Active-duty special forces units tend to look down their noses at National Guard special forces, calling them the "summer help." But the men of Beast 85 were much more than summer help. They were experienced, highly qualified Green Berets in every sense of the term, with the kind of exceptional skill and insight necessary to fight an unconventional war. They were anxious to prove themselves in Afghanistan. High adventure, heavy combat, but in the end, these Green Berets were left disillusioned by what might have been as overly cautious military and CIA superiors let Al Qaeda slip through their fingers.