OT - Book (Non Fiction) Review/Recommendations Thread

[swaghauler]

This book is a detailed account of Romesha's CMH Award winning command of Red Platoon, B Troop 3-61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division while under attack by a superior Taliban force at Outpost Keating. The book is well written and an "easy read" from the standpoint of language (all the terms and slang are explained for "non-military" readers).

It is NOT an easy read from the standpoint of the story. Romesha goes into great detail about the members of Red Platoon and their histories (including all their very human flaws). This means you tend to feel rage/sadness when they are killed during the fight (these are REAL PEOPLE after all). The book pulls no punches in describing how bloody the battle was and how hard the members of B Troop take it when their friends are killed.

It also details how foolish the Army was in thinking that they could build an outpost in a valley surrounded by mountains (so it could be resupplied by truck, which it couldn't be by the way) as well as how their former Captain "hung them out to dry" by forbidding any defensive improvements or even allowing the changing out the Claymores that defended the perimeter (he believed they would be "shut down" by the Army any day and didn't want to use materials that were ACTUALLY ON THE SITE). in a twist of irony, he was relieved of command and replaced just days before the attack (although the Army later held him accountable).

It also pulls no punches when describing how the Afghan Army personnel abandoned their posts and actually looted the Troop's personal effects as the members of Red and Blue platoon were dying to keep the Taliban from overrunning Keating and killing everyone (including the Afghan soldiers). In addition, it details how some of the Afghan National Police turned on the Americans and attacked them in support of the Taliban fighters.

If you can handle the harsh reality the book portrays, it is worth reading. The book also has a very good map of Outpost Keating that a GM may find useful.