In combat, men measure up. Or don’t. There are no second chances.
In this vivid account of the U.S. Army’s legendary 10th Mountain Division’s heroic stand in the mountains of Afghanistan, Captain Sean Parnell shares an action-packed and highly emotional true story of triumph, tragedy, and the extraordinary bonds forged in battle.
At twenty-four years of age, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell was … Sean Parnell was named commander of a forty-man elite infantry platoon—a unit that came to be known as the Outlaws—and was tasked with rooting out Pakistan-based insurgents from a mountain valley along Afghanistan’s eastern frontier. Parnell and his men assumed they would be facing a ragtag bunch of civilians, but in May 2006 what started out as a routine patrol through the lower mountains of the Hindu Kush became a brutal ambush. Barely surviving the attack, Parnell’s men now realized that they faced the most professional and seasoned force of light infantry the U.S. Army had encountered since the end of World War II.
What followed was sixteen months of close combat, over the course of which the platoon became Parnell’s family: from Staff Sergeant Greg Greeson, the wise, chain-smoking veteran who never lost his cool; to Specialist Robert Pinholt, a buttoned-down conservative with the heart of a warrior and the mind of an economist; to Staff Sergeant Phil Baldwin, the platoon’s voice of calm and reason, a man who sacrificed everything following the events of 9/11—career, home, financial stability—to serve his country. But the cost of battle was high for these men: Over 80 percent were wounded in action, putting their casualty rate among the highest since Gettysburg, and not all of them made it home.
A searing and unforgettable story of friendship in battle, Outlaw Platoon brings to life the intensity and raw emotion of those sixteen months, showing how the fight reshaped the lives of Parnell and his men and how the love and faith they found in one another ultimately kept them alive.
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The soldiers whose story is told are the true hero’s of our day. The book reveals the acts of bravery, the sacrifices, the camaraderie, and the feet of clay even such nobility carries. A good read that reminds us that life is about all of us, not just ourselves.
This man can write!!!!
This is a brilliant true account memoir on a group of brave U.S soldiers and what they endured in Afghanistan. These soldiers are the kind of men that you be honoured to have as your mates, co workers and to have your back when the chips are down. Sean Parnell and John R Bruning are gifted storytellers.
Excellent portrayal of military action in Afghanistan by the author
I had the pleasure of serving under Seam Parnell while station with 2/87inf B company 2nd platoon Blackhawks. For everyone that asks what it’s like in Afghanistan and what it’s like in combat, Sean hit the nail on the head. Even more what makes this such a great read, is it isn’t a book of wartime glory and gore. He goes into the lives and …
Very informative!
Hard to put down.
A story about a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Good read.
Hard start, but builds the farther I get!
Live the life a grunt ground-pounder in a barren land where sand and grit gets in all your wrinkles and crevices. Fire-fights, ambushes, explosions, blood and guts it all seems so real. A great book that captures the harsh life our troops had to endure going after insurgents that would rather stick it to them first.
amazing
Excellent
Enjoyed. Well written with a sense urgency
This book reveals what our soldiers have had to deal with in the Middle East. Exceptional writing and very well done!
Draws a excellent picture of what our troops in Afghanistan were up against
Excellent memoir. Gave me a front seat ride into a place i’ll never see and an even greater appreciation for our American troops. Thank you for your service.
This book is written by the platoon commander of “Outlaw Platoon” in Afganistan. For those of you that are wanting insight as to the military operations conducted in Afganistan, as well as the military camaraderie of our soldiers, this is exactly what you are looking for. Excellently written.
I’m 60 and this book made me feel guilty for not being able to serve as these young men did and continue to do. They deserve our highest respect. Everyone in our society needs to understand the commitment necessary to do these jobs.
This nonfiction narative of a young combat lieutenant’s experiences in Afganastan was engrossing. I read alot of military fiction and thrillers from Clancy to Coyle. (If you haven’t read Harold Coyle and you like the genre, you should) This true account of the Outlaw Platoon was far better than any of the fine fiction I have read. It makes you …