DENVER -- Soon, ground operations will take on a bigger role in dismantling the Taliban, and for that, U.S. special forces will be key. A man who was once active in military special operations spoke with 7NEWS to talk about some of the elite forces' successes and failures.

Video

Former Special Forces Captain Talks To 7NEWS

The officer, whose identity was not revealed, was a navigator on a C-130 that was part of a very ambitious rescue plan back in 1980. It was a plan that turned into a disaster, 7NEWS reported.

In April 1980, and president Carter was desperate to bring 52 American hostages out of Iran. He asked the U.S. military to rescue the group, but a broken helicopter forced the secret mission to be scrapped.

Then, two U.S. aircraft collided in the Iranian desert, killing eight Americans.

"I would say that in my entire life, that rates near the top of one of the biggest disappointments of my life," the officer told 7NEWS.

The officer was an Air Force captain at the time, and he was there that night. He saw how just a mistake or two can doom a complex operation.

"That's worse than death, making a major aviation error flying in combat," he said.

Special operations forces are trained to deal with problems and obstacles, he said.

"We train against the worst case scenario, and typically we train as if we're fighting us. And there aren't too many people like the United States to fight against," he said.

The result, he said, is highly motivated and finely tuned pilots and soldiers who'll acquit themselves well behind enemy lines.

"In some ways, I wish I were back in special ops. I think they're the tip of the arrow right now in this type of warfare, and I think we can trust that they're going to do a good job," he said.

This officer said that the military, in general, and special operations, in particular, have matured greatly since he was on active duty.

He believes that training has improved, and he thinks the undercover soldiers are going to do some damage in the months ahead.