children have lost their lives due to "collateral damage". And now, our school are being targeted. Not to destroy, but to use our children as weapons. This book brings out our need to become aware of the dangers that now exist within our own country. "We're not in Kansas anymore".

I found this was an excellent book. While the military is at war, America is at the mall, and this book aims to try and get our country of ostriches to pull their heads out of the sand and DO something about the possibility of a terrorist threat in American schools.

This book was well-written, packed full of information and suggestions. It covers the history leading up to the school siege at Beslan; the siege itself; a breakdown of what happened and what was planned and what went wrong; and finally, what America can learn from the tragedy. It was inspiring in its advocacy of regular citizens, not just cops and military, being some of the keys to helping protect against this frighting threat.

HOWEVER, one warning. On the strength of this book, I purchased two others from the Archangel Group's publishing services. I do NOT recommend 'The Green Beret In You', much as I recommend Terror at Beslan to anyone who will listen. TGBIY was horrible. The entire book, instead of inspiring like TaB, had a snotty, self-aggrandizing tone, belittling basically anyone not in the Special Forces, and advocating the SF way as the only way. That's well and good, I suppose. But what I found totally dismaying was TGBIY's attitude towards women, which exemplified the worst of the stereotypes about how military men think about women. Contrary to the authors, not all women are weak, frail, incompetent, or unable to get along without their man home. SF wives are not the only military wives who can be strong, faithful, and supportive. And some women are strong enough, capable enough, and motivated enough to help protect this country alongside the men. But that's not something TGBIY cares to acknowledge. To be fair, it is somewhat equal opportunity - the average American male is viewed as spineless, weak, slimy and stupid as well.

All in all, it is hard to believe the same man wrote 'Terror at Beslan' and 'The Green Berety in You'. Stick with Terror at Beslan and its inspiring words. Give it to your local school superintendent or legislator for a gift. But don't let Archangel's site snooker you into spending money in TGBIY unless you view it strictly as a charitable donation.

For any serious law enforcement officer. This book is a must read. Buy two copies, one for you and one for your Chief of Police.

A must read and must understand for all Americans but especially for those who are charged with the protection of our children. The Russians have the capable Spetsnaz (Russian Special Forces - military) but our beat officers and local SWAT Teams will be charged with confronting the inevitable hostage situation WHEN it comes to the USA. John Giduck's meticulously researched book is the mental preperation that every American Law Enforcement Officer and Administrator needs to prepare for an enemy we still fail to understand. We insist on viewing Islamic radicals through our western lens but Giduck gives us their playbook. We have to understand the psychological preparation they endure in order to be able to slaughter innocent children and beleive they are doing something good. As a Law Enforcement Officer myself, Giduck's book demonstrates what is at stake and why it is necessary to learn from tradgedies like Beslan. If it comes to my city, it will not be the first time I have thought about how to respond thanks to John Giduck and his crystal clear warning. I am glad Giduck is on our side.

This is definitely a must read. I think it should be required reading material by every US citizen in the US that loves and wants to protect our nation from terror - especially our schools and universities. It is difficult to grasp the horror of the Beslan incident - and it is heart wrenching.

Also, it shows how little is reported accurately in our news media, or it is given a one liner and glossed over as it did not happen here so it is of little concern to us. Over the past year I have listened to conservative, unbiased radio news broadcast and can see where the US is being tested to see how close we are paying attention to the "bumps" that terrorist groups are employing, especially at our schools. Yet, these events never make it to nightly broadcast national/world news. These are documented events that made it to the local papers, (buried deeply, no doubt).

I read this book after seeing the HBO special Children of Beslan. If you are in Law Enforcement, the military, private security or an educator this is a must read! I attended one of LTC. Dave Grossman's seminars and when I picked up the book he said this bookk will rip your heart out and he was right.

As a current counterterror operator working for his government cheese I must say I was highly impressed by this book. It was recommended to me by my friend Marc MacYoung and it did not disappoint.

Much of it is contextual filler that one needs to understand the background of the political situation in the region (which is fascinating in and of itself) but when it gets to the actual taking of the school and the aftermath it is riveting.

The debrief is one of the most critical parts of any operation. You need to address the lessons learned and try and correct any problems in future ops. You try and make sure the next team doesn't have to re-invent the wheel. I think Mr. Giduck has succeeded admirably in that regard. While I disagree with a few very minor quibbles regarding some of the equipment he recommends not be utilized, I overwhelming recommend this book.

Because I truly believe one day we will trying to apply it's lessons, whether we've learned them or not.

TERROR AT BESLAN stands as a reminder of how bad terrorism can get and the kind of threat they can represent to innocent children. John Giduck's analysis of Beslan is well worth careful study for that and for the new template it offers to law enforcement and school officials dedicated to protecting innocent students.

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) training has gone through several cycles and focused on several different types of scenarios in the US. During the late 1960's and early 70's it provided a basis for cooperation among officers at situations which required weapons not usually found in the patrol car.

The norm had been for individual officers to cooperate with a partner, and perhaps a back-up set of partners, on calls. Duty-revolvers and shotguns were usually enough to handle whatever problem emerged.

More situations emerged requiring the integration of rifles (both precision and assault) and the cooperation of many officers operating like a rifle squad, or platoon. Containment was usually the objective.

Containing the situation allowed emotions to cool and negotiations to minimize casualties. Columbine changed that. Containment was ineffective against two active shooters and an array of explosives, most of which failed to work as planned.

Now, SWAT officers train for active shooters as well. However, Beslan offers a new template which must be addressed. This is a large-scale Columbine complete with many shooters and many explosives, most of which did work as planned.

Russian security personnel, notably those from Alpha and Vympel, were confronted with a complicated, large-scale terror operation which has never been accurately depicted in the Western press. Giduck doesn't sugar coat the atrocities committed by the terrorists. Nor does he ignore the political realities in which the attack was conducted.

He includes details such as the terrorist asking a distraught mother which of her children she wants him to shoot. Schoolgirls are raped and murdered and crowds of armed, outraged parents surround the school compounding the dangers. Giduck is astute enough even to note the caliber of most of the arms carried by the volunteers from the town and the caliber of the arms carried by most of the security personnel.

This is a great book and illustrates the new template adopted by terrorists. They seek to murder innocent children, to run up the body count and schools, unfortunately, stand as target rich environments for them.

US security personnel need to study this book and take it seriously. We have already seen tragedies on school campuses in the US, and the terrorists have seen the effect of that upon public opinion. I gave this book five stars and recommend it to anyone interested in keeping our schools as safe and secure as possible.

Quite simply this book is a must read for all Americans. It's time to take the blinders off and face the facts presented.

I got this book from a friend who takes an interest in how our public school system shapes the future of this country. After reading Terror at Beslan I see a few things that have been left out of the list of recommendations on how to cope with the potential for terrorist acts against our children and against our schools. I wonder why Mr. Giduck did not suggest the one thing that would make it extremely hard for terrorists to take large numbers of our children captive. That thing is to REMOVE THE TARGET. Mr. Giduck makes it clear in his book that one of the reasons that terrorist attack schools is because to them they are high value targets. One of the best ways to avoid an attack on a targe however - is to not make yourself a target in the first place.

The great service that Mr. Giduck has done for parents of school age children - and for people who truly care about the way our children are educated in this country is to point out that - along with the myriad of other problems that our public schools have - is that they are aggregating our children in one place, making them easy targets for terrorists motivated enough to carry out the attack. And again - as Mr. Giduck has pointed out - the terrorists are not stupid. They are smart and highly motivated. I have recently read books and writings by John Taylor Gatto and Vin Suprynowicz, both of whom are highly critical of our public schools ability to properly educate our children to make them good citizens of our republic. Both Mr. Gatto and Mr. Suprynowicz have pointed out that the public school system in this country was not designed to make our children into free-thinking individuals, it was designed to mold our childrens minds so that they all have a common - government influenced - way of looking at the world. Putting children all together in the same place removes them from the influence of their parents to a large degree and makes it easier to control the educational materials they are exposed to - thereby controlling the mindset they acquire as they are educated. The growing home schooling movement in this country is a backlash against this influence.

Now it appears that the aggregation of our children in large groups has one more detrimental affect on them - it makes them easy to acquire targets for terrorists who have no regard whatsoever for their lives.

In order to find a truly sustainable solution to the terrorism problem in regards to our educational system that also respects the freedom that we wish to keep for ourselves in this country - as well as producing an educated citizenry we would do well to think outside the box and consider all of the alternatives - rather than just turning our schools into armed camps with on demand gas delivery systems, comprehensive monitoring systems, and on campus SWAT teams, as Mr. Giduck suggests. For a parent who is trying to decide what to do to protect their own child - think long and hard about sending your child into harm's way in a public school. Given that the choice of schooling you make for your child may some day be a life or death decision, the alternatives of home schooling, small private schools, or group schooling - like we used to have in this country before compulsory public education took over - may literally be the difference between life and death for your child. And your child may get a better education in the bargain.

I would highly recommend this book by Mr. Giduck, he has done all concerned American citizens a great service. I would however also recommend "Send in the Waco Killers" by Vin Suprynowicz, and "Underground History of American Education" by John Taylor Gatto. Read all three and you will come away with an entirely different perspective on this problem than you may have had before.

I got this book from a friend who takes an interest in how our public school system shapes the future of this country. After reading Terror at Beslan I see a few things that have been left out of the list of recommendations on how to cope with the potential for terrorist acts against our children and against our schools. I wonder why Mr. Giduck did not suggest the one thing that would make it extremely hard for terrorists to take large numbers of our children captive. That thing is to REMOVE THE TARGET. Mr. Giduck makes it clear in his book that one of the reasons that terrorist attack schools is because to them they are high value targets. One of the best ways to avoid an attack on a targe however - is to not make yourself a target in the first place.

The great service that Mr. Giduck has done for parents of school age children - and for people who truly care about the way our children are educated in this country is to point out that - along with the myriad of other problems that our public schools have - is that they are aggregating our children in one place, making them easy targets for terrorists motivated enough to carry out the attack. And again - as Mr. Giduck has pointed out - the terrorists are not stupid. They are smart and highly motivated. I have recently read books and writings by John Taylor Gatto and Vin Suprynowicz, both of whom are highly critical of our public schools ability to properly educate our children to make them good citizens of our republic. Both Mr. Gatto and Mr. Suprynowicz have pointed out that the public school system in this country was not designed to make our children into free-thinking individuals, it was designed to mold our childrens minds so that they all have a common - government influenced - way of looking at the world. Putting children all together in the same place removes them from the influence of their parents to a large degree and makes it easier to control the educational materials they are exposed to - thereby controlling the mindset they acquire as they are educated. The growing home schooling movement in this country is a backlash against this influence.

Now it appears that the aggregation of our children in large groups has one more detrimental affect on them - it makes them easy to acquire targets for terrorists who have no regard whatsoever for their lives.

In order to find a truly sustainable solution to the terrorism problem in regards to our educational system that also respects the freedom that we wish to keep for ourselves in this country - as well as producing an educated citizenry we would do well to think outside the box and consider all of the alternatives - rather than just turning our schools into armed camps with on demand gas delivery systems, comprehensive monitoring systems, and on campus SWAT teams, as Mr. Giduck suggests. For a parent who is trying to decide what to do to protect their own child - think long and hard about sending your child into harm's way in a public school. Given that the choice of schooling you make for your child may some day be a life or death decision, the alternatives of home schooling, small private schools, or group schooling - like we used to have in this country before compulsory public education took over - may literally be the difference between life and death for your child. And your child may get a better education in the bargain.

I would highly recommend this book by Mr. Giduck, he has done all concerned American citizens a great service. I would however also recommend "Send in the Waco Killers" by Vin Suprynowicz, and "Underground History of American Education" by John Taylor Gatto. Read all three and you will come away with an entirely different perspective on this problem than you may have had before.

I had attended a half day seminar by the author and bought a copy of the book there. After reading it I have purchased several more copies (for teacher friends and my Chief). If you're interested in this particular incident you'll probably not find any more definative material. Good read. If you get the opportunity to attend the author's seminars, do so! Well worth it.

Sgt. J. Chavalia
Lima, Ohio Police Department

I had attended a half day seminar by the author and bought a copy of the book there. After reading it I have purchased several more copies (for teacher friends and my Chief). If you're interested in this particular incident you'll probably not find any more definative material. Good read. If you get the opportunity to attend the author's seminars, do so! Well worth it.

Sgt. J. Chavalia
Lima, Ohio Police Department

John Giduck does an excellent job of setting the stage for, presenting the facts of, and discussing the implications of one of the most horrendous Islamist terrorists attacks of all time.

In addition, this is one of the few books on Islamists terrorism that doesn't try to sugar-coat the current world wide conflict. The tens of millions of terrorist Muslims that are determined (even to death) to kill, destroy, or violently oppress any non-muslim in the world is a cold hard fact.

We in America have tried to live in a dream and have ignored not only the distant past going all the way back to Mohammed but even the recent past where 99.9% of all the violent terrorists acts in the world have been committed by the Islamist Terrorists. This isn't a few dozen but it is hundreds and hundreds of violent deadly acts with no purpose other than to kill, maim, and oppress the non-,muslim world.

Thanks John for sharing the inside information and insight into how every American can not only wake up but also take action to prepare for the violent acts that are sure to come.

John Giduck does an excellent job of setting the stage for, presenting the facts of, and discussing the implications of one of the most horrendous Islamist terrorists attacks of all time.

In addition, this is one of the few books on Islamists terrorism that doesn't try to sugar-coat the current world wide conflict. The tens of millions of terrorist Muslims that are determined (even to death) to kill, destroy, or violently oppress any non-muslim in the world is a cold hard fact.

We in America have tried to live in a dream and have ignored not only the distant past going all the way back to Mohammed but even the recent past where 99.9% of all the violent terrorists acts in the world have been committed by the Islamist Terrorists. This isn't a few dozen but it is hundreds and hundreds of violent deadly acts with no purpose other than to kill, maim, and oppress the non-,muslim world.

Thanks John for sharing the inside information and insight into how every American can not only wake up but also take action to prepare for the violent acts that are sure to come.

Terror at Beslan by John Giduck is an absolute must read by anyone who has a child in school and by anyone who is in law enforcement that may need to respond to such an incident. This book is heart wrenching and difficult to read but this must not prevent you from gaining the needed knowledge that this book provides.

I recently attended a training by John Giduck on the Beslan school seige. After attending this training it is apparent that tough questions must be asked and the answers are not easy. For example:

- As a parent do you know what your child's school safety plan is?

- As a law enforcement officer are you willing to shoot a child that is being held as a human shield while the hostage taking terrorist is pointing a gun at you?

We live in a world where terrorists target the weak: children, women, elderly, etc. Law enforcement must be able to respond appropriately. America is a society where if one child is killed in such a seize the public views the police response as a failure. The media will have a feeding frenzy. The reality is that the terrorists will hold children as human shields. This is a difficult and terrible situation to be in as a first responder. We are no longer afforded the opportunity of hoping for the best as we stick our head in the sand. Law enforcement must address this issue now and have clear direction by the highest levels of administration on what an acceptable response will be when this incident happens in the U.S.

Terrorism is about fear. A Beslan type seize is very possible, maybe even probable, in America. Law enforcement must be able to do their jobs, an extremely difficult job, without the fear of civil litigation. It is time to face reality for what it is and pull our heads out of the sand.

As the saying goes: Proper planning prevents poor performance.

I am in middle school so when I read this book, all I could think about was it can happen here! In any school in America, like it happened in Beslan. When I read about the kids, how the terrorists killed the older boys and raped the teenage girls, and terrorized the little ones, I can feel it along with them and imagine if it were my own school. I hope our police and soldiers are training as Mr. John Giduck tells how in this book. But I also was interested to learn how I can protect my own self, such as planning in advance, being aware, and taking martial arts. (I'm in karate.) At Beslan, fear was the way the terrorists controlled the crowd. Some kids and teachers managed to hide or escape, and others managed to survive. I just want to say God Bless the Alpha and Vympel soldiers who risked their lives and some gave their lives for the children. I know our soldiers and police will be inspired by this book. You should also check out Archangel's website and check out the training schedules and also, the cool things they have for sale, besides this book. To Mr. John Giduck, I wish I lived near your dojo, because I would love to learn the Russian Hand to Hand Combat Training, and take the Archangel anti-terrorism course for women! This book was so sad and horrible but so important to read for kids and teachers, police and parents.

Although I read this macabre but critically important book more than a year ago, I have put off reviewing it that long because I just could not again face the gruesome realities it contains. But a few weeks after the July 10 death of Russia's Osama bin Laden, the Naqshabandi Sufi murderer, Shamil Basayev, there is no longer any excuse.

In their three-day siege at the Beslan middle school in September 2004, Chechen Islamic terrorists killed at least 330, including 172 children and wounded another 700 Russians, many of them critically. At least 31 terrorists were killed at the school, only 17 of whom were later identified. These terrorists included 10 Arab Muslims, only two of whom were sent to Interpol for identification.

This book reveals many shortcomings in the Russian response to the terrorist attack, which undoubtedly prolonged the assault, and increased the casualties. One serious problem was the failure of Russia's Spetsnaz, Alpha and Vympel counter terror forces to contain the angry local population, who encircled the school, thereby complicating military and medical rescue operations and easing the escapes of many terrorists. Another was their failure to coordinate quickly and call in the needed forces.

In the aftermath, the Russian government of Vladimir Putin was also less than forthcoming about the causes and complications of the terror attack. And blame was improperly placed on low-ranking officials who in fact could have done very little to prevent the attack, improve the counter terror response or bolster anti-terror forces afterwards.

Having said that, John Giduck gives a great deal of well-deserved praise to the Russian heroes who did manage to save lives, minimize the toll under impossible circumstances and fought to the last, in many cases giving their very lives.

But three particular points make Giduck's book exceedingly important for counter terror officials and forces worldwide and Americans in particular.

First of all, Giduck notes that Chechnya is an large center of global Islamic terrorism, not the innocent victim of Russian brutality. As he points out, although the Naqshabandi Sufi sect is prominent in Chechnya, it is not the peaceful ideology that it is often portrayed.

On the contrary, Chechen Islamic terrorists have murdered thousands of innocent Russians in previous terror attacks, wounded a much larger number and taken still more hostage in dozens, perhaps hundreds of assaults. According to one source, over time, Chechens have considered it "the very best thing to do...to commit fraud and hurt people of other religions." He continued, "Historically, they would rob, steal, kidnap and sell slaves for money rather than develop an economy." And they have done all this in the name of Allah and Islam.

Secondly, thousands of these Chechen terrorists now reside in America, having immigrated as "war refugees," all too often under the auspices of the naïve and uninformed U.S. government.

Thirdly, the U.S. has thousands and thousands of unprotected potential "soft" terrorist targets, including grammar, middle and high schools in every state, bridges and tunnels, railroads, shopping malls, restaurants, parks, entertainment centers, assembly halls and so on.

As Giduck sees it, Americans even after 9/11 remain largely and dangerously oblivious to the fact that Islamic terrorists have immigrated legally and illegally and mean to do great harm. Very few have a substantive knowledge of the history of Islam, much less its historical use of violence or the gravitation of Muslim masses to the radical modern Shi'ite and Sunni sects that justify, fund and commit violence with the stated intention of creating a worldwide Islamic empire and enforcing the Islamic Sharia law globally. But their ignorance does not make the U.S. immune to this scourge, Giduck writes.

On the contrary, the national American amnesia on Islamic history is a "deadly affliction." Contrary to politically correct thinking, Giduck notes, while the average Muslim lives a peaceful life, what is touted by the PC press as a "religion of peace" is actually "a faith steeped in a foundation of violence." And actually, there is "no other single common factor in the wholesale slaughter of innocent men, women and children" worldwide except "the perpetrators' conscription into the Islamic faith."

After terror attacks, American Muslims all too quickly decry non-Muslims for blaming Islam for the terrorist acts. They prey upon the American sensitivity to discrimination and bigotry, yet seldom if ever offer "outright condemnation of the terrorists' atrocities." Witness, for example, the current global press assault on Israel's defensive attacks against Shi'ite Hizballah Islamic terrorists in Lebanon.

Instead of blaming Islamic terrorists for thousands and thousands of ceaseless, cross-border rocket attacks on Israel, the global press criticizes Israel for daring to respond--a position that only encourages more terrorism, in the U.S., as well as Israel.

Every individual interested in world peace should read this book. It can only help to reinforce the much-ignored, yet common, religious motivation for Islamic terror--in Russia, Israel and worldwide.

May the murdered and martyred Beslan children, teachers, families and Russian counter terror forces rest in peace. And may the world understand--soon--the common denominator behind the September 2004 Chechen terror attack in Russia, and most other terror attacks worldwide.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

If you are in law enforcement or the military, this book is required reading, and the follow-on counter-terrorism training should be made mandatory. If you are in law, politics or the media, this book is a must-read, and a follow-up educational seminar should be required since you'll likely not get it the first time around. But most importantly, if you are the parent of school-age children, you cannot let the new school year start before studying this book and fully absorbing its contents.

My online review of this book (published at euphoricreality dot com), Terror at Beslan, is thorough and, as such, lengthy. I implore you to focus, pay attention, and read this book thoroughly. Do not put it off until later. It has everything to do with your most precious possessions: your children and your grandchildren.

Terror at Beslan is a handbook for saving lives, and it could one day be your own child that is saved by the knowledgable precepts found in its pages. Mothers, pay special heed - and you'll know exactly why when you get to the end of the book. Parents, listen: your children are targets and it is only you who can force the powers-that-be to protect them.

Our open, care-free society will not tolerate the preparations required (as laid out in this book) if they are proposed by government or law enforcement. The changes and precautions must be driven from the grassroots UP. That means PARENTS have to be the driving force.

It is imperative that we fully understand the nature of the threat so that we can begin to prepare. The more we prepare now, the fewer lives will be lost when the assault occurs.

Because if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail - and too many lives will be lost as a result. Beslan will happen here - and who among us is willing to pay that price? Not I.

This is the complete story of the terrorist takeover at the Beslan school. From a cold start from his comfortable American home, John was at Beslan, Russia, three hours after the 10-hour gun battle between Russian forces and the terrorists ended. The Russians at Beslan wanted this story to be told to the world. John has done a masterful job of it. He has helped to facilitate their fervent desire that such a terrible attack and loss of life not happen to anyone else.

T he confession of the teenage partner of the Beltway Sniper made me believe in thetruth of this book! According to the sniper's partner,it was a jihad, in the name of so called "oppressed" Muslims in Chechnya and other places, and their next target was children! Schools, school busses, playgrounds were the next target. Why? Because, the snipers said,for the sheer terror of it, the worst thing you can do to people is target their children" Don't forget their message from Oct. 23, 2002, "Your children are not safe any where or any time!" Six victims a day, then a massacre of children. They were captured when they left a trail to Washington state, where the FBI had found an abandoned terrorist camp, where Chechens and other Islamist terrorists were here in America, practising for just such a massacre as Beslan! As the author says, the jihadists are here and making plans! We must act before it's too late!

This is the story of an event almost too horrible to imagine. John Giduck has the credentials to write this book - he is not only a former Special forces soldier and expert on Russian history and culture, but he was on the ground in Beslan within hours of the assault. His book describes in great detail everything from the terrorist plan to the aftermath. Perhaps most valuable are the sections devoted to the minute by minute review of the assault. It is a story of great herrorism, bureaucratic ineptitude, and utmost savagery. Anyone in law enforcement will draw many lessons from this book. And we need to study this event in detail...there is nothing about Beslan that could not happen in any town or city in our country. That should give us pause.

As a parent of a twelve year-old son, and as a high school teacher in America today, I can unreservedly recommend that this book be read by every parent, teacher, and school administrator who loves and cares about their kids. Mr. Giduck has provided us with an accurate and relevent review of world politics as it affects our children, their school, and our lifestyle.
The first two thirds of the book focus on the history of terrorism and its developments to kill children, parents, and teachers of the school system in Russia, hence the main title, "Terror at Beslan". However, a full one third of the book asks us to look inward and educate ourselves about the potential for terrorism in American schools and the book is appropriately subtitled, "A Russian Tragedy with Lessons for America's Schools". An additional component of the book is an exhaustive list of world terrorist activities over the last several decades. From a teachers perspective, I found this component extremely valuable. As a society, we seem increasingly susceptible to memory loss about heinous events. This is true for terrorist acts that happen in other countries, but (911 aside) it is also true for events that happen on our own soil.
Mr. Giduck virtually begs us to not forget about the history of terrorism and the focused intent that terrorists will use to consistently terrorize us in the future. He also insists that we begin planning for the security of our children at their schools. It is imperative that we take Mr. Giduck's call seriously. To help us understand the likelihood of a terrorist attack happening at an American school, all we need to do is listen to words used by the terrorists themselves. Make no mistake that the terrorists do NOT consider children off limits! With these ideologies given to us from known terrorists, and from the history lesson and advice provided by this book, there is no excuse for a lack of response from the American school system.
Thankfully, Mr. Giduck does not leave us stranded with a simple call for education and implementation. The book provides several well rounded, multi-faceted examples and models to lead us towards heightened awareness and action plans to improve the security of our schools. Unfortunately, there is a strong social pressure which may cause such implementation plans to be prematurely dismissed. Over the last several decades, there has been an increasily ultra-liberalization of the atmosphere surrounding our school system. While the types of terrorism outlined by Mr. Giduck present an ultimate threat to the security of our children, this atmosphere is unquestionalby a strong proximate threat to the safety of them while they are at school. This book provides solutions to these threats, the question is will the American school system mount an appropriate response.

Mr. Giduck's book is an excellent source of information for law enforcement, the military, school officials, or others who want to know what is facing the nation today. Mr. Giduck superbly dissects the terrorists and their methods of operation, and definitively outlines what we as a nation need to do to protect our own children. This book is truly gripping and is an excellent read. Mr. Giduck's places a much different face on the tragedy at Beslan than the whitewash the major news media has perpetrated concerning this tragedy. This is a must read for anyone interested in researching the Beslan tragedy or who is interested in the realities of terrorism that currently face our country.

I obtained a copy of John Giduck's book "Terror in Beslan" at a law enforcement conference where I heard Lt. Col. Grossman speak. As a law enforcement officer who was instrumental in putting together our department's "Active Shooter" program, I was interested in this reading. Upon beginning to read this book I was taken by the vivid descriptions in the book from the beginning where he described the lonely soldier returning to his home after the incident to the actual incident itself. As a trainer I was especially interested in the sections on what we can do to prepare for such an incident here in the United States. I have incorporated this book in both programs I instruct for our law enforcement officers, as well as a program I have developed which is aimed at the target audience of school administrators and teachers. I cannot say enough about how interesting Mr. Giduck keeps the reader throughout the entire book. Mr. Grossman was correct when he suggested this book. I would rate this book as one that every law enforcement officer as well as every school administrator must read. Other books that rate along side this one is Lt. Col. Grossman's "On Killing, On Combat, and Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill," Christain Lorenson's book "Warriors," and the book "Killing Zone." I would be very interested in attending one of Mr. Giduck's seminars where he speaks about Beslan. Bookstores everywhere should make this book "Terror at Beslan" available on their shelves. This way, not only would law enforcement have access, but so too would those in the field of education. I highly recommend this book!

I am a police officer in Ohio, and I recently attended a counter-terror seminar hosted by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and the author John Giduck. It was an extremely informative presentation that told the straight story about the terrorism America and the rest of civilization faces today. I purchased John's book and recently completed it. IT IS BY FAR THE BEST BOOK ON TERRORISM I HAVE EVER READ!!!!!

John's work was extremely informative and detailed, from the history of terrorism in Russia (little known in the rest of the world) to the murderously evil incident itself to the straightforward telling it like it is and what America needs to do to prepare. After reading it I have a greater respect for Russian spetsnaz and law enforcement forces (We are all comrade protectors in the same fight and charged with during our duty to defend our nations against evil). John's book gets to the straight details and counters a lot of the misinformation (read: bs) that has been put out by both the criminal liberal media and inept, totally clueless politicians who are woefully living on denial.

Contemplation of a Beslan-like incident occurring in America is a very scary thing--BUT IT MUST BE DONE! We don't need to get mired in or crippled by paranoia and irrational fear, but we need to look at the issue realistically to better prepare ourselves in doing our duty, thus giving us every advantage we can get over the killers. Having this knowledge and mindset makes it easier to understand why an incident like this would occur and how to cope with it. This is the calling of our time, and we all need to answer this call. To all those who are still living on denial, are perpetual Bush detractors, or, if I may say, Bin Laden's Useful Idiots: READ THIS BOOK! THIS IS WHY WE ARE FIGHTING THE WORLDWIDE WAR ON TERROR, YOU PINHEADS!! (To paraphrase U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Russell Honore) STOP BEING STUCK ON STUPID!!!!!!!!!! COWBOY UP, QUIT YOUR WHINING, AND LET'S GET THIS FIGHT DONE!! No one ever said this war was easy or that it would be over soon. Victory can be AND will be achieved! Remember the great wisdom of President Ronald Reagan: STAY THE COURSE! IT CAN BE DONE!!!

Other books on this topic I recommend in addition to Terror At Beslan: The Pentagon's New Map by Thomas Barnett, End Game by Generals McInerney & Vallely, An End To Evil by David Frum & Richard Perle, Why America Slept: The Failure To Prevent 9-11 by Gerald Posner, When Every Moment Counts by Sen. Bill Frist, What Went Wrong and The Crisis Of Islam by Bernard Lewis, and the Case For Democracy by Natan Sharansky.

Terror At Beslan and all of these other books are must reads for why we are at war and how we can win it for a better world. This is for cops, solidiers, teachers, politicians, and enjoyers of freedom. GET YOUR HEAD INTO THE GAME! READ THESE WORKS AND GET INTO THE KNOW! GET IT DONE!!!

When Lt. Col. Dave Grossman handed me this book in August 2005, he said, "This is a tremendously important book. Don't fail to read and apply it." He was so right. It is, admittedly, a gut-wrenching and difficult book to read--far from entertaining.

I have gone back and forth on my opinion about whether I think everyone should read it or only our warrior class. As I got toward the end, I became convinced that every American should take a deep breath, swallow hard and dive into this book.

Be prepared to have denial painfully stripped away, perhaps even shed some tears as I did. As the author stated, "In attempting to prepare the American psyche for the worst possible act--the taking and killing of our children-- we must all shed the veil of civility and luxury in which we conduct our lives. ... The preparation of our country is not merely the preparation of our law enforcement and military. It is the preparation of our nation; of every man, woman and child who claims the title of 'American.' It is the preparation of every citizen and school employee, but most importantly, of every parent across our great nation.

"This is not the kind of war fought only by those valiant souls who everyday don a blue uniform bearing the Stars and Stripes on the shoulder, or who pick up an automatic rifle and shrug weary shoulders into an overloaded rucksack. It is a war that either will be fought by all Americans, or one that will consume our nation. For it is our very way of life that the enemy sees as evil, and is intent on destroying. As it is, every one of us lives the American dream. It is therefore every one of us who is a target of terrorism. We are all, therefore--quite literally--in a fight for our lives." (John Giduck, TERROR AT BESLAN, pp 277-278.)

The preparation needed is precisely the stripping away of denial and the psychological preparation for and understanding of the nature of the enemy we face--their commitment and resolve as well as their formidable preparations and training.

While the title of the book focuses on a horrific incident in Russia, there is great value in the larger mission of the book to educate and prepare the reader as well as to honor the valiant and courageous Russian Special Forces teams (Vympel and Alpha) who stormed the school in a desperate struggle to save those children.

You will learn of Major Andrei Velko (Vympel), who led his men into the apex of the terrorists field of fire at fleeing children in an open courtyard without any cover, and bought the children seconds with their lives. He died at thirty years of age, never turning his body away from the hail of terrorist bullets.

You will read of Major Misha Kuznetsov (Vympel) who also approached the building through an open "kill zone" to place a table in a broken window to provide an avenue of escape for fleeing children. He then stepped into the open to cover their escape by firing at the terrorist snipers on the second floor of the building. He was struck in a carotid artery by a sniper's bullet, but as he bled to death--literally showering the fleeing children in his own blood as they ran past him-- he continued to fire on the murderers above him.

You will also read of Vympel Lt. Andrei Turkin barely out of his teens who massed children behind his back as he faced the terrorists intent on murdering them. As his teammates worked to extricate the children from the gym, a terrorist leapt out with a hand grenade. As he brought the grenade to his chest to pull the pin and arm it, Turkin lunged at him and held him in a bear hug, containing the grenade between them, costing both their lives, but sparing the escaping children.

From the stories of these brave men--members of the community of special operators around the world--you can gain some insight into the preparation that is necessary to face the evil that confronts us, and inspiration to so prepare.

The author effectively points out the value of our warrior culture that, despite the efforts of the wilting violets on the left, has endured throughout our history. He reminds us that it is the so-called "common citizen" that "[carries] the warrior code forward. As a country, the United States has, in aggregate, more martial artists, boxers, wrestlers, scuba divers, mountain climbers, sky divers, shooters, extreme skiers, hunters and motorcycle riders than any other. As though these activites--which require a warrior spirit and love of danger-- are not enough, we seem to invent more and ever more dangerous activities each day. To this very day, more than a quarter of a millenia later, we area people in search of the constant demands of the warrior lifestyle, forever testing ourselves, our courage and our limits. ... This is the backbone of America..." (pp. 334-5)

In this book, we are given an unflinching view and assessment of the threats we face, the absolute need to prepare, inspiring examples of valor in the face of untold evil, and inspiring reminders that we can rise to the challenge.

All-in-all, I am inclined to agree with Col. Grossman. This is a tremendously important book.

A couple of quotes from the book....

"This is life, and none of us are getting out of it alive. And for most of us our deaths will be horrible, and will come long before we think we're ready. We must decide now how we will face death when it comes. For only through that knowledge can we then decide how we would live." (John Giduck TERROR AT BESLAN, p. 329.)

"The society that draws a line between its fighting men and its thinking men, will find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards." Sir William Francis Butler

When Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev sent his jihadists to slaughter schoolchildren in predominantly Christian North Ossetia, he expected to ignite a holy war throughout Russia. North Ossetia and neighboring Muslim republic Ingushetia had previously fought a bloody territorial war, and the truce was bitter. Basayev counted on Caucasus tradition, which would grant the bereaved men of Beslan blood-vengeance following their 40-day Orthodox rites of mourning. He believed that a massacre of children, which culminated the week of deadly terrorist attacks on Russian civilians, would spark massive retaliation against Chechnya. That innocent Ingush and Chechens would suffer meant little to Basayev, who has always gladly exploited the population as human shields and suicide-bombers. One out of every seven Russian citizens is a Muslim, but most practice the traditional Islam which is dispized as "kafir" by Basayev's Wahhabis. Basayev hoped a nationwide backlash against Islam would radicalize all of Russia's Muslims. That this did not occur was due to two things: the government's and media's restraint in not exploiting the attrocity to advance the war effort. And more importantly, the North Ossetians' own restraint in not taking indiscriminate revenge on their Muslim neighbors. But Basayev achieved at least one important goal: he showed the world that terrorists consider no targets off limits, not even the most innocent.
John Giduck, the author of "Terror at Beslan," is affiliated with the Archangel Corporation, a US 501 (c)(3) non-profit NGO. Archangel provides anti-terrorism consulting and training to law-enforcement, military, and other government agencies. Mr. Giduck himself is a US Army Special Forces hand-to-hand combat and firearms instructor, tactical scuba and skydiving instructor, weightlifting champion, and has been inducted into several international martial arts halls of fame. He holds Masters Degrees in Russian Studies and International Affairs. And he holds our nation's highest level of security clearance. Archangel operates in over 20 countries; its membership includes elite SPEC-warriors from the US military, British SAS, Russian spetsnaz, and Israeli armed forces. Here is an impeccable, knowledgeable, and thoroughly credible source, to document this notorious terrorist act and apply its lessons to American schools. Mr. Giduck with his Archangel team was on site in Beslan immediately following the firefight, researching step-by-step the deadly chronology of events. Archangel's professionals analysed the strategies and mistakes of the Russian Alpha and Vympel forces who responded to the desperate situation. But not only to get an accurate account (which the Russian government was obstructing): The author believes it is only a matter of time until terrorists commit a similar attack on an American school.
"Terror at Beslan" is not really intended for the reader who wants the victims' story. For that, there are several Beslan websites with personal accounts from survivors. The book does corraborate their memoirs by detailing what the American media was loathe to mention: the terrorists' slaughter of dozens of male faculty and teenaged boys, the repetitive rape of young girls, the beatings and psychological torment of captives. The author, like the residents of Beslan, is quick to credit the heroism of his spetsnaz colleagues, while criticizing the inaction of the government. This is imperitive, because numerous rumors and outright falsehoods have arisen in both Western and Russian media in the year following the attrocity. Alpha and Vympel, who lost 12 of their members, have been wrongly accused of using excessive force and illegal weapons. At the same time, contradictorily, they are vilified for their unreadiness on the third day of the seige, when the terrorists began shooting and detonating their bombs. Mr. Giduck dispels all the lies, while honestly assessing his colleagues' true shortcomings.
The second half of the book deals with the defense of American schools from a Beslan-like terrorist attack. Archangel is not being paranoid in its assumption that such an attack is inevitable. Cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, in a celebratory conference in London to commemorate the anniversaries of Beslan and 9-11, declared the targeting of children a "reasonable course of action" in jihad. Basayev, in a recent interview on the American ABC network, agreed that such an act did not "cross the line" for committed jihadists. Children and other civilians are viewed by such terrorists not as innocent noncombatants, but as "disarmed combatants." Mr. Giduck gives credible and frightening evidence that jihadists are already here -- some are "guests" of NGOs such as the inaptly-named National Endowment for Democracy! -- already threatening our most precious and vulnerable. Archangel's website provides information on upcoming seminars and training courses, designed to assist law-enforcement in techniques to prevent or handle the kind of horror these terrorists envision. It is encouraging to see from other reviews that this topic is being taken seriously! I recommend this book strongly for parents, teachers, and anyone concerned with the protection of schoolchildren. I wish it would be read by every lefty-lib and neocon loony in the N.E.D. and mainstream media who believes it "can't happen here."

When Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev sent his jihadists to slaughter schoolchildren in predominantly Christian North Ossetia, he expected to ignite a holy war throughout Russia. North Ossetia and neighboring Muslim republic Ingushetia had previously fought a bloody territorial war, and the truce was bitter. Basayev counted on Caucasus tradition, which would grant the bereaved men of Beslan blood-vengeance following their 40-day Orthodox rites of mourning. He believed that a massacre of children, which culminated the week of deadly terrorist attacks on Russian civilians, would spark massive retaliation against Chechnya. That innocent Ingush and Chechens would suffer meant little to Basayev, who has always gladly exploited the population as human shields and suicide-bombers. One out of every seven Russian citizens is a Muslim, but most practice the traditional Islam which is dispized as "kafir" by Basayev's Wahhabis. Basayev hoped a nationwide backlash against Islam would radicalize all of Russia's Muslims. That this did not occur was due to two things: the government's and media's restraint in not exploiting the attrocity to advance the war effort. And more importantly, the North Ossetians' own restraint in not taking indiscriminate revenge on their Muslim neighbors. But Basayev achieved at least one important goal: he showed the world that terrorists consider no targets off limits, not even the most innocent.
John Giduck, the author of "Terror at Beslan," is affiliated with the Archangel Corporation, a US 501 (c)(3) non-profit NGO. Archangel provides anti-terrorism consulting and training to law-enforcement, military, and other government agencies. Mr. Giduck himself is a US Army Special Forces hand-to-hand combat and firearms instructor, tactical scuba and skydiving instructor, weightlifting champion, and has been inducted into several international martial arts halls of fame. He holds Masters Degrees in Russian Studies and International Affairs. And he holds our nation's highest level of security clearance. Archangel operates in over 20 countries; its membership includes elite SPEC-warriors from the US military, British SAS, Russian spetsnaz, and Israeli armed forces. Here is an impeccable, knowledgeable, and thoroughly credible source, to document this notorious terrorist act and apply its lessons to American schools. Mr. Giduck with his Archangel team was on site in Beslan immediately following the firefight, researching step-by-step the deadly chronology of events. Archangel's professionals analysed the strategies and mistakes of the Russian Alpha and Vympel forces who responded to the desperate situation. But not only to get an accurate account (which the Russian government was obstructing): The author believes it is only a matter of time until terrorists commit a similar attack on an American school.
"Terror at Beslan" is not really intended for the reader who wants the victims' story. For that, there are several Beslan websites with personal accounts from survivors. The book does corraborate their memoirs by detailing what the American media was loathe to mention: the terrorists' slaughter of dozens of male faculty and teenaged boys, the repetitive rape of young girls, the beatings and psychological torment of captives. The author, like the residents of Beslan, is quick to credit the heroism of his spetsnaz colleagues, while criticizing the inaction of the government. This is imperitive, because numerous rumors and outright falsehoods have arisen in both Western and Russian media in the year following the attrocity. Alpha and Vympel, who lost 12 of their members, have been wrongly accused of using excessive force and illegal weapons. At the same time, contradictorily, they are vilified for their unreadiness on the third day of the seige, when the terrorists began shooting and detonating their bombs. Mr. Giduck dispels all the lies, while honestly assessing his colleagues' true shortcomings.
The second half of the book deals with the defense of American schools from a Beslan-like terrorist attack. Archangel is not being paranoid in its assumption that such an attack is inevitable. Cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, in a celebratory conference in London to commemorate the anniversaries of Beslan and 9-11, declared the targeting of children a "reasonable course of action" in jihad. Basayev, in a recent interview on the American ABC network, agreed that such an act did not "cross the line" for committed jihadists. Children and other civilians are viewed by such terrorists not as innocent noncombatants, but as "disarmed combatants." Mr. Giduck gives credible and frightening evidence that jihadists are already here -- some are "guests" of NGOs such as the inaptly-named National Endowment for Democracy! -- already threatening our most precious and vulnerable. Archangel's website provides information on upcoming seminars and training courses, designed to assist law-enforcement in techniques to prevent or handle the kind of horror these terrorists envision. It is encouraging to see from other reviews that this topic is being taken seriously! I recommend this book strongly for parents, teachers, and anyone concerned with the protection of schoolchildren. I wish it would be read by every lefty-lib and neocon loony in the N.E.D. and mainstream media who believes it "can't happen here."

This book gives the horrific details of the terrorists actions at the seige of beslan. A must read for those in law enforcement and school officials.

An excellent overview of what happened at Beslan. Details specifically what the Russians did wrong, and what they did right. The terrorist cells are already in this country, 911 proved that. Beslan might have been a dry run for doing this in the U.S. As a police officer and SWAT team member, I can tell you that police administrators and tactical team leaders need to read this so they can avoid the mistakes. Citizens need to read this so we can take the necessary steps to protect our children...because they are as vulnerable as the victims in Beslan were.

John Giduck has written a book that should be read by everyone in the U.S. He has given an insightful history of a region that (in general) we know little about. It also explains the problems experienced there with terrorism, that has it's roots in both religious and territorial disputes that have gone on for centuries. Despite the technology and experience of Russian Special Forces, they cannot predict or eliminate every terrorist threat, and that even with elevated security, we and our families are not safe. The enemy that is faced by our country is time. This book clearly shows that Islamic Fundamentalists have great patience, and only wait for the time that a country or people that they consider the enemy lets their guard down for a moment. Reading this book was a history lesson, and an even more valuable look at the future unless we start paying attention to the experiences and lessons (sadly)learned elsewhere. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Yes, parts are difficult to read and absorb, but this is all the more reason to read it. I have purchased several copies for friends in law enforcement and the military who are already aware of the importance of the information that the author has presented.