4 Elite Intelligence and Special Forces Groups Ignored By Modern Media

When Call of Duty: Black Ops was released on November 9, the game quickly became one of the fastest selling in history. In recent years, video games based on actual historical events and real military units have become increasingly popular.

This is replacing Physical Education in many American schools...

Modern forms of media love to detail the exploits of elite soldiers, like the Green Berets, Navy SEALs and Delta Force. Rambo was a Green Beret. So were John Wayne and George Takei. Even Charlie Sheen served his country as a Navy SEAL

Believe it or not, Sheen gets VA benefits because of this role...

Unfortunately for our love of elite super soldiers, the idea that a few organizations are responsible for the entire defense of a super power is completely ridiculous. The skills needed to effectively operate special forces campaigns involve A LOT more organizations than Hollywood or any first person shooter would have you believe...

Gomer Pyle, however, was a shockingly accurate depiction of the Marine Corps...

Even worse is the sin committed against the freaky number of intelligence agencies that get screwed out of credit by oversimplification. If you were to believe everything you saw in a movie, you'd think the CIA and NSA were super organizations capable of damn near anything...

The most realistic depiction of a spy on screen in years... Seriously.

To pay tribute to these kick ass (and under appreciated organizations), here's a list of elite American special forces groups ignored by movies, books and video games:

Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRPs)

Regardless of what M*A*S*H might have you believe, the United States Army is full of bad asses, especially during the Vietnam War. Among a group of bad asses, the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol LRRPs (pronounced "lurp") took the concept to a new, meta level of bad assness. 

The LRRPs were responsible for coordinating air strikes against North Vietnam. This might sound like boring work but it was some of the most dangerous and least glamorous duties in the military. LRRP soldiers operate deep in enemy territory, often alone and without firearms.

The only documented photo of a LRRP soldier at work...

Along with a radio, many LRRP soldiers only carried knifes and chains wrapped with duct tape. (The tape reduced noise.) More bombs were dropped on North Vietnam than the entirety of World War II, so the LRRPs were obviously successful.

After the war, the duties of the LRRPs were assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, which proudly continues their traditions and techniques to this today.

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

An organization responsible for gathering and analyzing military intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reports directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While the Central Intelligence Agency is charged with safe guarding national security interests outside of the U.S., the DIA gathers any and all information necessary for defense planning and policymaking.

Officers and analysts involved with the DIA are involved in some of the most vital areas of national defense, like keeping tabs on nuclear proliferation attempts by North Korea and Iran. The agency isn't without its flaws since some of the evidence it provided was used to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

United States Air Force Pararescue

The Para Jumpers, also known as "PJs", are tasked with the shitty assignment of entering hostile territory with the intention of rescuing military or civilian personnel. Occasionally, the PJs have been used by NASA to retrieve astronauts after water landings.

Day One Training: How Not to Fall from a Helicopter...

Air Force PJs are understandably underrated bad asses since their exploits don't involve assassination, explosions or any other opportunities for cool slow motion action shots. The PJs have been recognized as one of the most highly decorated units in the military. A total of 12 Air Force Crosses have been awarded to the PJs (out of 22).

The National Reconnaissance Office

The National Security Agency gets all of the credit but the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) does all the work. While the NSA is tasked with monitoring pretty much all electronic surveillance, the NRO is responsible for constructing, designing and operating spy satellites. One of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, the NRO was created in 1960 and considered "super secret" until declassified in 1992. The New York Times actually revealed the existence of the agency some years earlier though.