Guest Author - Stacey Abler

CBS recently premeired the show "The Unit" on Tuesday nights at 9:00ET. The television show is based on the book "Inside Delta Force" by CSM Eric Haney (retired). CSM Haney's reputation in the special ops community is tarnished for many once he wrote the book that many viewed violated his confidentiality agreements and could possibly affect the security of the unit and its soldiers. Nevertheless, he has been successful in the publishing of the book and now in Hollywood as a producer.

The action drama show details the missions of a top secret unit that operates under the cover of a logisticals unit based at the fictional Ft. Griffith.

The key players of the cast:
Jonas Blane (Dennis Haysbert) and wife, Molly (Regina Taylor)
Bob Brown (Scott Foley) and wife, Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson)
Mack Gerhardt (Max Martini) and wife, Tiffy (Abby Brammell)
Col. Tom Ryan (Robert Patrick)

Each episode of the show covers a new mission for the unit with no background given as to how they arrived or why they are there. Many on message boards around the internet have discussed whether the missions shown are realistic to Delta Force, or any other unit for that matter. Some wholeheartedly agree with how its shown, while others pick it apart piece by piece. In my house, watching with other military men, I endure more of the ramblings of it being picked apart bit by bit. Every thing on the show regarding missions seems overdramatized in many instances but then that's what makes great television, correct? That and being able to look at Scott Foley for a full hour every week!

I feel more able to comment on the role of the wives in the show. First, there's Molly, the senior wife of the group. She, of course, knows everything and thinks the unit is the greatest thing ever invented. Any military wife can likely find at least one wife in her husband's unit that she can peg as a Molly. She is the woman who takes the new wives under her wing whether that is where they want to be or not.

Kim Brown is the newest wife on the scene. She was incredibly annoying in the first episode as it seemed that her husband had not even told her what unit they were PCSing to. She was quoting Army regulations after every sentence. Once again, as a military wife, I know women like this and steer clear. Thankfully, as the story line has progressed, so has her character. She becomes somewhat normal by the third or fourth episode. She found out she was pregnant in the first episode but the pregnancy has not been mentioned since that time.

Tiffy Gerhardt is the sterotypical wife. Not only is she cheating on her husband, she is having the affair with Col. Tom Ryan. Apparently those in Hollywood don't believe a movie or television show can be made about military wives without portraying one as the cheating spouse every time her husband leaves. This story line is more interesting than most as it involves the Col. of her husband's unit. The relationship between Tiffy and Mack is heated and sure to explode on future episodes. She resents the fact that Mack seems to love his unit more than her and is therefore always turning to the Col. for comfort.

The most interesting and accurate episode to date on the wive's side of the fence was aired on April 12. In this episode, a soldier and his wife, who were never introduced until this point, were brought in for a meeting with the Col. With the other wives watching and listening, Col. Ryan proceeded to tell this wife's soldier that he has been removed from the unit because his wife breached security by talking about the unit outside of the approved channels. She has ruined his career and the cameras fade away as she is begging her husband's forgiveness. In a regular unit, it is not the norm. However, in a special operations unit, it could happen any day.

Overall, "The Unit" is a great show for entertainment purposes. The producers have done well balancing the story between the soldiers and their families. Each episode has progressively been better than the last and it is hopefully a trend that will continue.

What do you think about The Unit? Sound off here!