Level Zero Heroes

The Story of U.S. Marine Special Operations in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan

By: Michael Golembesky, John R. Bruning

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

An elite Marine special operations team, a battle to save downed soldiers in Afghanistan, a fight for survival—an incredible true story of war that became a New York Times bestseller.

In Level Zero Heroes, Michael Golembesky follows the members of U.S. Marine Special Operations Team 8222 on their assignment to the remote and isolated Taliban stronghold known as Bala Murghab as they conduct special operations in an effort to break the Taliban's grip on the Valley. What started out as a routine mission changed when two 82nd Airborne Paratroopers tragically drowned in the Bala Murghab River while trying to retrieve vital supplies from an air drop that had gone terribly wrong. In this one moment, the focus and purpose of the friendly forces at Forward Operating Base Todd, where Team 8222 was assigned, was forever altered as a massive clearing operation was initiated to break the Taliban's stranglehold on the valley and recover the bodies.

From close-quarters firefights in Afghan villages to capturing key-terrain from the Taliban in the unforgiving Afghan winter, this intense and personal story depicts the brave actions and sacrifices of MSOT 8222. Readers will understand the hopelessness of being pinned down under a hail of enemy gunfire and the quake of the earth as a 2000 lb. guided bomb levels a fortified Taliban fighting position.
A powerful and moving story of Marine Operators doing what they do best, Level Zero Heroes brings to life the mission of these selected few that fought side-by-side in Afghanistan, in a narrative as action-packed and emotional as anything to emerge from the Special Operations community contribution to the Afghan War.

©2014 Michael Golembesky and John R. Bruning (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Level Zero Heroes proves that great warriors aren't minted from any one branch of service. Michael's story is a testament to the hard men of MARSOC who have contributed significantly both on and off the battlefield since the attacks of Sept. 11th, 2001. Semper Fi brothers.” —Brandon Webb, former Navy SEAL, Editor of SOFREP, and New York Times bestselling author of The Red Circle

“Semper Fi! Level Zero Heroes is a riveting, fast paced account of Marine Operators in combat in Afghanistan. Inspiring & insightful look into the new world of Marine Corps Special Operations, I was absolutely hooked from the first page to the last. I'm glad Ski and his fellow team members are on our side.” —Sean Parnell, New York Times bestselling author of Outlaw Platoon

“The author writes perceptively about the complex social environment of Afghanistan…. The depictions of combat are precise regarding weapons and tactics but also jargon-heavy, giving the action a video game feel.” —Kirkus Reviews

bombs away

Good story line moved from encounter to encounter, but never really felt engaged with the action.

old time Marine

Shocking to hear what these brave men had to go through. They are men of Valor.

A must read to understand, honor and pray for our unbelievably brave service members

This book is an amazing account of a small portion of the harsh and brutal truth of war and brotherhood. ‘Ski’ does an amazing job making me feel like I am right alongside him and the struggle to fight the good fight, even when it feels impossible. To all those of Dagger 22, thank you.

Outstanding

This title does an outstanding job putting you in the shoes of these operators and painting the picture of their experiences.

Good listen

I enjoyed this story. Great commentary and story. I enjoyed hearing the story of this Marine's experiences. Great lessons on leadership and brotherhood of arms

Get a new narrator.

Loved the book, would have loved it more with out Mr. Berkrot’s voice. Tried to sound a little too much tough guy

The Shocking Reality of Modern Combat in Medieval Afghanistan.

An intense first hand account of the courage, esprit de corps and sacrifice born of the difficult conditions, frustrating and constraining rules of engagement, and the tenacious and tactical enemy our warriors are facing while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Good story. Narrator??

For a military SOF book, the story wasn’t bad. The performance definitely leaves something to be desired. The narrator can make a huge difference. Made me miss We Few, and Whispers In The Tall Grass. Now, THOSE books, and narrator, is how it’s done.

Semper Fi.......it still applies

Where does Level Zero Heroes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have always found the stories and experiences of Americas fighting men to be fascinating, and this one is no different.Regular guys from all over the country thrust together in a combat zone, untrusted leadership, tragedy on a daily basis, and still they carry on.Men who are thousands of miles from home, but not too far to recognize the simple pleasure of a friendly dog.

What other book might you compare Level Zero Heroes to and why?

Name any classic book about men at war, while the stories and surroundings are as different as night and day,the reason the men fight remains the same as it was at the dawn of time.They fight for a country, but they will die for each other.

Have you listened to any of Peter Berkrot’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I dont believe I have, but I must commend him for a job well done. If anything he injected more drama into the words than the author intended, as I know from personal experience Marines can be fairly stoic at times.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both, but the final paragraph brings a huge smile, worth the read just to get to that.

Breathtaking

This book brought me back to a time where moon dust and terrible humor that helped us forget about the country we were in and the people that didn't like us as someone who is having issues conforming to the civilian world it's nice to be able to read this book for the fourth time and dagger 22 the sequel to bring myself back and escape life's every day challenges thank you so much raider from an 03 11 Semper Fi