First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan
by Gary Schroen
from Presidio Press
While America held its breath in the days immediately following 9/11, a small but determined group of CIA agents covertly began to change history. This is the riveting first-person account of the treacherous top-secret mission inside Afghanistan to set the stage for the defeat of the Taliban and launch the war on terror.
As thrilling as any novel, First In is a uniquely intimate look at a mission that began the U.S. retaliation against terrorism–and reclaimed the country of Afghanistan for its people.
From the Hardcover edition.
Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
by Anthony Swofford
from Scribner
In his New York Times bestselling chronicle of military life, Anthony Swofford weaves his experiences in war with vivid accounts of boot camp, reflections on the mythos of the marines, and remembrances of battles with lovers and family.
When the U.S. Marines--or "jarheads"--were sent to Saudi Arabia in 1990 for the Gulf War, Anthony Swofford was there. He lived in sand for six months; he was punished by boredom and fear; he considered suicide, pulled a gun on a fellow marine, and was targeted by both enemy and friendly fire. As engagement with the Iraqis drew near, he was forced to consider what it means to be an American, a soldier, a son of a soldier, and a man.
"Anthony Swofford's Jarhead is the first Gulf War memoir by a frontline infantry marine, and it is a searing, unforgettable narrative. When the marines -- or ""jarheads,"" as they call themselves -- were sent in 1990 to Saudi Arabia to fight the Iraqis, Swofford was there, with a hundred-pound pack on his shoulders and a sniper's rifle in his hands. It was one misery upon another. He lived in sand for six months, his girlfriend back home betrayed him for a scrawny hotel clerk, he was punished by boredom and fear, he considered suicide, he pulled a gun on one of his fellow marines, and he was shot at by both Iraqis and Americans. At the end of the war, Swofford hiked for miles through a landscape of incinerated Iraqi soldiers and later was nearly killed in a booby-trapped Iraqi bunker. Swofford weaves this experience of war with vivid accounts of boot camp (which included physical abuse by his drill instructor), reflections on the mythos of the marines, and remembrances of battles with lovers and family. As engagement with the Iraqis draws closer, he is forced to consider what it is to be an American, a soldier, a son of a soldier, and a man.
The One that Got Away: My SAS Mission behind Enemy Lines
by Chris Ryan
from Potomac Books Inc.
The British Army's Special Air Service is one of the world's premier special operations units. During the Gulf War, deep behind Iraqi lines, an SAS team was compromised. A fierce firefight ensued, and the eight men were forced to run for their lives. Only one, Chris Ryan, escaped capture or death, and he did it by walking nearly 180 miles through the desert for seven days and eight nights. This story features extraordinary courage under fire, narrow escapes, a battle against the most adverse physical conditions, and, above all, of one man's courageous refusal to lie down and die.
Bravo Two Zero
by Andy Mcnab
from Island Books
Their mission: To take out the scuds. Eight went out. Five came back. Their story had been closed in secrecy. Until now. They were British Special Forces, trained to be the best. In January 1991 a squad of eight men went behind the Iraqi lines on a top secret mission. It was called Bravo Two Zero. On command was Sergeant Andy McNab. "They are the true unsung heroes of the war." -- Lt. Col. Steven Turner, American F-15E commander. Dropped into "scud alley" carrying 210-pound packs, McNab and his men found themselves surrounded by Saddam's army. Their radios didn't work. The weather turned cold enough to freeze diesel fuel. And they had been spotted. Their only chance at survival was to fight their way to the Syrian border seventy-five miles to the northwest and swim the Euphrates river to freedom. Eight set out. Five came back. "I'll tell you who destroyed the scuds -- it was the British SAS. They were fabulous." -- John Major, British Prime Minister. This is their story. Filled with no-holds-barred detail about McNab's capture and excruciating torture, it tells of men tested beyond the limits of human endurance... and of the war you didn't see on CNN. Dirty, deadly, and fought outside the rules.
Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War
by Rick Atkinson
from Mariner Books
This definitive account of the Gulf War relates the previously untold story of the U.S. war with Iraq in the early 1990s. The author follows the 42-day war from the first night to the final day, providing vivid accounts of bombing runs, White House strategy sessions, firefights, and bitter internal conflicts.
Immediate Action
by Andy Mcnab
from Dell
He is one of the most highly decorated soldiers alive.  He is also the first to break the code of silence about the most elite fighting force in the world. What Andy McNab has to say is so explosive that the British government tried to stop him.
A street fighter, a hard case, and a flawless soldier, Andy McNab became one of the elite fighting men in "the Regiment"--Britain's covert SAS.  His actions behind the lines in the Gulf War made him a hero.  But the full story of his life and his amazing career in Special Forces has remained a secret...until now.
In harrowing detail, McNab takes us inside the Regiment, chronicling nine years of covert operations on five continents.  Plunging us into a world of surveillance, counterintelligence, and hostage rescue, he takes us behind the scenes on some of their top secret missions.  For the first time, he reveals the shocking details of their training--physically severe, mentally grueling, and sometimes deadly.  And he dares to expose some of their highly confidential codes and rules--including the one that sanctions murder.
This is the story of the fighting men of the SAS.  Here is how they live.  And here is how they die...
Give War a Chance: Eyewitness Accounts of Mankind's Struggle Against Tyranny, Injustice, and Alcohol-Free Beer
by P. J. O'Rourke
from Grove Press
Twice Armed: An American Soldier's Battle for Hearts and Minds in Iraq
by Lt. Col. R. Alan King
from Zenith Press
On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom
by Gregory Fontenot
from US Naval Institute Press
Foreword by Gen. Tommy R. Franks, USA (Ret.)
This hard-hitting, authoritative account of U.S. Army operations during the Second Gulf War draws on official records and work carried out by the Army's Operation Iraqi Freedom Study Group. The authors cover everything from logistical operations to gunfights at platoon level to help readers understand the complexity, scale, and rigors of the war and what it was like for the solders in the field. As Gen. Tommy Franks says in the foreword, the book is far more than a standard campaign history. It not only puts the Army's story in the context of joint operations in Iraq but also analyzes the operation in admirable detail. Using hundreds of interviews of the troops and scores of detailed maps and illustrations, it provides a user-friendly guide to the Army's first major campaign in more than a decade and ten-years worth of investments in digitalization and interservice operability.
The first part of the book reviews the evolution of the Army since the First Gulf War and establishes the context in which preparation for the second occurred. A narrative of combat operations through 1 May 2003 follows with a focus at the tactical level but set in the context of theater-level operations. The book concludes with suggestions of early implications for the Army and joint forces as they shape future force structure and training. This book is published in cooperation with the Association of the United States Army.
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf
by Michael R. Gordon
from Back Bay Books
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