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  • Born Twice

  • Memoir of a Special Forces SOG Warrior
  • By: Dale Hanson
  • Narrated by: Dale Hanson
  • Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (17 ratings)
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Born Twice cover art

Born Twice

By: Dale Hanson
Narrated by: Dale Hanson
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Summary

Dale Hanson takes us from a northern Minnesota boyhood to the incredible stresses of US 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 percent 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.

©2022 Dale Hanson (P)2023 Dale Hanson

Critic reviews

“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)

What listeners say about Born Twice

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The rawness of life as a special forces operator, kill or be killed.

Some reviews mentioned Dales narration, he's the author so who better to read the story. Yes he's obviously not there best narrator out there but the fact that he's been through these situations in real life makes up for it. I thought at first he went into too much detail about his childhood but soon realised that's what made him into the man he was and it was interesting. Certainly no spoiled upbringing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

An amazing story, read wonderfully, by the author, who is an amazing man. cannot recommend highly enough.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Difficult to listen too , great that it is read by the author, but easier to enjoy if read by some one with more clarity.

Difficult to listen too , great that it is read by the author, but easier to enjoy if read by some one with more clarity.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great guy and incredible story

I enjoyed his voice and story telling and some of it is amazing - that he survived. Saying that the Green Barrets are the most intelligent, well trained of any army in the world however is real gaseous blowing of his own trumpet !! Great listen overall

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable. More rounded than most of the genre

Amazing stories as always from a SOG veteran. Thank you for bringing them into the light

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A hidden gem!

What an amazing and well told story... How I've never heard of Dale or his book before on some "Best Vietnam War memoir" list is beyond me.. His style of writing, his description, intelligence and use of English language is brilliant.. Although, I have read many of these American written books, I prefer the World War 2 memoirs written by British troops who fought in North Africa and Burma, simply because the writing style, how they use the full English vocabulary and describe scenes and faces and battles, and obviously as a British infantry combat veteran myself they are more, up my street and I find the younger writers of today just don't have the same skills, which I can't always bear to read or listen to, so I wait in hope, that Audible will get their stuff together and get Bernard Fergussons "Beyond the Chindwin" and "Wild Green Earth" or Frankie Baines "Chindit Affair" books narrated and occasionally listen or read a yank, Vietnam or WW2 memoir and Dale Hansons "Born Twice" really was a brilliant find.. He was clearly a bright and astute young man and became a well rounded idealistic young man and on to a warrior and now is an especially gifted writer. Read/Listen to this book.. I cannot recommend it enough.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Poor narration, some hypocracy

It's a shame the narrator read his own book. His tone varies from disinterested to sounding like a child reading in class. Very distracting. Then there's the grating attitude of utter certainty in his Christian worldview v the "communists" without seeing that his own view was just a different side of the same coin. Disappointing overall.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

great story, somewhat let down by the narrator

I'm going to give 2 stars instead of 1 for performance because the author read his own book, and is clearly getting on, having been a war veteran over 50 years ago. Unfortunately it's very monotonous and sounds like he's tired reading. it's very very difficult to imagine the terrors of war, when bullets are whizzing, superiority in numbers from the enemy is closing in, and the SOG are waiting for lines to drop through the trees, so they can be pulled out by the chopper in time. There's lots of action like this, but it could really do with a bit of drama, it's often told very matter of fact , which together with the voice begins to make i feel a little dry. in terms of the story itself, the author spends a very long time discussing his life before the war, roughly 2 or 3 hours. I found this interesting in learning what life was like for some kids growing up in 60s America. i really respect and appreciate the author did this undertaking himself, and have no regrets buying the book, although there are definitely better presented Vietnam memoirs.

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