The best Afghan War Biographies: Reddit reviews

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Don't forget to also read Fick's <em>One Bullet Away</em>.

Generation Kill was written by the embedded Rolling Stone reporter, but One Bullet Away was written by the officer commanding that platoon.

Taking this opportunity to shill my favorite AFSOC/JSOC book, just for the sake of you folks unaware of John Chapman.

Alone At Dawn

NEVER FORGET - the way he was used by the military for propaganda, how they burned his uniform and journal, how they lied about and covered up his death by friendly fire.

https://www.amazon.com/Where-Men-Win-Glory-Odyssey/dp/030738604X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgU6SwuZJIY

Big ups to his brother for calling out the bullshit at his funeral.

Why they were so happy when NFL player Pat Tillman joined up and became a ranger. Also why they covered up his death being from friendly fire. Read Where Men Win Glory. It's a great book

There’s an interesting book written by British a Apache pilot who fought in Afghanistan . He said he found it traumatic how easy it was to kill people. Drone pilots say they suffer from similar problems.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apache-Ed-Macy/dp/0007288174/ref=nodl_

SSgt Bellavia wrote a book titled “House to House” about his experiences in Fallujah. It was the book that got me hooked on memoirs and biographies. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading it. I’m pretty sure it chronicles the events for which he will now be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Edit: Added some info.

Very much so. The reporter was embedded in a truck with a specific Squad Leader. You end up seeing the whole invasion over-the-shoulder of just that Squad Leader. Gen Mattis is just a cameo and the whole US Army doesn't exist except for a brief mention of Jessica Lynch's convoy getting captured. It's a very narrow (albeit uniquely and redeemingly indepth) view of the invasion.

As mentioned elsewhere in the thread, the Platoon Leader, Nathaniel Fick, published his own account if you want to contrast the view from literally just one echelon higher.

https://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436

For any guys that want a look into MSgt John Chapman’s story, what controllers do, or just a good read I recommend buying this book.

Alone at Dawn

I read a book called Viper Pilotby a retired wild weasel pilot. They have the latest in countermeasures and are all extremely well trained, he says most of the guys have their masters degree on top of the Air Force level of special forces intensity training. When those guys hear missile lock they react like someone has a gun to their head- they immediately shit pants and evade, evade, evade. Drop everything and pilot like your mother’s life depends on it. It’s terrifying.

That was a good summary. Here's the FLIR footage with a commentary by the co-author of the book about it - Alone At Dawn

I'm 100% a shill, being an ex-USAF guy with Chapman as a personal hero - but it's absolutely a story anyone in hoggit would appreciate - especially knowing the value of those sweet sweet 9-lines and lasers deep in the shit.

Here's the official summary of his book being sold on Amazon:

>In Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer draws on Tillman’s journals and letters, interviews with his wife and friends, conversations with the soldiers who served alongside him, and extensive research on the ground in Afghanistan to render an intricate mosaic of this driven, complex, and uncommonly compelling figure as well as the definitive account of the events and actions that led to his death. https://www.amazon.com/Where-Men-Win-Glory-Odyssey/dp/030738604X

Why are you such a proudly ignorant asshole? The only reason these investigations fucking happened you ignorant shit was because the family was questioning the inconsistencies and because they didn't back down they exposed the real story. Seriously, did you know anything about this topic before coming into this thread?

I just ordered it, but glad to hear it’s a good read.

For anyone interested, here is the Amazon link

House to house is a book that is under recommended on this reddit, it's certainly fast paced, occasionally humorous, and full of action. As a bonus it's a Memoir about a soldiers experience in the battle of Fallujah, so outside of a few scenes that might have some gilding it's not a fictional story.

Here is the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/House-An-Epic-Memoir-War/dp/1416596607

In the Book Viper Pilot the author mentions many times how much most pilots hate HARM's, due to their failure rate and often having no idea whether they made good effect on target. You are effectively blindly firing them in a general area and hoping they hit radar. I recall the pilot saying that most of the HARM missiles fired in OIF burned out and hit dirt or random buildings because they were so ineffective.

House to House by David Bellavia is an awesome and horrible account of taking Fallujah. At one point it went way past combat with bayonets -- bullets out, rifle dropped, Bellavia ends up wailing on an insurgent with his helmet.

Officially, first world militaries don't just hand epi out. But third world militaries, militias / terrorist groups etc aren't shy about abusing it. Moslem extremists like it because it isn't a drug of abuse so they can use it without compromising their faith. If you're a reader, or even if you aren't, check out House to House by Ssgt David Bellavia. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416596607/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_BJH8PF26JE13GBYKEWHY It's the most intense and "real" book on war I've ever read. The book covers 2-2 US infantry's insane fight at second Fallujah.

from that other guy

u/heretoshittalk would credit directly but on phone

There’s a great book about his story called, “Where Men Win Glory”. It goes deep into his anti-war stances but also sheds some light on just how shady and “unknown” his death truly was.

There’s a great book about his story called, “Where Men Win Glory”. It goes deep into his anti-war stances but also sheds some light on just how shady and “unknown” his death truly was.

The Men, The Mission, and Me. Great book on leadership told through real life stories.

The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander https://www.amazon.com/dp/0425236579/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PK3G5GC45YFT67GNMPHN

Leadership book based lessons from a delta force commander. Really good at setting priorities.

Tell that to MSgt John Chapman after the "big leagues" SEALs left him on a mountain by himself. Then they lied and tried to cover it up for 16 years, even going as far as actively opposing his upgrade to the Medal of Honor, even though they knew he killed more enemy combatants that day than all the SEALs combined.

Read a book sometime.

> None of that was sanctioned.

It's a complicated story that one the pilot's actually talks about in his book.

Lt Fick's book is pretty good, covers from him deciding to join in college to getting out of the Marines

One Bullet Away

> this was 100% their goal in that essay that was released.

Yes. Jon Krakauer goes into this in his book, &quot;Where Men Win Glory&quot;. We played right into their hands.

I've read a few. You should check this one out.

Also, one thing we 100% agree upon, is fuck Fox "News" - US media in general is just a corporate mouthpiece - so naturally the MIC is a loud voice in the fray.

I'm surprised VIACOM let Stewart and Colbert shit on the wars for as long as they did.

Oh, I guess it's /posts/ on cancer reddit and /submitted/ on true reddit. That's why people are saying it's a dead link. I figured you typed it out yourself, I do that sometimes. When I click the link you posted I get reddit's 404 page.

And after reading some of them, I have to say, you should just take them all, put them in whatever order feels meaningful to you, put them in a document, and throw it on one of those self-publishing sites. You're a talented writer and the intersection of good writing ability and the experiences you've had is not common. I'd love to read these on paper. I think you're a much better writer than this guy and he has a book, you should have a book.

Also, I think "hide" only hides for you, but I might be wrong especially in the new reddit world. I will hold out on old reddit until they pry it from my cold dead hands so I can't say there.

I am the head of a team of about 10 and I had "The Mission, The Men, and Me" recommended by a peer. There are a lot of military lessons that can be taken laterally and applied across the spectrum to business and leadership.

https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Men-Me-Lessons-Commander/dp/0425236579

If you're the reading type, check out Dan Hampton's &quot;Viper Pilot.&quot; He flew the F-16C/J in both Gulf Wars, which is the Air Force's dedicated SEAD/DEAD airframe. He talks at length about the Wild Weasel mission, and emphatically states his disdain for the AGM-88. Their Pk is very low in real life (not quite the death laser that BMS makes it out to be...although that's probably more on BMS' unrealistic SAM radar behaviors more than anything else) and the author much preferred going in with CBU's or dumb iron and making sure the threat was really dead and no longer a threat.

Eh the Pk would probably be extraordinarily low. Even the actual HARMs that we love in our flight sims are, by every pilot account I've ever read, absolutely useless. The actual Wild Weasels, the F-16CJ's, those guys prefer to carry CBU's to ensure that SAMs are actual dead, as opposed to a missile that most of the time will not hit it's desired target.

Check out Dan Hampton's &quot;Viper Pilot&quot;...it is an excellent first hand account of performing the Wild Weasel role in both conflicts in Iraq. Very interesting info in there!

Great story. I was struck by a car and almost killed. Broken neck, broken leg, and major head injury. I thought I lost my career and ability to bike. Never give up. Never give in. Ever.

A book I drew inspiration from is Fearless.

https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Undaunted-Ultimate-Sacrifice-Operator/dp/0307730700