Outlaw Platoon

Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan

By: Sean Parnell, John Bruning

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

In combat, men measure up. Or don't. There are no second chances.

In this vivid account of the U.S. Army's legendary 10th Mountain Division's heroic stand in the mountains of Afghanistan, Captain Sean Parnell shares an action-packed and highly emotional true story of triumph, tragedy, and the extraordinary bonds forged in battle.

At 24 years of age, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell was named commander of a forty-man elite infantry platoon - a unit that came to be known as the Outlaws - and was tasked with rooting out Pakistan-based insurgents from a mountain valley along Afghanistan's eastern frontier. Parnell and his men assumed they would be facing a ragtag bunch of civilians, but in May 2006 what started out as a routine patrol through the lower mountains of the Hindu Kush became a brutal ambush. Barely surviving the attack, Parnell's men now realized that they faced the most professional and seasoned force of light infantry the U.S. Army had encountered since the end of World War II.

What followed was 16 months of close combat, over the course of which the platoon became Parnell's family: from Staff Sergeant Greg Greeson, the wise, chain-smoking veteran who never lost his cool; to Specialist Robert Pinholt, a buttoned-down conservative with the heart of a warrior and the mind of an economist; to Staff Sergeant Phil Baldwin, the platoon's voice of calm and reason, a man who sacrificed everything following the events of 9/11 - career, home, financial stability - to serve his country. But the cost of battle was high for these men: Over 80 percent were wounded in action, putting their casualty rate among the highest since Gettysburg, and not all of them made it home.

A searing and unforgettable story of friendship in battle, Outlaw Platoon brings to life the intensity and raw emotion of those 16 months, showing how the fight reshaped the lives of Parnell and his men and how the love and faith they found in one another ultimately kept them alive.

This audiobook is enhanced with a downloadable PDF containing photographs from the hardcover edition.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2012 Sean Parnell (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Awesome

Awesome book. Keep me intrigued all the way through. Could not stop listening. A story every one needs to hear.

best overall book I have listened to

The subject itself is amazing but the narrator Ray Porter is absolutely amazing to listen to. This book was well written and I wish there were more like it

Wow.

This book was extremely well written. I would have liked more stories and details but I understand nobody writes down everything in those situations and if you don’t write it down immediately, you’ll forget it or your mind will distort it when the adrenaline wears off. If you want a great story about the war in Afghanistan from the perspective of an officer who is actually in the field, this is your book. I understand the author has a work of war fiction out now as well. If it’s as well written as this one, it should be great. I intend to pick it up. Maybe it has stories that couldn’t be told in this one.

Best modern warfare narrative I have read

Great book with lots of facts about real people and great story-telling. As another reviewer said, "like a modern 'Band of Brothers' narrative". First hand accounts from an officer who was in the field and in the thick of the action and characters that you will dislike and some who will endear you. Great book. I recommend it to anyone interested military history books - Ambrose and WW2 first hand narrative lovers will feel right at home. Will not disappoint.

Excellent novel

This book is powerful and moving, it tells the stories of true heroes. You will find yourself emotionally attached to these strong men.

Violently explicit - The way it is.

This book has been written from the heart, with the emotion of someone who was there and didn't come home the same way he went. A very realistic tale of the horrors of war with a good insight into the way the 'good guys' play war compared to those on the other side.
If you have a week stomach some of the verbal graphics may be a bit confronting, but not a patch on the hell that these guys endured. On the down side, this was a bit of a 'Ra Ra USA is the best' type story, that could have benefited from a bit of information from the other perspective. Although it is acknowledged that it was the writer's perspective, and he would not have been interested in the other perspective, hence the war.

True heroes!

Couldn’t stop listening to this account of sacrifice, patriotism and heroism! This should be required reading for every American.

Rea " l embracing the Suck". cried... I went mtn.

as being near by and unable to help, thin slays me...
I highly recommend..,.

buy it,,,, keep it and remind yourself now and then what happened in the name of freedom and under fed command.

Story Resonates with Truth

I loved this audiobook. The narration was excellent, placing you right in the middle of men at war. The forthrightness of Captain Parnell mulling over his decisions both everyday and critical and the code of honor that builds up around a platoon should help readers to appreciate how intense it is to be a leader. Most excellent story.

Outlaw Platoon

Exceptional written in a manner that places you right in the thick of a patriots nightmare of military challenges and emotional roller coasters. It was hard to put down and difficult not have an emotional attachment to each word. This goes to my top list, hooah!!