Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds

I did get it. Sorry

I could knock "Lions of Kandahar": complain about the maps; protest about the petty, condescending digs at Army Rangers (something that seems to be in the DNA of Special Forces); most of all, whine about the many questions that never got answered, not answers I understood.But those would be cheap shots. Because "Lions" is a rollicking, nail-biting, "OMG!" combat story about a small but crucial slice of one of the Afghan War's pivotal battles. The book lives up to every claim; it makes you give thanks the oft-maligned US Army has soldiers as tough and brave as Capt. Rusty, Bill, Dave, Jude, Brian and the rest of his intrepid "A" Team; and (least we forgot) the highly competent and compassionate American leadership, best represented here by the battalion commander, "Bolduc" (all names are pseudonyms, probably including Bradley's).Any cheap shots would be unnecessary and misleading. There have been (as I write) 143 Amazon reviews posted here. No doubt their observations more than suffice. So, rather than repeat the obvious, I'd like to add a postmortem: the word is ugly but necessary. Because, unfortunately for Capt. Rusty Bradley and for all of us, it's almost 2013 - not 2006, when these events occurred. Afghanistan and the Afghan Army have changed. Strong and brave as they are, Bradley and the others might weep upon reading a piece called "Living in a Minefield: Panjwayi after the US Surge," published Oct 24, 2012 by the Afghanistan Analysts Network. The AAN's Borhan Osman "travelled to Panjwayi in late September to look at how the surge changed the situation. He found that it did not help to stabilize the area and, in some parts of the district, even has backfired."The opening paragraph of this long, depressing analysis concludes:"A Taleban-imposed night curfew is in place in the [Panjwayi] district just at the gates of Kandahar from 7 pm to 8 am. Those who could afford to have fled their homes, and the remaining ones find themselves caught in a situation they describe by saying, `We live by luck only.' "It is a (small) comfort to see an commendable mention of Operation Medusa from 2006 in the AAN report. (On a person note, those of us who watched as classmates and company-mates died in the course of multiple tours in what was then "South Vietnam" will know how small and cold that comfort is.) The whole AAN report is at (...).But the most bitter outcome of 2006-09, especially for the expert, high-quality Afghan Army trainers such as Capt. Bradley has to be the recent "Green-on-Blue" murders. Bradley, please note, felt such affection for "his" Afghan Army soldiers that the very title of the book refers to them - not to the American heroes. But now, Afghan Army soldiers are cravenly murdering their Coalition mentors. This is not only a crime but a betrayal. Despite the setbacks and ultimate frustration of those who served and trained in Vietnam, we never encountered such mendacity: such unalloyed evil (as we would have seen it). Our hearts must go out to those, and to their families, who have suffered at the hands of such traitors.Yet these Taliban in uniform don't think of themselves as "traitors" but as the real heroes, the martyrs. As knowledgeable as our SOF are - as we think we are - we don't understand this part of the world and its inhabitants. Another book needs to be written. A Bernard Lewis of the Hindu Kush must step forward.Added: I see Amazon has helpfully deleted the link I inserted. Suppose there's a reason for that. Nonetheless, I've provided sufficient information for the deteminded reader to find the report. Sorry about the inconvenience.

I have just finished reading this book and it so affected me that I had to close it, start at the beginning and read it again. It wasn't confusing. It wasn't offending. It wasn't anything I can put my finger on. I just had this unshakeable feeling that I had to know their names, remember their actions and commit to my memory the deeds of these extraordinary men. I think you could this a book about war and that is obviously true. It is also a book that reveals the details of a transformative process that takes place in a free people when they witness an unspeakable tragedy done against them and done against their allies. The men is this book are not killers, they are not blood lusting thugs. These men were uniquely culled and selected to solve a very specific problem and these men endured. I am struggling enormously to convey how utterly decent the author is as well as the men who served with him. This story encompasses war, tragedy, violence but truly it reveals what makes American's uniquely American. None of these men felt special, none of them wanted attention, recognition or accolades. In fact I am sure if you asked these men what they did want the answer would have been short and simple. They would have stated unanimously, "We just want to do our jobs, a job that must be done and we want desperately that all of us would come home to family and loved ones when the job IS DONE!" Prepare yourself to read a book written by your next door neighbor that mowed his lawn when he was home, drove his kids to school and volunteered to guard the school crosswalk. Expect to be naturally shocked and awe inspired to learn that your neighbor frequently leaves the safety of his home, country and the love of his family because he feels compelled to answer the call to defend ALL OF OUR FREEDOMS against evil horrible vile creatures that I am ashamed to call men. Expect to feel the relief from combat humor of the tension that crept over you and caused you to sit and read this entire story in one setting. I think that the author of this book teaches more about what it means to be a man, friend, warrior and American than any history book or class ever could.I could keep going AND I WANT TO! But truly I need to stop so that you can get to this incredible story of life and humility, that you might then experience your own emotional response to what these men did and what men just like them, "Damn Few" continue to do. Please buy two copies of this book and give one to a veteran and tell him it's your way of honoring him, his generation and the uniquely American sacrifices he made to protect our INCREDIBLY AWESOME NATION!!!This is a terrifically good story, it's fast paced, you get to meet each player and you get to participate in a truly historical event. Just as he felt that Jude deserved our nations highest honor I feel that this book deserves MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE than a mere 5 stars.To the man, Rusty Bradley. All I can say is thank you!

História sensacional! Livro chegou em perfeito estado e dentro do prazo de envio.

An engaging - if at times somewhat jingoistic - account of an American SOF operation. It is made more interesting as Bradley's unit was embedded with an Afghan Army unit and so sheds some light on a less well known aspect of the war on terror. Whilst some readers may find the author's fervent Christianity a bit much, it does not materially detract from the story of bravery under fire, and the depictions of how the unit operated in combat are realistic and detailed. Overall, a good, up close account of the role the less well known Army SOF (compared to Delta Force or the SEALS) played in Afghanistan. Recommended.

excellent book

hubbys xmas present says its great

Great read. Well written. Find yourself engrossed in the battle scenes..