Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan

Wow... just wow. I'm kind of at a loss for words, but I will do my best for this review. First, Outlaw Platoon is going into my "6 star reads" shelf; a shelf reserved for those rare books that deserve 6 stars (I think I have 4 others in there). Outlaw Platoon is one of those books that will change your outlook and stay with you for awhile. Sean Parnell recounts his 16 months in Afghanistan while he was in charge of the Outlaw Platoons, a unit who was stationed on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now if you have read your history and followed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, you will know that Pakistan is supposedly our ally. And you will also know that they let the Taliban and other networks cross their borders and attack our troops. What a bitter assignment, knowing your enemy is crossing the Pak border to kill you, and not being able to engage in Pak territory. Also, Sean's assignment took place in 2006 when the war in Afghanistan was starting to heat up and change course. Pakistan President Musharraf made a "deal with the devil" which increased the tempo on the Pak/Afghanistan border. So Outlaw Platoon takes you through their harrowing battles and interactions with the local Afghans. Sean's writing skills are exemplary. I have read a few soldier memoirs, and Sean just has a way with words. He makes you feel like you are there with the platoon. You can picture every scene like it is playing out before you. I kept returning to his prologue when he states this is non-fiction. It reads like a fiction... full of rich detail and unbearable twists and turns. Within the first 100 pages I had cried twice. And not just a stray tear streaking down my cheek. I felt heart-broken over the events they encountered. And angry. The story of Abdul (one of the platoons interpreters "terps"), just broke my heart. My son asked me why I was crying and my face was full of anguish. I looked at him (sweet and innocent at age 8, and wanting to join the army), and wanted to beg him never to grow up. Outlaw Platoon is an incredible story. I cannot recommend this book enough. I think everybody should read this so they can understand what our troops went through, and continue to go through. And through the story of Abdul and the Village of the Damned, you will also understand what the Afghans are going through. It is heart-pounding, emotional, and beautifully written. This is not a "tough guy" "macho bulls***" war novel. Its one of the best memoirs I have ever read.

Every book I read, fiction and nonfiction alike, leaves an imprint on my view of the world. Parnell left not only an imprint, but shifted the prism through which I look. This is one of many books I've read on the "War on Terror" if you will (if we even think of it in that context anymore) and the men and women fighting it still after all these years. "Outlaw Platoon" is not just a story of warriors however; here, Parnell manages to rise above the din with his refreshingly unique voice, and deserves a place on your electronic or physical bookshelf. Every book has it's share of quote-worthy passages, compelling the reader to engage. "Outlaw Platoon" is rife with them, but one stands out for me as most riveting: "In their most naked moments, veterans tell stories of the unseen bond, founded on love, that unites us psychologically to those who matter most to us. In times of hardship or disaster, wives have risen from half-empty beds, knowing that their warrior husbands have suffered harm. The morning arrival of the contact teams on their doorsteps is no surprise but rather a confirmation of what their hearts already understand". Parnell's account of his time in Afghanistan, and those with which he served and fought against is more than a war tome. It is a searing, no holds barred look at the entire experience, told with a raw and brutally honest shot from the heart and soul of his humanity. He does not lecture us, he does not dilute it. To wit: Parnell really drives it home when he speaks of his parents, most notably his father, in whom he confides during his tour. I won't spoil it for you, but it will hit like a hammer when he gently lets you in on his revelation about those emails, which he wrote because there was nowhere else to go with them. He was masterful in painting that for all of us, even though it was really none of our business. There are heroes, villains, autocrats and ambushes that will leave you cheering and seething. There are battles that will have you gripping your seat, and defeats large and small. All are woven intimately into the narrative. Add this one to your permanent collection. Parnell brings you into his world as few others can or have. It is an immersive, unflinching story of a war within and without, seen through the eyes of a soldier that does not blink in his telling of it.

Unter den vielen Berichten aus dem "Global War On Terror", die ich in den letzten Jahren gelesen habe, ist dieses Buch für mich das beste überhaupt. Einerseits ist es spannend und packend wie ein Thriller, andererseits wird die menschliche Seite sehr gut dargestellt. Die unvermeidliche Portion US-Patriotismus hält sich in durchaus erträglichen Grenzen, das kann man nicht von jedem dieser Berichte sagen. Ein gerade einmal 24jähriger Leutnant erzählt über seinen ersten Kampfeinsatz mit seiner "Outlaw Platoon" - dabei beschreibt er auch den ständigen inneren Kampf mit sich selbst, den es kostet, als junger Offizier das Richtige zu tun um der Mission und seinen Männern gerecht zu werden. Gleichzeitig ist es kaum fassbar, was diese Gruppe in ihrer Zeit in Afghanistan alles erlebt hat - neben heftigen Gefechten mit einem raffinierten und zahlenmäßig überlegenen Gegner, in dem die Männer über sich hinauswachsen müssen, um zu überleben, gibt es interessante, anrührende und schockierende Begegnungen mit den Einheimischen. Rivalitäten und Probleme unter verschiedenen Gruppierungen im eigenen Lager sind genauso Thema wie die Kameradschaft und Zusammenhalt. Eine kleine Warnung: für schwache Nerven ist das Buch nicht geeignet, denn die Auswirkungen des Krieges werden nicht beschönigt. Wenn Sean Parnell jedoch die unterschiedlichen Charaktere seiner Truppe beschreibt, wachsen sie einem regelrecht ans Herz, mit all ihren Macken... Wer interessiert ist, einige dieser Leute mal "live" zu erleben, der findet Interviews auf youtube, die zur Promotion des Buches gemacht wurden. Und zum Schluss noch ein Tipp: Für Hörbuch-Fans rate ich zur audio-Fassung, da Ray Porter grandios (und sehr verständlich) liest!

Enjoyed reading this book especially in its post war perspective of what the author went thought.

Uno splendido racconto di guerra, scritto con obiettività da uno dei protagonisti che descrive alla perfezione i compiti di un moderno comandante di plotone di una grande forza armata impegnato in missioni di controinsorgenza su un teatro operativo asimmetrico. Interessantissimo, mai agiografico né politico, Outlw Platoon descrive il turno di operazioni in Afghanistan di Parnell e dei suoi ragazzi con uno stile agile, scorrevole ma fedele ai dettagli. Personaggi ben caratterizzati, tensione sempre elevata, prosa piacevolissima ne fanno un'ottima scelta per chi ha voglia di cimentarsi con un romanzo biografico di guerra. In inglese.

One of the best and most honest depictions of the war in Afghan that I've read. Nothing but honesty, truth and the ugly reality of wR with a third world nation. Welcome to the world from here on out. What's kills me is the old story between politics vs fire power on the ground. It's not right that eyes on the game don't trump politics thousands of miles away. Our men and women in harms way deserve respect for laying down their souls, even if they live through the trials and tribulations of way, to be empowered with local leadership and intel and allowed to do what is needed when crises calls, including blasting the Pakistani military when they support the wrong side. This book is clear about the absurdity of foreign alliances and how we put up with that crap. Granted Pakistan and Afghanistan have been the crossroads for so many nightmarish tribes fore years, they never choose alliances, but you would think the billions we spent on those fools should have amounted to some level of loyalty. Apparently not. Here's the thing. Never forget the sacrifice of our soldiers sent into harms way, even though the Taliban will infiltrate right behind our exfil from Afghan. We will always respect and admire the personal sacrifice our soldiers have made and hopefully continue to make going forward as our existence in this world gets murkier and murkier going forward. God bless them all. Jeff

I've carried a strong compulsion, for my entire adult life, to understand (as much as one can expect to understand)what a soldier's life is like - the nature of their experiences, the context of their service and the effect it has, the effect it would likely have, afterward. I think most boys devote plenty of time to 'playing soldier' at some point in their childhood. When I wasn't pretending to be Luke Skywalker or a Ghostbuster, I was probably soldiering on. Soldiers in the movies I saw, lived lives of action, daring and determination - they always won, were always congratulated and always made it back. Then, when I was about 18, I walked into a theatre with some friends to see Saving Private Ryan. I walked out a different person - a small group of ideals, impressions and imprints had been cast aside and replaced with the reality of warfare. It told me that John Wayne would likely have not made it odd the beach, and that the Dirty Dozen would've probably met with death. Since then, like I've said, I've lived with a compelling force that can never quite quench its thirst, wanting to know the truths behind the films that educated me as a kid. Beyond actually joining up, I needed to get as close as possible to the question : what is it like to be a soldier. OUTLAW PLATOON is a book that shares a very small list of books that I feel captures the essence, the closest of looks, into the life and times of someone fighting for their country. At the top of this small list is The Good Soldiers by David Finkel. I'm trying hard not to lace this review with hyperbole or the same tired taglines that feature on any given NYT Bestseller release. I will tell you that I highly recommend you read this book. We can have our opinions, we can detest these conflicts and the reasons we got involved. We can loathe the thought of America showing up in places that it might not have business being in - whether you support the war, ANY war, or you don't, the reason I still recommend reading this is that we as a population OWE these men and women our UNDERSTANDING. We need to understand what happens as they leave home, friends and family behind and arrive at the other side of the planet to perform duties that most of us would prefer not to. They have NO choice in where they go. They would rather NOT leave their lives, and they DO this for only one reason. But it's everything they see and do while away from us - the massive range of emotions that they must try and process and somehow live with when they hopefully return to us. We ALL should educate ourselves on the nature of these lives, because many will have given their lives on our behalf, many will accumulate experiences that are hard to fathom, day after day with little respite. Few would ever ask it of us, fewer would even admit to wishing it, but the very least we can do is appreciate how those experiences can affect a person, especially once they are home and looking at their lives as surreal scenes in comparison to the life they've been required to live. I can't begin to share both the gratitude I feel for these people, obviously for their service but also for sharing these intensely personal glances into lives that will leave us shocked, reassured, heart broken, heart warmed, amazed and admiring. OUTLAW PLATOON is a very special book for its ability to share with us the widest range of Sean's experience serving his country while protecting the people of another. It's so well written that it takes no effort to find yourself in his boots, and when you finally put this book down you will understand, especially on an emotional level, what it's like, what it gives you, what it takes away and what it tears from a person, to be a soldier. It will only serve to build on the respect and empathy required of us, in order to appreciate their choice to go and endure on our behalf. You may not be 'for the war', but I think we should always be 'for' the troops.