Biography
For more than twenty years, Command Sergeant Major (retired) Eric L. Haney served in the Army's most demanding combat units: as a Combat Infantryman, as a Ranger, and ultimately, as a founding member of the Army's super secret counter-terrorist arm, Delta Force.
During his eight years in Delta Force, Haney pursued terrorists from Hamas to Hezbollah. He has worked with all levels of Arab society, from the tents of Bedouin tribesmen to the salons of the Paris Ritz with the Saudi Royal Family. All told, Haney has more than two decades experience in the Middle East and North Africa and few outsiders are as intimate with Arab/Islamic thought, culture, and history as he is.
In retirement, Haney worked throughout the Middle East and Latin America, protecting princes, presidents, and CEOs. He led the detail that returned President Bertrand Aristide to Haiti. He has negotiated with Latin American guerrillas for the safe return of hostages and provided security for international oil companies operating in the most dangerous regions on earth. He has also worked with a group of fellow ex-Delta commandos to rescue American children kidnapped around the world.
Today, Haney is a frequent commentator for national radio and television news programs from the O'Reilly Factor to Inside Edition and Larry King Live. He has appeared on CNN, Fox Network, and CBS network news.
In 2003, Haney met and worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer/director David Mamet on Mamet's film, Spartan, starring Val Kilmer. The success of that relationship led to Haney, Mamet, and Shawn Ryan (creator of The Shield) working together to create a television show based on "Inside Delta Force."
He is the author of "Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counter-terrorist Unit," and now a writer, producer, and technical adviser for the CBS television series based on his book. That show, called "The Unit," will premiere in January 2006.
