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

Publisher's summary

The first-person account of how a small band of Green Berets used horses and laser-guided bombs to overthrow the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan after 9/11.

They landed in a dust storm so thick the chopper 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. They saved babies and treated fractures, sewed up wounded who'd been transported from the battlefield by donkey.

They found their enemy hiding in thick bunkers, dodged bullets from machine-gun-laden pickup trucks, and survived mass rocket attacks from vintage Soviet-era launchers. They battled the Taliban while mediating blood feuds between rival allies. They fought with everything they had, from smart bombs to AK-47s.

The men they helped called them brothers. Hollywood called them the Horse Soldiers.

They called themselves Green Berets—Special Forces ODA 595.

©2022 Mark Nutsch, Bob Pennington, and Jim DeFelice (P)2022 Tantor

Liked the format

Post 9/11 experiences of some very brave, well trained and emotionally intelligent men. The level of restraint and ego checking that this mission required would have been a disaster for 99% of the population. These men were exceptional men indeed.

Grateful American

Incredible story of what the initial months of America's war on terror looked like. This ODA Team's mission, against all odds was a heroic success. I loved it. Thank you for writing it.

Utterly fantastic!!!

If you have read and enjoyed "Horse Soldiers" or seen "12 Strong", you must listen to this book.

Better understanding

This book help give me a better understanding of our last war. It helped me see that there could have been a better outcome.

Presented an interesting, straight forward narrative of the adventure.

Presented a balanced assessment of the early SF contribution to the Afghan war. A must listen to the new legend of the Horse Soldiers.

Admiration

I love these guys and respect and admire all combat vets especially the ODA’s that struck the terrorists right when we needed action. I wish I could go back in time and been a SPF soldier but I can’t so I just support. I saw legion of brothers as well great stuff..love the book

Great Book

I enjoyed this telling of the 0DA 595 story just as much as I enjoyed the telling of the 0DA 574 story. All Certified Bad-a**es.

First account

This is a great account of boots on the ground in Afghanistan and really hits home on how hard these 12 dudes had it

Awesome Book!

This book should be required reading for military leaders. These guys learned countless lessons after 9/11 that need to be passed on to the next generation. I highly recommend it to military enthusiasts, perspective Special Forces soldiers and anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the early days of the Afghan conflict.

Very timely

Finished reading this on 1st anniversary of Biden's Afghan withdrawal debacle, leaving allies behind and high tech equipment for the Taliban and al Queda near border with China.