Not a good day to die -- OT

[SpaceInvader]

In one incident, a bullet shatters a guy's knife and he's wounded by the fragments.

The above statement is the total knife content of this post. :)
But I thought this story deserves a wider read than it might get in Off-Topic.

Not a good day to die: the untold story of Operation Anaconda
by Sean Naylor
Media: book or CDs

If you've ever wondered what the heck is going on in Afghanistan, this story provides some recent history. It was a special ops show that was to be supported by infantry, that was the plan anyway, and things went a tiny bit off course. There's valor, sacrifice, some super-human effort, friendly fire, audacity, and an astonishing amount of tomfoolery. The buildup to the combat is long and a little tedious, but heroics by some of the participants makes up for it. Oh yeah, no hand-to-hand knife duels, but there are dueling mortars, and lots of airstrikes.


Publisher description:
After the Al Qaida attacks of September 11, 2001, America quickly toppled the Taliban regime that had sheltered the terrorist organization in Afghanistan. But, believing the war to be all but over, U.S. Central Command refused to commit the forces required to achieve total victory. Instead, the war's biggest battle--one that could have broken Al Qaida and captured Osama bin Laden--was waged by a hodge-podge of units thrown together at the last moment. On March 2, 2002, America's first major battle of the 21st century began in the Shahikot Valley, where young, untested U.S. soldiers paid a bloody price for strategic, higher-level miscalculations. Journalist eyewitness Naylor describes how, denied the extra infantry, artillery, and attack helicopters with which they had trained, these troops nevertheless proved their worth in brutal combat and prevented an American military disaster.

[walrus]

A really good book, maybe a bit long, but if you' re interested in recent military matters it' a must read.

[bladese97]

:spyder: :spyder: :cool: :spyder: :spyder: This is a book I will buy soon!

[gac]

Good book, I listened to the audio version.

[Stuart Ackerman]

I own it...a very good read...
BTW, the leadership was appaling, when those that knew what to do
( Blaber, etc) were removed from direct command, and office johnnies were "leading".