Without Words: The Untold Story of Military Deployment

And about 85 percent of military members who took their lives had no direct combat history, meaning they may have been deployed but not.
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• Post-Deployment Syndrome: The Illness of War
• Frequently bought together
• Been There, Seen That
• The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor
• Veterans Portrait Project Aims to Showcase Untold Stories | leondumoulin.nl

This book tells the history of all events. The British would not use it like it was created and divided it into parts. His History was a bit off in some minor parts.

• Post-Deployment Syndrome: The Illness of War | BrainLine!
• Setting the Stage.
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• The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper.
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One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Superbly written, and devoid of the romanticized version of SA's performance in the Western Desert that seems to still plague our thinking. Katz brings a soldier's eye to unpicking the subtleties of the battlefield, as well as a keen and practiced historian's sense of balance and analysis. He deals with the personalities involved without the much-seen need to idealise them, instead making them relatable in their flaws and idiosyncrasies.

My late father was captured at Tobruk, and Katz captures, almost word for word, what my father had felt about the debacle I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who wants an unjaundiced view of the performances of SA's forces in North Africa. One person found this helpful. While specifically an account of the SA forces, it does provide sufficient detail of the mentioned battles for the general reader. The book discusses the political difficulties of South Africa's declaration of war in and her woeful state of preparation in all things military.

Again his is a "warts and all" view and helps the reader to understand the source of some of the negative opinions held at the time by British and New Zealand military leaders. One disclaimer up front: The only reason this review doesn't show "verified purchase" is because I received this book as a father's day gift from my youngest daughter. You might be fooled as I was into thinking this book focuses on the performance of South African units in the North African campaign against the Afrika Korps.

It does not but that is a good thing. The author not only talks about the personalities and heritage of the Union Defense Force, but his narrative also encompasses the East African campaign. Whether or not that section of the book led Katz to rely more heavily on Italian sources than most English language accounts is a moot point as this book is set apart from others by the author's willingness to treat the Italian Army as an opponent that cannot be dismissed as easily as other accounts tend to do.

In fact, not only does Katz rely on Italian sources, but he also delves into German sources to give a fuller perspective to engagements between South African and Afrika Korps units.

This account is set further apart from its predecessors which discuss the North African campaign from various aspects because Katz also goes down a less well travelled path to show how differences in doctrine, tactical handling of units and personalities resulted in a deep erosion of mutual trust between the pre-Montgomery British leadership of Eighth Army and its subordinate South African divisions.

The latter bore a heavy price for what Katz describes as British "ineptitude" resulting in an entire brigade 5th and a reinforced division 2nd destroyed between the period November and June This is somewhat of a harsh verdict, but understandable as Katz's military background perhaps leads him to be less sparing of a modern army that does not understand combined arms and the principals of concentration on the battlefield.

As noted above, the author's experience as a soldier might lead him to unsparing judgments of British generalship and tactical abilities during the - timeframe, but he also applies that same strict ruler to South African brigade and divisional commanders. As a result, this narrative comes across as an objective account of difficult times for both armies.

The book is well researched with some truly ground breaking material on the fall of Tobruk in June - that alone makes it well worth acquiring. The only "drawbacks" are a few technical mistakes British heavy AA guns are 3. He also goes into great detail on the origins of the Union Defense Forces which some readers might find a bit superfluous, but I changed my mind after delving deeper into the book whereupon his reasons for including that material became more apparent.

Highly recommended for serious students of the North African campaign. David Katz uncovers new information of South Africa's involvement in the desert fighting during World War 2 through diligent research. Well, not exactly new because the information has always been available - mostly in South Africa's military archives.

It took Katz's unstinting research to find not only the South African divisional war diaries, but also the war histories of German and Italian units that were the South Africans', and Commonwealth troops' enemies in the desert fighting. This has enabled Katz to put together a most readable book on part of the Allied war effort that is often subsumed by the stories of others, notably the British effort. The Australians and New Zealanders have done their bit in writing up their efforts on behalf of the Allies and lately Indian historians have come to the rescue of that nation.

South Africa's last comprehensive book on its desert campaigns was published ihj So Katz has revived the story of South Africa's forgotten war. Up to a point this neglect is understandable. A government unsympathetic to the country's war effort came to power in and was so obsessed with the imposition of rigid racial segregation through its policy of apartheid and foisting an Afrikaner nationalism on the nation that it virtually ignored South Africa's role. The flame was kept alive by the veterans who held annual wreath-laying ceremonies, but those vets have begun to die out.

Katz has breathed new life into the story. Not only that, he has examined, critically, the fraught relationship between South African and British commanders over the esoteric topic of military doctrine.

Katz, however, makes the debate an easily accessible one for even the most cursory of readers. One gripe about the book is that it could have done with more maps, a crucial addendum to any book on military campaigns. See all 6 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Set up a giveaway. Customers who viewed this item also viewed.

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English Choose a language for shopping. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon. Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web. AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally. For those who final chapter was written in the mountains this book is a fitting tribute to their memory. For all the great aspects of this book, there was something in this book that I could not connect to, and because of that I could not fully immerse myself in the story it told.

Nov 17, Michael Burhans rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is one of the most important books I have read n years. The waste of the sacrifice and heroism of our front line troops becasue they are put in ridiculous untenable situations. There is so much going on in this book you need to know. Yet it is written with a gripping and fast paced narrative that makes it an This is one of the most important books I have read n years.

Yet it is written with a gripping and fast paced narrative that makes it an easy read, other than the fact you will get so angry sometimes you have to put it down and walk away.

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If you honor our troops, you owe it to them and their families to read this book and see what is being done to them in our name. Just a suggestion if you are interested in reading this book. Consider first reading "Red Platoon" by Clinton Romesha. He was one of the soldiers actually present at Outpost Keating during the battle. After Keating, he received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during battle. He gives firsthand witness of the battle. After delving 4 hrs into the audio of this book, Tapper gives extra detail of many events preceding the battle not included in Romesha's version.

Perhaps Tapper, through his resear Just a suggestion if you are interested in reading this book. Perhaps Tapper, through his research provides a second perspective, albeit from a journalist who was not even there. But for 21 hours of audio? To be honest I grew a little bored of the material. Thus, the story ends the same. Red Platoon was an amazing read. I may decide to pick this one up again at a much later date, but for now I am content already knowing the story of Keating as told by a soldier. Oct 01, MichelinaNeri rated it it was ok.

This book was about pages too long. The gripping tale of the final brutal battle to prevent a foolishly placed US Army outpost from being overrun by enemy fighters occupies the last quarter of the book. To get there, you have to slog through pages recounting every single minor battle in the area, the location and backstory for every other outpost, the four different squadrons of soldiers that rotated in and out of the outpost, and assorted other unnecessary stories.

This book was badly i This book was about pages too long. This book was badly in need of an editor to cut out repetitive sentences and redundant chapters. Tapper could have gotten the point across about the futility of the US Army's presence in Nuristan and the senseless loss of human life that achieved very little without having to exhaustively recount every single detail of the YEARS spent there.

Another maddening thing about the book is how the soldiers play the roles of the red shirts from Star Trek. You can always tell when one is about to die a gruesome death in an ambush when Tapper opens the chapter with a maudlin backstory usually involving a young fiance and a new baby, or an elderly parent or sick sibling.

And you can never really get to know any of them very well because there are literally hundreds introduced throughout the book. Tapper also doesn't show much interest or empathy for the Nuristanis or the Afghan National Army soldiers. Mostly I would say that the problem with this book is that Tapper isn't a very good writer - his descriptions are muddy, his characterizations rely on cliche, and the prose is wooden.

It's very workman like where I would have wanted something more poetic. Tim O'Brien, he is not. Mark Bowden managed to achieve in a short article for Vanity Fair what Tapper needed pages to accomplish - a concise and touching story about a battle gone wrong, soldiers sacrificed to achieve objectives that were meaningless in the end, and the very real humans that exist behind all the short blurbs in the news about America's wars: View all 3 comments. Nov 12, Captain Sir Roddy, R. A stunningly painful book to read, but not because the book is not well written.

In fact, this is some of the finest combat journalism I've ever read. This is the clear and concise facts-only story of a three-and-one-half year period in extreme eastern Afghanistan at a small U. Army combat outpost, and the horror and hell that four companies of soldiers endured while deployed there. The story of Combat Outpost Keating may also end up serving as a microcosm for the overarching U.

More importantly though, this book is the story of the brave soldiers--a modern-day "Band of Brothers"--who were stationed at Combat Outpost Keating, and devoted every moment and ounce of energy in trying to ensure that every one of them returned home safe and sound. Alas, as in every war, bad things happen to good people; and these soldiers had way more than their fair share of the "bad". Read this book and better understand the longest war that the United States has ever been involved in. Mar 26, Jack rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is my first book discussing battles in Afghanistan.

I was impressed with the amount of dedication the author spent discussing the troops. Rarely do I pick up a book that covers the actions of soldiers fighting for every scrap of an outpost. I have never been to Afghanistan, only Iraq, so I have no clue how rough the terrain, how culturally diverse, or how formidable the Taliban can be.

The Outpost is a story of misgui This is my first book discussing battles in Afghanistan. The Outpost is a story of misguided politics which filter down to the boots on the ground. Yes, what a 4-star wants in the IZ can lead to some crazy situations out in the boonies. Procrastination is a situation.

No decision is a decision. Also, under-resourcing a war can lead to deadly situations. The Outpost is a culmination of events that lead to a solid night of terror for many young serviceman. Outnumbered and outgunned, they managed to hold and repulse the enemy. Some did not make it. Only history will determine if their battle and sacrifice will truly be worth it.

Been There, Seen That

Thankfully, the author did a wonderful job preserving their actions for future generations. May 10, Andre Zollars rated it it was amazing. This book is like reading "The Things We Carried" or any other war book from any other era. However, the echoes of Vietnam are unmistakable in the failed leadership, the lack of resources, the poor planning, and the clear inability to accomplish something the Soviets were unable to do. An Army veteran myself, engaged to a year Army Veteran, who commanded a Brigade in Afghanistan, I have a different perspective than most.

It is powerfully told story full of everything you'd expect in a good war This book is like reading "The Things We Carried" or any other war book from any other era. It is powerfully told story full of everything you'd expect in a good war novel. In the end, however, I was unable to finish it. I could not hear the end of this story - because I knew the ending - and it was just too tragic for me to read. So many young lives, so carelessly thrown away, and all because of politics - because of reckless decisions made by G.

Absolutely sickening - but a must-read for anyone far removed from the military or the madness of war. What is it good for? Nov 20, Gary rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is an amazing book. Now that I have finished this book I am very glad I invested the time. So many soldiers give everything they have including their lives.

This book gives you the feeling you are an up close observer in what soldiers experience. It gave me a significant appreciation for their sacrifice. Not a political book but gives you some insights to th This is an amazing book. Not a political book but gives you some insights to the politics of war. You see the good and bad of the counter insurgencies strategy.

The main point of reading book is to receive a small glimpse into the life of soldiers in war. Certainly does not glamorize their world. I would highly recommend this book but not an easy read. Jan 16, Lynn rated it it was amazing Shelves: The soldier who is one week away from taking leave during which he'll be married; the soldier whose wife is expecting their first baby; the only son taken from his mother; the 19 and year-olds murdered on the other side of the world, in a country that doesn't want us there in the first place.

I would give it 10 stars if I could. Dec 09, Mike Stanley rated it it was amazing. First, about idiotic beuracracy directly leading to pointless deaths before the outpost story really begins. Nov 27, Nick Lloyd rated it liked it Shelves: Better than I expected from Jake Tapper. The parts of the book which actually discuss the attack on Keating are incredibly real and thorough. I don't need the life story of officers from three deployments prior. I spent some time in the U. Army National Guard, but I will immediately disclose that I did not deploy overseas during my commitment.

My opinions on this book come primarily as an American citizen with a little flavor of former military POG through in. Once I actually received the book and started readin I spent some time in the U. Once I actually received the book and started reading it, I had an inner debate raging. At points, I was so emotionally drained by remotely experiencing what these military-brothers of mine had experienced, that I absolutely had to put the book down. At other times, though, I wanted to keep reading and race through to find out exactly how the soldiers fared.

I will admit that because I kept imagining friends of mine who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan going through similar situations, I may have been even more connected to the narrative than someone who has not experienced many losses because of these wars. Halfway through the novel, I posted my recommendation to my personal Facebook page for my friends and family: As always, I have mixed feelings about the fact that I never deployed to a combat or war zone.

When I was still in, I was devastated that my friends were dying and I was just a state-side POG with no power and no control. The guilt was incredible, and led me to volunteer my name several times for deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, I feel no guilt because there was nothing I could do about it. Anyone who is interested in the politics at the federal level involving our military the budget our military gets, the missions it goes on, the efforts it supports needs to read this book to have a better understanding of just what those numbers and column-inches in the local newspaper really mean.

For the rest of you, however, check it out. My limited military experience lines up with most of what this reporter wrote — including inept command, stupid personality conflicts, crappy gear, and ridiculous orders that you absolutely cannot dispute or refute. At times, it seems to be repetitive and that Mr. Tapper could have edited much of it out. However, as a grossly amateur in comparison to Mr. Tapper reporter myself, I would gather that this is probably because the people who rotated through the area had repetitive experiences and thoughts.

Tapper seems to base almost all of his narrative on the real interviews and primary and secondary documents that he reviewed in preparation for the book. Many times, instead of his own conclusions being written, he writes using the conclusions and thoughts of the people involved. This can lead to a repetitive nature, but is essential in capturing the truest flavor of what occurred to those soldiers who were there.

Tapper is a reporter and as such, the entire book is written in a somewhat formal journalistic style. This lends itself well to the subject, yet does not at any time hinder the development of an emotional connection with the situation and persons involved. There are many details that are sometimes hard to keep track of during the course of the book, and one criticism that I have is that I wish Mr. Tapper would have included a formal list of the individuals who died and on what date they died. It felt disrespectful to have read all these pages about these people and then not even be able to tell immediately if that person had just rotated out or had died in a previous battle.

I wanted to remember all the names and it would have been easier with a list to reference. As a warning, the language of the book is not PG. Many military members curse and many people would curse when they are getting limbs blown off, jaws shattered, etc. War is not pretty, people. It is not heroic. It is dirty, it is depressing, and it is heart-breaking. However, as residents of planet Earth our friends, family members, co-workers, neighbors, and even random acquaintances or strangers we come across have all been touched by the effects of wars throughout the years.

In my opinion, it is very important for people to understand the actual effects of war and this book describes the injuries — emotional and physical — that these troops underwent in a way that can be more easily processed. This is important as we continue to vote on governmental leaders who have the ability to send more people into combat situations.

We should really understand what that cost is to others and to our society. Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive any other compensation. Mar 11, Mal Warwick rated it really liked it Shelves: Doubtless, some enjoyed the opportunities for cruelty, but the overwhelming majority assuredly did not.

Writing from a totally different perspective — from the ground up rather than top down — Jake Tapper relates the story in The Outpost of the men and very occasionally, the women who cycled in and out of an isolated combat installation in northeastern Afghanistan from to As in Kill Anything That Moves, we find soldiers in the field up to the rank of lieutenant colonel captives of policies set at much higher levels.

They frequently display outstanding courage and suffer the deprivations of life in a harsh and hostile environment largely in silence, victims of George W. The story told in The Outpost relates the history of the Afghanistan war writ small. At its creation, Combat Outpost Keating was the northernmost U.

It was placed in an exceedingly vulnerable location in a valley, surrounded on three sides by steep mountains, against the advice of virtually every officer who viewed the site from the air.

The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor

The colonel in command of U. However, in short order it became clear that the road was both indefensible, because every convoy was ambushed by insurgents, and impassable by any vehicles with a wide wheelbase such as Humvees. Only when one heroic officer was killed trying to prove to his superiors just how treacherous the road really was did the Army stop attempting to supply the outpost by truck. Nonetheless, the outpost itself remained where it was instead of being moved high up into the mountains as the troops on the ground kept requesting , because no commanding officer wanted to cede territory on his watch.

And the number of troops assigned there, which was inadequate to begin with, was gradually reduced because of the scarcity of military resources. Eventually, when a new unit came onto the base, a brilliant junior officer implemented the counterinsurgency policy associated with General Petraeus, managing to bring attacks on his troops to a halt for more than half a year. Then he was replaced by a soldier who was critical of the policy, reversed course, and saw his hostility to the local people returned in spades. Finally, orders came down to abandon the outpost, but spies among the Afghan soldiers living there reported the preparations to the Taliban.

In short order, days before the planned evacuation date, several hundred mujahideen surrounded the 53 Americans, fought their way into the outpost, and succeeded in killing seven of them and wounding eleven. Only one of the Afghan soldiers chose to fight; all the others either fled or hid. The Taliban was only driven back by the heroism of the defenders — and the extravagant use of airpower, including Apache attack helicopters, A warthogs, F fighter jets, and even a B-1 bomber dropping 2,pound bombs. After a decent interval, the outpost was abandoned and bombed to smithereens by American planes.

Think about the broad strokes in that picture. Clearly, Jake Tapper wrote The Outpost to honor the brave soldiers who were assigned there. He cites the name and rank of virtually every soldier whose actions are part of the four-year story — and there appear to be hundreds of them. For the major actors on the ground, chiefly sergeants, lieutenants, and captains, with a smattering of low-ranking non-coms, Tapper features extensive biographical information, sometimes including interviews with spouses. These soldiers rise fully formed from the pages of the book — real people, with self-doubts and passions and convictions all their own.

Reading this book seems to convey about as accurate a picture of what life is like on the front line of the Afghanistan war as words might convey. The weakness lies in the use of so many individual names. In the course of the four years the outpost existed, four different units cycled in and out, each bringing its own cast of dozens of characters. It becomes tedious to follow all the individual stories because there is so much coming and going.

Although Tapper wasn't an eyewitness to the events at Outpost Keating, his writing is reminiscent of Ernie Pyle - adding a human element to the stories of the men who fought and died. They were more than soldiers - but sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. Mar 31, Nick rated it really liked it Shelves: We owe these guys on the front lines.

Veterans Portrait Project Aims to Showcase Untold Stories | leondumoulin.nl

America's longest war by 2x now. Makes an indirect argument of bringing back the draft by example. It's too comfortable for most of the US to not pay attention because they don't have skin in the game. Apr 08, Brandon Michael rated it it was amazing. I was transported back to Afghanistan. Dec 12, Urey Patrick rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book is more than a narrative, more than a significant addition to the body of lore documenting the war in Afghanistan and the American military experience in the wars of the early 21st Century. Tapper has created an experience — a compelling and spellbinding immersion into the small, intimate and endlessly dangerous little world that was Combat Outpost Keating in a remote, isolated and virtually unreachable mountainous area of Afghanistan.

He starts with creation of what became COP Keating This book is more than a narrative, more than a significant addition to the body of lore documenting the war in Afghanistan and the American military experience in the wars of the early 21st Century. He starts with creation of what became COP Keating — and its neighboring Outposts and Observation Posts — the intended gains to be obtained by establishing the outpost in , and the ensuing mission degradation and creep that inescapably followed as the indefensible post was manned under-manned, as was the entire effort in Afghanistan and defended over the following years.

But it was done and the madness kept it open for the next four years, but only by the great sacrifice and loss of the troops deployed there. Tapper details the experiences of the sequence of Army nits that subsequently manned and defended COP Keating and its environs. More importantly, he personalizes the individual solders of those units — the men and women who lived and fought and strove to make the effort that was COP Keating mean something.

Tapper personalizes these soldiers in an honest and nonjudgmental manner that allows the reader to know them — to see them struggle, aspire, interact, live and fight and, some of them, die. It is a moving and often emotionally affecting experience. These soldiers deserve notice — they deserve respect, honor and admiration for what they did in the circumstances and under the conditions in which they had to do it all.

The narrative is one of courage, skill at arms, indomitable bravery under fire, and heartbreaking injury and loss along the way. It is also a remarkable exposition of combat and combat operations at the level of the foot soldier — what it is like, what it requires, how it happens. Tapper singularly recognizes and thus honors these incredible Americans throughout his historical narrative by naming them. At every point in the story that somebody outside the narrative is killed or dies, Tapper tells us who it was.

Casualties that are tangentially mentioned in passing as Tapper correlates COP Keating history to events elsewhere in Afghanistan are identified, in footnotes if not in the main text. It is a refutation of the anonymity that these troops live, fight and die in — an anonymity imposed on them by the disgraceful lack of attention and deplorable ignorance rampant in our press and politicians and among our populace as a whole. The costs of the American military efforts in Afghanistan are disturbingly clear, and frankly more troubling as a result.

There is no way to read this book and not come away with an overwhelming admiration and affection for the men and women fighting it, an equally overwhelming sense of loss and waste for the casualties, and a hugely troubling sense that we have overstayed our time in Afghanistan and whatever we think we can gain there is simply not worth the price we are paying. If it were, we would be doing it differently — and better — than we are… Just a great book!

Start to finish — as much an emotional experience as a thought-provoking intellectual one - an education in the reality of war and the people who fight it.