09 01 Phoenix Rising“Phoenix Rising: From the Ashes of Desert One to the Rebirth of U.S. Special Operations,” is a new book by Col. Keith Nightingale. “Phoenix Rising” recounts the birth of Special Operations Forces through the prism of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue 52 Americans held hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. When terrorists captured the American embassy Nov. 4, 1979, the Joint Chiefs of Staff quickly realized that the United States lacked the military capability to deal with the issues they faced. Nightingale graduated from Airborne, Jumpmaster and Ranger schools and retired as a colonel in 1993. He served two tours in Vietnam and he was an original member of Joint Special Operations Command.