Outlaw Platoon
Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan
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- €7.49
Publisher Description
Acclaimed for its vivid, poignant, and honest recreation of sixteen brutal months of nearly continuous battle in the deadly Hindu Kesh, Outlaw Platoon is a Band of Brothers or We Were Soldiers Once and Young for the early 21st century—a riveting, action-packed, highly emotional war memoir and true story of enormous sacrifice and bravery.
At twenty-four years of age, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell was named commander of a forty-man elite infantry platoon, the 10th Mountain Division—a unit that came to be known as the Outlaws. Tasked with rooting out Pakistan-based insurgents from a valley in the Hindu Kush, Parnell assumed they would be facing a ragtag bunch of civilians until, in May 2006, a routine patrol in the Afghanistan War turned into a brutal ambush. Through sixteen months of combat, the platoon became Parnell's family. The cost of battle was high for these men. Not all of them made it home, but for those who did, it was the love and faith they found in one another that ultimately kept them alive.
A magnificent account of heroes, renegades, infidels, and brothers, Outlaw Platoon is a standout work of military history that stands with Sebastian Junger’s War as one of the most important books to yet emerge from the heat, smoke, and fire of America’s War in Afghanistan.
What does it take to lead and survive in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan?
Modern Military Leadership: At just twenty-four, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell is tasked with keeping forty soldiers alive in a brutal, sixteen-month deployment.Brotherhood: See how the men of the Outlaw Platoon became a family, finding the love and faith in one another that was essential for their survival.Visceral Combat: A riveting, action-packed account of nearly continuous battle, from routine patrols that turn into deadly ambushes to the high cost of victory.Unflinching Nonfiction: Standing with classics like War and Band of Brothers, this true story is an honest and poignant look at the realities of modern warfare.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Former Army officer Parnell and collaborator Bruning (Shadow of the Sword) reprise Parnell'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 Afghanistan's Bermel Valley, which borders Pakistan. Their mission was "to stanch the flow of enemy troops and supplies into Afghanistan." Besides their 32 Purple Hearts, the platoon which "usually patrolled with about 30 men... loaded into six Humvees" 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 bond "selflessness was our secret weapon" that developed among his men. Studiously nonpartisan, Parnell still raises important questions about Afghan president Hamid Karzai's integrity, the competence of the Afghan police, and the sincerity of our Pakistani "allies." Parnell balances sentimentality with sincerity and crisp prose to produce one of the Afghan war's most moving combat narratives.