Swords of Lightning
Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America's Response to 9/11
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Narrated by:
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Mike Chamberlain
About this listen
The first-person account of how a small band of Green Berets used horses and laser-guided bombs to overthrow the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan after 9/11.
They landed in a dust storm so thick the chopper pilot used dead reckoning and a guess to find the ground. Welcomed by a band of heavily armed militiamen, they climbed a mountain on horseback to meet the most ferocious warlord in Asia. They plotted a war of nineteenth-century maneuvers against a twenty-first-century foe. They trekked through minefields, sometimes past the mangled bodies of local tribesmen who'd shared food with them hours before. They saved babies and treated fractures, sewed up wounded who'd been transported from the battlefield by donkey.
They found their enemy hiding in thick bunkers, dodged bullets from machine-gun-laden pickup trucks, and survived mass rocket attacks from vintage Soviet-era launchers. They battled the Taliban while mediating blood feuds between rival allies. They fought with everything they had, from smart bombs to AK-47s.
The men they helped called them brothers. Hollywood called them the Horse Soldiers.
They called themselves Green Berets—Special Forces ODA 595.
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The book that shouldn't been written.
- By jeffrey on 05-30-15
By: Kevin Maurer
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No Way Out
- A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan
- By: Mitch Weiss, Kevin Maurer
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 642
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 583
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 578
In a remote enemy-held valley in Afghanistan, a Special Forces team planned to scale a steep mountain to surprise and capture a terrorist leader. But before they found the target, the target found them. The team was caught in a deadly ambush that threatened not only their lives but the entire mission. The elite soldiers fought huddled for hours on a small rock ledge as rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-gun fire rained down on them.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book
- By Retired Recruiter on 03-31-17
By: Mitch Weiss, and others
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Tango 1-1
- 9th Infantry Division LRPs in the Vietnam Delta
- By: Jim Thayer
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 122
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 106
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 106
LRPs were all volunteers. They were in the spine-tingling, brain-twisting, nerve-wracking business of Long Range Patrolling. They varied in age from eighteen to thirty. These men operated in precision movements, like walking through a jungle quietly and being able to tell whether a man or an animal is moving through the brush without seeing the cause of movement. They could sit in an ambush for hours without moving a muscle except to ease the safety off the automatic weapon in their hand at the first sign of trouble. These men were good because they had to be to survive.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Great book marred by the reader
- By Amazon Customer on 04-26-23
By: Jim Thayer
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The Green Berets
- The Amazing Story of the U.S. Army's Elite Special Forces Unit
- By: Robin Moore
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 980
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 891
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 889
Robin Moore became one of the first true embedded journalists by training with and fighting alongside the Green Berets in Vietnam. Though fictionalized, his work is an eye-opening exposé of the horrors of the Vietnam War and the basis for the hit John Wayne movie of the same title. Taut, fast-paced, and interspersed with unforgettable accounts of combat, Moore’s novel features an American major who goes "native" with Montagnard tribesmen, a courageous Vietnamese girl who poses as a rabid anti-American Communist to capture a murderous Viet Cong officer, and the unforgettable acts of courage of soldiers in the field.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Green Berets Nam and beyond
- By Jawbone on 10-07-17
By: Robin Moore
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A Night in the Pech Valley
- A Memoir of a Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Global War on Terrorism
- By: Grant McGarry
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 539
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 483
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 481
A Night in the Pech Valley is Grant McGarry's account of what it takes to become an Army Ranger and what life is like in the 75th Ranger Regiment. More importantly, it is about an operation in the most dangerous terrain for US forces anywhere in the world. The Pech Valley is surrounded by Taliban-filled mountains on the Pakistan border in the Kunar Province, where the mountain peaks push 10,000 feet.
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5 out of 5 stars
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RANGER UP! Then buy this book
- By THE NOBLE MARRIAGE on 03-08-17
By: Grant McGarry
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Cowboys Over Iraq
- Leadership from the Saddle
- By: Jimmy Blackmon, General David H. Petraeus US Army - Ret. - foreword
- Narrated by: Shawn Compton
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
Cowboys Over Iraq tells the amazing story of leadership, innovation, initiative, and a brotherhood that was forged in the crucible of combat during the invasion of Iraq.
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5 out of 5 stars
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a true view from the pilot seat of the Kiowa
- By Anonymous User on 02-08-25
By: Jimmy Blackmon, and others
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Walking Point
- An Infantryman's Untold Story
- By: Michael H. Cunningham
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 202
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 189
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 187
Que Son Valley is actually a large area of hills and valleys just to the west of Da Nang, Viet Nam. During the 1960s, units from the US Marines and US Army engaged the 2nd North Vietnamese Division in heavy and close combat. Our mission was to keep the enemy from capturing the cities of Da Nang, Tam Ky, and Chu Lai and to pacify the area. We did prevent the enemy from capturing these vital cities, but the area was far from pacified.
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2 out of 5 stars
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This sounds bad but... Annoying
- By David on 06-19-18
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Foxtrot in Kandahar
- A Memoir of a CIA Officer in Afghanistan at the Inception of America’s Longest War
- By: Duane Evans
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 127
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 120
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 119
Kandahar. The ancient desert crossroads and, as of fall of 2001, ground zero for the Taliban and al-Qa'ida in southern Afghanistan. In the northern part of the country, the US-supported Northern Alliance has made progress on the battlefield, but in the south, the country is still under the Taliban's bloody hold and al-Qa'ida continues to operate there. With no "Southern Alliance" for the US to support, a new strategy is needed if victory is to be achieved. Veteran CIA officer Duane Evans is dispatched to Pakistan to "get something going in the South." Foxtrot in Kandahar is his story.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating look into CIA ground forces in early Afghanistan
- By Invictus on 09-23-18
By: Duane Evans
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Hunting the Jackal
- A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism
- By: Billy Waugh, Tim Keown
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,832
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,617
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,607
For more than half a century, Special Forces and CIA legend Billy Waugh dedicated his life to tracking down and eliminating America's most virulent enemies. Operating from the darkest shadows and most desolate corners of the world, he made his mark in many of the most important operations in the annals of US Spec Ops. He spent seven and a half years behind enemy lines in Vietnam as a member of a covert group of elite commandos.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hunting the Jackal - epic accounting of SOF/SOG and CIA IV
- By Eric on 01-08-18
By: Billy Waugh, and others
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Saving Bravo
- The Greatest Rescue Mission in Navy SEAL History
- By: Stephan Talty
- Narrated by: Henry Strozier
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,536
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,401
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,401
The untold story of the most important rescue mission not just of the Vietnam War, but the entire Cold War: one American aviator who knew our most important secrets crashed behind enemy lines and was sought by the entire North Vietnamese and Russian military machines. One Navy SEAL and his Vietnamese partner had to sneak past them all to save him.
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5 out of 5 stars
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What a story!
- By Kindle Customer on 02-27-19
By: Stephan Talty
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Killer Elite: Completely Revised and Updated
- The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team
- By: Michael Smith
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 689
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 602
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 601
A top-secret US Army Special Operations unit has been running covert missions all over the world, from leading death squads to the hideout of drug baron Pablo Escobar to capturing Saddam Hussein and, in one of the greatest special operations missions of all time, helping to track down al-Qa'eda leader Osama bin Laden. "The Activity," as it became known to insiders, has achieved near-mythical status, even among the world's Special Operations elite.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Narrator is awful
- By Vinny on 09-20-17
By: Michael Smith
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Headhunter
- 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq's Diyala River Valley
- By: Peter C. Svoboda, Lt. Gen William B. Caldwell (Ret.) - foreword
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 44
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
Selected in 2005 by the army to be the first airborne reconnaissance squadron, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, better known as 5-73 CAV, was formed from 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The members of the squadron were hand-selected by the squadron command team, Lieutenant Colonel Poppas and Command Sergeant Major Edgar. With just more than 400 paratroopers, they were half the size of a full-strength battalion and the smallest unit in the Panther Brigade.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A great audible!
- By Justin Robinson on 09-12-22
By: Peter C. Svoboda, and others
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One Green Beret
- Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and beyond: 15 Extraordinary years in the life - 1996-2011
- By: Mark Giaconia
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
3rd Edition. Before the Iraq war in 2003, Green Beret teams infiltrated Northern Iraq, linked up with the CIA, and embedded deeply with the Kurdish Peshmerga to prepare for war. These special missions were called “Advanced Force Operations.” Subsequently, these special teams brought in the rest of the Green Berets during an operation called "the Ugly Baby." Then, one of the most significant battles in Special Forces history occurred: "Operation Viking Hammer," where six Green Beret teams along with a handful of CIA and Air Force Special Ops personnel, combined with approximately 8000 ...
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good until the end
- By Brian on 06-27-24
By: Mark Giaconia
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LRRP (Provisional) 2nd Bde 4th Infantry Division Vietnam 1966-67
- By: Frank Camper
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 69
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 66
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Story5 out of 5 stars 66
True story of the 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division's small, ragtag "provisional" long range patrol platoon that was so effective it became the official model for 1st and 2nd Field Force MACV LRRP's covering the whole country, authorized by General Westmoreland. The 2nd Brigade LRRP's made history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This is an excellent book
- By Anonymous User on 06-13-24
By: Frank Camper
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Delta Force
- A Memoir by the Founder of the U.S. Military's Most Secretive Special-Operations Unit
- By: Charlie A. Beckwith, Donald Knox
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,926
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,728
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,721
Wanted: Volunteers for Project Delta. Will guarantee you a medal. A body bag. Or both. With this call to arms, Charlie Beckwith revolutionized American armed combat. Beckwith's acclaimed memoir tells the story of Delta Force as only its maverick creator could tell it - from the bloody baptism of Vietnam to the top-secret training grounds of North Carolina to political battles in the upper levels of the Pentagon itself. This is the heart-pounding, first-person insider's view of the missions that made Delta Force legendary.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good Military History
- By Drew on 02-01-15
By: Charlie A. Beckwith, and others
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Silent Warrior
- The Marine Sniper's Vietnam Story Continues
- By: Charles Henderson
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 373
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 332
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Story5 out of 5 stars 334
In the U.S. Marine Corps, the most dangerous job in combat is that of the sniper. With no backup and little communication with the outside world, these men disappear for weeks on end in the wilderness with nothing but intellect and iron will to protect them - as they watch, wait, and finally strike. But of all of the snipers who ever hunted human prey, one man stands above the rest as the most legendary fighting man to ever pull a trigger. That man is Carlos Hathcock.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Just like Marine stories should be told
- By James A. on 04-16-15
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Day of the Rangers
- The Battle of Mogadishu 25 Years On
- By: Leigh Neville, Matt Eversmann - foreword
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 153
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 138
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 137
On October 3, 1993, Task Force Ranger was dispatched to seize two high-profile lieutenants of a Somali warlord. Special Forces troops were transported by ground vehicles and helicopters, and the mission was meant to be over within the hour. They quickly found themselves under heavy fire, and two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. With a hastily organized relief column many hours away, the American troops faced a desperate battle for survival.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wow. Great story
- By dexter on 09-21-18
By: Leigh Neville, and others
What listeners say about Swords of Lightning
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- trish
- 10-09-23
Liked the format
Post 9/11 experiences of some very brave, well trained and emotionally intelligent men. The level of restraint and ego checking that this mission required would have been a disaster for 99% of the population. These men were exceptional men indeed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lurchy
- 08-20-22
Grateful American
Incredible story of what the initial months of America's war on terror looked like. This ODA Team's mission, against all odds was a heroic success. I loved it. Thank you for writing it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Greg Mather
- 12-12-22
Better understanding
This book help give me a better understanding of our last war. It helped me see that there could have been a better outcome.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Boyd
- 03-03-24
Presented an interesting, straight forward narrative of the adventure.
Presented a balanced assessment of the early SF contribution to the Afghan war. A must listen to the new legend of the Horse Soldiers.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- rockp2
- 05-29-22
Utterly fantastic!!!
If you have read and enjoyed "Horse Soldiers" or seen "12 Strong", you must listen to this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Norm Brock
- 01-14-25
Horse Soldiers
You saw the movie 12 Strong read the first hand account here. It's filled with info and a great true story of American Heroes.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Faith Watkins
- 12-13-24
The Real Experience of The Horse Soldiers
Great book! It’s nice to hear the story of the Horse Soldiers told from men that completed that mission. Great narration and great story
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David W.
- 05-27-24
The story from the people there
This is a first hand account of 12 brave soldiers who supported their nation and helped free another. This is a great listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- 07-21-22
Admiration
I love these guys and respect and admire all combat vets especially the ODA’s that struck the terrorists right when we needed action. I wish I could go back in time and been a SPF soldier but I can’t so I just support. I saw legion of brothers as well great stuff..love the book
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Josh
- 10-18-23
Great Book
I enjoyed this telling of the 0DA 595 story just as much as I enjoyed the telling of the 0DA 574 story. All Certified Bad-a**es.
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