At dawn on March 2, 2002, America's first major battle of the twenty-first century began. Over 200 soldiers of the 101st Airborne and Tenth Mountain Division flew into Afghanistan's Shah-i-Kot valley-and into the mouth of a buzz saw. They were about to pay a bloody price for strategic, high-level miscalculations that underestimated the enemy's strength and willingness to fight. Now, award-winning journalist Sean Naylor, an eyewitness to the battle, details the failures of military intelligence and planning and vividly portrays the astonishing heroism of these young, untested US soldiers. Denied the extra support with which they trained, these troops nevertheless proved their worth in brutal combat and prevented an American military disaster.
"Naylor's excellent reporting-with detailed attribution-unveils a system that clearly failed to give American soldiers the equipment and help they deserved to save their own lives and take those of the enemy. Anybody who is thinking of joining the military, has family in uniform, or is concerned about what happens to America's soldiers should read [this book]."
Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Naylor does an admirable job of exposing the many shortcomings that plagued this chapter of the Afghanistan war."
