Great Account of the War in Afghanistan | Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers...

Enormous Insight | Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan | Doug Stanton

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	• Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan Doug Stanton Scribner, 2009 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 87 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"Horse Soldiers" A Good Ride

This is a good book about the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. Contains facts probably not known to many Americans about how the first boots on the ground had to fight the war. Since our troops were mostly CIA and Special Forces at the time most of the information remained classified.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of our involvement in Afghanistan.

Great Account of the War in Afghanistan

It has been said that real life can sometimes be more exciting and intriguing than some of the most action-packed fiction novels or movies. Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton portrays such a story.

Set just prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Horse Soldiers tells the tale of the Army Special Forces and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) invasion of Afghanistan following that attack. It ties together loose ends from this time and fills in some gaps such as the stories of Mike Spann and John Walker Lindh and what exactly happened in Afghanistan during this time.

Doug Stanton does a fine job of telling the story of the brave soldiers and agents who fought in the opening days of the war in Afghanistan. His method of describing the environment is superb. I had listened to the audiobook and for the most part I could picture the surrounding environment based on the descriptions provided.

One aspect that made "Horse Soldiers" difficult at times were the many characters and the fast pace. The core group of characters are treated in great detail, but there are many more who are not given as much treatment. When the action kicks into full gear it's sometimes difficult to remember who's who's and what's going on. In all fairness this is likely not the author's fault - it's strictly the nature of the beast - fast pace and confusion. If nothing else this gave me an appreciation of how difficult the special ops and CIA had it over there - not only do they have to worry about combat - but they have to keep a large and diverse cast of characters straight, each with their own interests and agendas!

In many ways this felt like a sequel to Charlie Wilson's War and in many ways it is. If you like military action, spy thrillers, or just want an overview and update on the war in Afghanistan, then I highly recommend Horse Soldiers.

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Enormous Insight

This book provides enormous insight into the mentality of the Afgan (and probably other mid-east Islamic fanatics) people and fighters. A great book.

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Horse Soldiers

Every American should read this book for the first hand information concerning what is going on in that area today and is likely to continue for quite awhile.

So much owed by so many to so few

Fifty special US military personnel accomplished in two months what Pentagon planners had said would take two years. Unbelievable? Yes. But this is a nonfiction book. Doug Stanton's dramatic true story reveals how the impossible was made possible by this handful of courageous US Soldiers.

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From the New York Times-bestselling author of In Harm's Way comes a true-life story of American soldiers overcoming great odds to achieve a stunning military victory.

Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy across mountainous terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential if they were to defeat the Taliban.

The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators, and overjoyed Afghans thronged the streets. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed. Dangerously outnumbered, they fought for their lives in the city's immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the effort to defeat the Taliban might be doomed.

As the Americans struggled to hold the fortress, they faced some of the most intense urban warfare of our time. But until now the full story of the Horse Soldiers has never been told. Doug Stanton received unprecedented cooperation from the U.S. Army's Special Forces soldiers and Special Operations helicopter pilots, as well as access to voluminous after-battle reports. In addition, he interviewed more than one hundred participants and walked every inch of the climactic battleground.

This exciting story is filled with unforgettable characters: brave Special Forces soldiers, tough CIA operatives, cunning Afghan warlords, anxious stateside soldiers' wives who do not know where their husbands have gone, and humble Afghan boys spying on the Taliban.

Deeply researched and beautifully written, Stanton's account of America's quest to liberate an oppressed people touches the mythic. The Horse Soldiers combined ancient strategies of cavalry warfare with twenty-first-century aerial bombardment technology to perform a seemingly impossible feat. Moreover, their careful effort to win the hearts of local townspeople and avoid civilian casualties proved a valuable lesson for America's ongoing efforts in Afghanistan.

Horse Soldiers is a big-hearted and thrilling read, with an epic story that reaches not just across the cold mountains of Afghanistan but into the homes of small-town America, and confirms Doug Stanton as one of our country's preeminent storytellers.

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