Sean  Parnell,John R. Bruning
Former Army officer Parnell and collaborator Bruning (Shadow of the Sword) reprise Parnellâ€™s 16 months as an infantry platoon leader in Afghanistan in this heartfelt memoir. In 2006, Parnell and his 10th Mountain Division platoon, the self-styled Outlaws, arrived in Afghanistanâ€™s Bermel Valley, which borders Pakistan. Their mission was â€œto stanch the flow of enemy troops and supplies into Afghanistan.â€ Besides their 32 Purple Hearts, the platoonâ€”which â€œusually patrolled with about 30 men... loaded into six Humveesâ€â€”earned seven Bronze Stars and 12 Army Commendations for Valor, making it one of the most decorated units in the Afghan war. Parnell vividly captures the sounds, sights, and smells of combat, and proves most eloquent when describing the bondâ€”â€œselflessness was our secret weaponâ€â€”that developed among his men. Studiously nonpartisan, Parnell still raises important questions about Afghan president Hamid Karzaiâ€™s integrity, the competence of the Afghan police, and the sincerity of our Pakistani â€œallies.â€ Parnell balances sentimentality with sincerity and crisp prose to produce one of the Afghan warâ€™s most moving combat narratives.
War,Military Fiction,Nonfiction,War,History,Military,Military History,Autobiography,Memoir,Biography,Audiobook,Leadership,True Story
Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan