The Hardest Place
The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley
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Narrated by:
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Mark Deakins
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By:
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Wesley Morgan
About this listen
COLBY AWARD WINNER • “One of the most important books to come out of the Afghanistan war.”—Foreign Policy
“A saga of courage and futility, of valor and error and heartbreak.”—Rick Atkinson, author of the Liberation Trilogy and The British Are Coming
Of the many battlefields on which U.S. troops and intelligence operatives fought in Afghanistan, one remote corner of the country stands as a microcosm of the American campaign: the Pech and its tributary valleys in Kunar and Nuristan. The area’s rugged, steep terrain and thick forests made it a natural hiding spot for local insurgents and international terrorists alike, and it came to represent both the valor and futility of America’s two-decade-long Afghan war.
Drawing on reporting trips, hundreds of interviews, and documentary research, Wesley Morgan reveals the history of the war in this iconic region, captures the culture and reality of the conflict through both American and Afghan eyes, and reports on the snowballing missteps—some kept secret from even the troops fighting there—that doomed the American mission. The Hardest Place is the story of one of the twenty-first century’s most unforgiving battlefields and a portrait of the American military that fought there.
©2020 Wesley Morgan (P)2020 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“The Hardest Place captures the heroism, fear, and exultation of combat while laying out a damning portrait of military leaders who rushed into battle against an enemy they didn’t understand and ultimately couldn’t beat.” (Evan Wright, author of Generation Kill)
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Story
In the predawn hours of March 4, 2002, just below the 10,000-foot peak of a mountain in eastern Afghanistan, a fierce battle raged. Outnumbered by Al Qaeda fighters, Air Force Combat Controller John Chapman and a handful of SEALs struggled to take the summit in a desperate bid to find a lost teammate. Chapman, leading the charge, was gravely wounded in the initial assault. Believing he was dead, his SEAL leader ordered a retreat. Chapman regained consciousness, alone with the enemy closing in on three sides, beginning the most difficult and exceptional fight of his life.
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Wasted chance to honor a hero.
- By Scott on 07-11-19
By: Dan Schilling, and others
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First Casualty
- The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11
- By: Toby Harnden
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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This dramatic true story reveals the secret mission of the eight members of the CIA’s Team Alpha, the first Americans to be dropped behind enemy lines in Afghanistan after 9/11.
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Deeply researched
- By Jason G on 09-08-21
By: Toby Harnden
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One Hundred Victories
- Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare
- By: Linda Robinson
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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In One Hundred Victories, acclaimed military expert Linda Robinson shows how the special operations forces are - after a decade of intensive combat operations - evolving to become the go-to force for operations worldwide.
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Great book very informative.
- By Ashley Cooper on 10-16-13
By: Linda Robinson
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Surprise, Kill, Vanish
- The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins
- By: Annie Jacobsen
- Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
- Length: 19 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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From Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen, the untold story of the CIA's secret paramilitary units.
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Lots of facts, offset by too much fiction
- By Steve M on 05-24-19
By: Annie Jacobsen
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Black Ops
- The Rise of Special Forces in the C.I.A., The S.A.S., and Mossad
- By: Tony Geraghty
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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After eight challenging years in Afghanistan, the new U.S. strategy, aimed at winning hearts and minds rather than search-and-destroy, refocuses the conflict on Special Forces: unorthodox soldiers who work outside of traditional military forces to combine secret military operations with nation building.
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Painful narration
- By JWS on 12-18-20
By: Tony Geraghty
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Not a Good Day to Die
- The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda
- By: Sean Naylor
- Narrated by: John Henry Cox
- Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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At dawn on March 2, 2002, America's first major battle of the 21st century began. Over 200 soldiers of the 101st Airborne and 10th Mountain Division flew into Afghanistan's Shah-i-Kotvalley - 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.
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50/50
- By Kindle Customer on 11-14-16
By: Sean Naylor
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Cobra II
- The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
- By: Michael R. Gordon, Bernard E. Trainor
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 25 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Unimpeachably sourced, Cobra II describes how the American rush to Baghdad provided the opportunity for the virulent insurgency that followed. The brutal aftermath in Iraq was not inevitable and was a surprise to the generals on both sides; Cobra II provides the first authoritative account as to why. It is a book of enduring importance and incisive analysis, a comprehensive account of the most reported yet least understood war in American history.
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Informative military account of the War in Iraq
- By Graham on 09-02-07
By: Michael R. Gordon, and others
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The Warriors of Anbar
- The Marines Who Crushed Al Qaeda - the Greatest Untold Story of the Iraq War
- By: Ed Darack, James E. Donnellan - foreword
- Narrated by: James Edward Thomas
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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When the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment ("2/3") arrived in the little-known "Haditha Triad" region of western Iraq's Al Anbar Province in September of 2006, the region exploded in a storm of terrorist violence. The most battle-hardened of Al Qaeda had fled to the Triad, and, taking their last, desperate gasps for survival after years of bloody war, lashed out at the battalion with everything they could muster.
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Amazing story.
- By David Moseley on 02-11-20
By: Ed Darack, and others
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No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy
- The Life of General James Mattis
- By: Jim Proser
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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The first in-depth look at the marine hero who has become one of the most beloved and admired men in America today: Secretary of Defense James Mattis. In this illuminating biography, Jim Proser looks beyond Mattis’ professional competence to focus on the driving element behind Mattis’ success: his unimpeachable character - a formidable personal integrity that fosters universal confidence. Proser carefully examines the events of Mattis’ life and career to reveal a man who leads with insight, humor, fighting courage, and fierce compassion.
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Final 7 minutes is all that covers SecDef
- By jeffrey jones on 08-11-18
By: Jim Proser
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Swords of Lightning
- Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America's Response to 9/11
- By: Mark Nutsch, Bob Pennington, Jim DeFelice
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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They landed in a dust storm so thick the pilot used dead reckoning and a guess to find the ground. Welcomed by a band of heavily armed militiamen, they climbed a mountain on horseback to meet the most ferocious warlord in Asia. They plotted a war of nineteenth-century maneuvers against a twenty-first-century foe. They trekked through minefields, sometimes past the mangled bodies of local tribesmen who'd shared food with them hours before. The men they helped called them brothers. Hollywood called them the Horse Soldiers. They called themselves Green Berets—Special Forces ODA 595.
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Very timely
- By Mary E. Dasaro on 08-08-22
By: Mark Nutsch, and others
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In Mortal Combat
- Korea, 1950-1953
- By: John Toland
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 27 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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In this brilliant narrative of America's first limited war, Toland lets both the events and the participants speak for themselves, employing scrupulous archival research and interviews as the bases for the drama and accuracy of his writing. In Mortal Combat reveals Mao's prediction of the date and place of MacArthur's Inchon landing, Russia's indifference to the war, Mao's secret leadership of the North Korean military, and the true nature of both sides' treatment and repatriation of POWs.
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Slightly disappointed
- By Patrick on 09-02-19
By: John Toland
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American Cipher
- Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan
- By: Matt Farwell, Michael Ames
- Narrated by: Christopher Ryan Grant
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The explosive narrative of the life, captivity, and trial of Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier who was abducted by the Taliban and whose story has served as a symbol for America's foundering war in Afghanistan.
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An epic he had written in his imagination...
- By Darwin8u on 03-18-19
By: Matt Farwell, and others
What listeners say about The Hardest Place
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-01-23
Great book with a full history!
Narrator could have done better at pronouncing some of the words but that’s easy to get by when you hear the content. Stories get you wrapped up
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- John Bandor jr
- 11-20-22
Hardest Place
This was a phenomenal listen, was totally engaged from start to finish. God bless these men
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-05-24
Informative and Entertaining
a chronological record of the American military's experiences, lessons, and foibles. Very interesting to listen to as a veteran.
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- Mary K. Bohm
- 04-21-21
Worth It
Ever wonder why we’re still fighting in Afghanistan two decades after 9/11? Morgan explains why.
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- PAUL J BILLICK
- 05-02-21
cjomment
great book, the readers pronunciation of "Afghanistan " was annoying and detracted from the reading.
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- J. Brooks
- 06-27-23
Terrific book
As a member of the Army who joined after the Afghanistan conflict, I have read over a dozen books to gain perspective on what happened over there. This book was referred to me by a buddy who was in the Ranger Regiment, serving in Afghanistan, and he told me this was the best book on the topic Having read it, I agree. Thoroughly researched, and unlike several books that focus primarily on the stories of the individuals, this book wove those stories effectively to explain the broader conflict.
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- robert kosch
- 06-30-23
Ties it all together
I have read or listened to many books about the war in Afghanistan, particularly Kunar and Nuristan. This book ties everything together. All the books I’ve read or listened to are tied into this one piece. Would highly recommend if you are a history or military nut. Thanks to all who serve!
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- Paul F. Morgan
- 07-30-21
A well written narrative of a very complex situation.
I enjoyed the book by Wesley Morgan very much. He does a masterful job of handling an incredible amount of information including hundreds of names of Americans, Afghans and Arabs. The amount of research he had to do is mind-boggling. I feel I have a much better understanding of what we had to deal with in this war. As a Vietnam veteran I can appreciate much of what he describes. I think the complexities in Afghanistan with dozens of different languages and ethnic groups even exceed those in Vietnam.
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- JuliaB
- 05-27-21
Kunar Syndrome
For persons that want to understand on a deeper level the "so what" behind America's longest war, look no further. This book dives deep into the Afghan conflict and offers a holistic approach on when events occurred that resulted in critical 2nd, and 3rd order effects. From beginning to end, a complete attention grabber. By far the best book I've read!
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- thomas
- 05-28-22
A must read
In 2011, I was a captain in the 2-27th infantry. I flew up to Bostick one day only to witness the daily onslaught of .50, 7.62, and 2,000lb bombs being brought. On my way home I caught a glimpse of the mouth of the Pech, and wondered what was up there. I have listened to this book three times and it only gets better each time. Very well done.
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