Jakovenko: From the Steppes of Ukraine to the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame

"Born under the terror of Stalin, becoming a US citizen, and dedicating 30 years serving America as a Green Beret in unimaginable combat situations. He is a stud, a legend. At last, we have a book about his incredible life." -John Stryker Meyer, MACV-SOG, author, podcast host.

"This book is about the warrior class. Every American should read it. I see no better way to explain this magnificent, underappreciated class of people, than to tell the life story of Jake Jakovenko." -Drew Dix, Medal of Honor

In Airborne School, Ranger School, and as a Special Forces SCUBA Team Combat Diver, Jake thrives as a leader of warriors in the worst gunfights. For decades, Jake has enthralled audiences with his combat stories from the Dominican Republic, two combat tours in Vietnam, the Son Tay Raid, and the secret counter-terrorism program Blue Light (predecessor to Delta Force). (...and be careful not to drop your cigar or whiskey laughing as he tosses in stories of his street fights and bar fights along the way.)

Jakovenko was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Special Forces Distinguished Member of the Regiment in 2024. His name is engraved on the Ranger Memorial at Fort Benning, the site used for Fox News' special America's Top Ranger which follows the Army's Best Ranger Competition.

Born in the Donbas region of Ukraine under the Soviet terror of Josef Stalin, his family escaped from the Soviets and then from the Nazis to arrive at Ellis Island. He enlisted at 17, and his 30-year career encompassed Rangers, Special Forces, land combat, underwater operations, HALO infiltration, Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrols, the Blue Light counterterrorism unit, the Son Tay Raid...tell you what, you'll hear some of the stories tonight at the NCO club.

Inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame and the Special Forces Hall of Fame, 'Jake' Jakovenko was born in the Donbas region of Ukraine in 1940 under the Soviet terror of Josef Stalin. Because of Operation Barbarossa, the Jakovenko family finds themselves in Nazi Berlin. When the Soviets occupy East Berlin, the desperate family flees to English refugee camps, eventually crossing the ocean to Ellis Island. Jake grows up in Jersey City within sight of the Statue of Liberty in the 1950s but is a street-fighting rebel without a cause. An influential judge and the threat of reform school guide him to enlist in the US Army at age 17.

Cliff Westbrook is the co-author (with Son Tay Raider Terry Buckler) of Who Will Go: Into the Son Tay POW Camp. His most recent book (with Son Tay Raider Vladimir Jakovenko) is Jakovenko: From the Steppes of Ukraine to the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame.A 1988 graduate of the US Air Force Academy and a pilot of the B-1 bomber, Cliff is the son of Clyde "Neal" Westbrook, the Aircraft Commander of Lime 2 during the Son Tay Raid.As a member of the Son Tay Raid Association, Cliff has interviewed numerous Raiders and helped gather the historicalbehind-the-scenes facts, including a complete compilation of the radio channels (air & ground) recorded during the SonTay Raid. He partners with veterans to tell their stories for the benefit of future generations.