
Bravo Company
An Afghanistan Deployment and Its Aftermath
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Narrated by:
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Ben Kesling
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By:
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Ben Kesling
About this listen
A timely and searing account of the American war in Afghanistan
In Bravo Company, journalist and combat veteran Ben Kesling tells the story of the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the men of one unit, part of a combat-hardened parachute infantry regiment in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
A decade ago, the soldiers of Bravo Company deployed to Afghanistan for a tour in Kandahar’s notorious Arghandab Valley. By the time they made it home, three soldiers had been killed in action, a dozen more had lost limbs, and an astonishing half of the company had earned Purple Hearts.
In the decade since, two of the soldiers have died by suicide, more than a dozen have tried, and others admit they’ve considered it. Declared at “extraordinary risk” by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bravo Company was chosen as test subjects for a new approach to the veteran crisis, focusing less on isolated individuals and more on the group.
Written with an insider’s eye and ear and drawing on extensive interviews and original reporting, Bravo Company follows the men from their initial enlistment and training, through their deployment and a major shift in their mission, and then on to what has happened in the decade since, as they returned to combat in other units or moved on with their lives as civilians, or struggled to.
This is a powerful, insightful, and memorable account of a war that didn’t end for these soldiers just because Bravo Company came home.
©2022 Ben Kesling. Published in 2022 by Abrams Press, an imprint of ABRAMS, New York. All rights reserved (P)2022 by Blackstone PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
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Politics
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Story
The Last Punisher is a bold, no-holds-barred first-person account of the Iraq War. With wry humor and moving testimony, Kevin Lacz tells the story of his tour in Iraq with SEAL Team Three, the warrior elite of the navy. This legendary unit, known as The Punishers, included Chris Kyle ( American Sniper), Mike Monsoor, Ryan Job, and Marc Lee. These brave men were instrumental in securing the key locations in the pivotal 2006 Battle of Ramadi, told with stunning detail in this book.
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Good story, poorly read
- By Dusty on 09-03-16
By: Kevin Lacz, and others
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Lions of Kandahar
- The Story of a Fight Against All Odds
- By: Major Rusty Bradley, Kevin Maurer
- Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Southern Afghanistan was slipping away. That was clear to then-Captain Rusty Bradley as he began his third tour of duty there in 2006. The Taliban and their allies were infiltrating everywhere, poised to reclaim Kandahar Province, their strategically vital onetime capital. To stop them, the NATO coalition launched Operation Medusa, the largest offensive in its history. The battlefield was the Panjwayi Valley, a densely packed warren of walled compounds that doubled neatly as enemy bunkers.
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'Merica!
- By NKeene on 03-07-15
By: Major Rusty Bradley, and others
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Tip of the Spear
- The Incredible Story of an Injured Green Beret's Return to Battle
- By: Ryan Hendrickson
- Narrated by: Brock Vickers
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The inspiring true story of a US Special Forces soldier who was medically retired after stepping on an IED and his incredible return to active duty. An engaging and harrowing account, Tip of the Spear tells the amazing story of one Green Beret's indomitable spirit.
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Amazing story
- By Laura Gonzales on 08-09-20
By: Ryan Hendrickson
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A Few Bad Men
- The True Story of US Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America
- By: Major Fred Galvin USMC (Ret.), Sal Manna
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Ambushed in Afghanistan and betrayed by their own leaders, these elite Marines fought for their lives again, back home. A cross between A Few Good Men and American Sniper, this is the true story of an elite Marine special operations unit bombed by an IED and shot at during an Afghanistan ambush. The Marine Commandos were falsely accused of gunning down innocent Afghan civilians following the ambush. The unit’s leader, Major Fred Galvin, was summarily relieved of duty, and his unit was booted from the combat zone.
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Always Faithful - Marine Corp, are you?
- By David on 06-21-22
By: Major Fred Galvin USMC (Ret.), and others
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Hammerhead Six
- How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan's Deadly Pech Valley
- By: Ronald Fry, Tad Tuleja - contributor
- Narrated by: Ronald Fry
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2003, the Special Forces soldiers entered an area later called "the most dangerous place in Afghanistan". Here, where the line between civilians and armed zealots was indistinct, they illustrated the Afghan proverb "I destroy my enemy by making him my friend." Fry recounts how they were seen as welcome guests rather than invaders. Soon after their deployment ended, the Pech Valley reverted to turmoil. Their success was never replicated.
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A compelling read from start to finish
- By Gregory on 03-05-16
By: Ronald Fry, and others
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Red Platoon
- A True Story of American Valor
- By: Clinton Romesha
- Narrated by: Will Damron, Clinton Romesha
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2009 Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after Keating's construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known immediately: It was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend.
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Must Read for Comfortable, Non-combatant Americans
- By Rum Runner on 11-21-18
By: Clinton Romesha
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Dog Company
- A True Story of American Soldiers Abandoned by Their High Command
- By: Roger Hill, Lynn Vincent
- Narrated by: Christopher Ryan Grant
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The army does not want you to listen to this book. It does not want to advertise its detention system that coddles enemy fighters while putting American soldiers at risk. It does not want to reveal the new lawyered-up Pentagon war ethic that prosecutes US soldiers and marines while setting free spies who kill Americans. This very system ambushed Captain Roger Hill and his men.
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Hard truth.
- By D on 04-17-17
By: Roger Hill, and others
Absolutely jaw dropping
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Honest and raw
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Outstanding story and narration
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Inspiring and well written
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Great book, fantastic narration.
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I am not a military man. I didn’t come from a military family. This book sheds so much light on the motivations and experiences of those that served our country in a strange war. I don’t know that I understand any more about why the US was in Afghanistan, but I did learn about the experiences many men had there, and continue to have at home. For that I think I am a better person.
A story that needed to be told
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I was there
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The content in this book is enlightening, and the narration is spot on. The language is blunt, but I believe the story is told at the infantryman’s (and his family’s) level of understanding.
While reading this book, I find myself thankful that I never had to first person experience combat in my life. Placing my hand over my heart during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and thanking military personnel and veterans for their service will no longer be quite so hollow for me from this point.
This should be required reading for every person considering a military career. It’s their decision which way to turn at that intersection in life.
This Is An Important Book
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A masterpiece of journalistic storytelling
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Content
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