The Giant Killer — David Yuzuk
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Book description:
At 4’ 9” and 97 pounds, Richard J. Flaherty was the most unconventional man to ever serve in the U.S. military and needed a congressional waiver to enlist in the Army. Bullied and ridiculed at boot camp, Flaherty nonetheless achieved the kind of stature that’s only dreamed of: He became a captain in the Green Berets with two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star.
His decommission in 1971 was unexpected and devastating, and Flaherty sank into the murky world of mercenary work. But he gained a reputation for intelligence, and the CIA recruited him to supply the Contras in Central America. So began a wild adventure involving guns, cash, cocaine and HALO jumps into the Everglades. All of that ends when he’s arrested for possession. Abandoned by the CIA, Flaherty discloses a smugging ring at the heart of Fort Campbell and signs on to a new master, the ATF.
Advance praise for The Giant Killer
"Author and police officer David Yuzuk befriended Richard J. Flaherty in 2012, when Flaherty was living homeless on the streets of Aventura, Florida. He warned Yuzuk that asking too many questions could be bad for Yuzuk’s career and dangerous to his own health. Sure enough, eight hours after Yuzuk made a call to confirm Flaherty’s identity, Flaherty was killed in a hit-and-run.
"If Richard Flaherty was only the shortest man to ever be in the U.S. Army and a Green Beret, that would certainly be a unique story in itself. Flaherty was much more, though. He was a bonafide war hero and beloved leader of the men he commanded. A small stature with a oversized shadow. Yet, he was cut from the Army that was his life after two tours in Vietnam. This story documents as much as can be known about a man whose post army life was spent in a variety of jobs freelancing, alternating between classified missions conducted by the CIA and NSA.... What an interesting man and totally unique story. — John Werner, VINE VOICE
"Miami police officer David Yuzuk befriended a homeless man and ... learns that this unassuming 69-year-old man was a decorated military veteran.
Yuzuk started digging and discovered that Flaherty had worked undercover with the Feds during the ‘80s. Soon after, Flaherty is killed by a hit-and-run driver. His friend decides to investigate and finds a passport that shows Flaherty was secretly traveling to dangerous locations like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam, and Venezuela, while living as a homeless man. He did time in prison for drugs but was that a cover or a real conviction?
The Giant Killer is one of those stranger-than-fiction tales that would never make it as a movie pitch because it’s just so unbelievable. — Military.com
The Giant Killer by David Yuzuk, with Neil Yuzuk
316 pages
5 x 8 inches, illustrated with photos
ISBN: 978-1-950659-47-0 (softcover)
Retail price: $14.99
Biography & Autobiography / Military
Biography & Autobiography / Law Enforcement
