Roughneck Nine-One

The Extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-Team at War

By: Frank Antenori, Hans Halberstadt

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

On April 6, 2003, 26 Green Berets, including those of Sergeant First Class Frank Antenori's Special Forces A-Team (call sign Roughneck Nine One), fought a vastly superior force at a remote crossroads near the village of Debecka, Iraq. The enemy unit had battle tanks and 150 well-trained, well-equipped, and well-commanded soldiers. The Green Berets stopped the enemy advance, then fought them until only a handful of Iraqi survivors finally fled the battlefield.

In the process, the Nine One encountered hordes of members of the news media. And at the peak of the fight, a US Navy F-14 dropped a 500-pound bomb into the middle of a group of supporting Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, killing and wounding dozens.

Roughneck Nine One is the never-before-told, unsanitized story of the fight for the crossroads at Debecka, and a unique inside look at a Special Forces A-team as it recruits and organizes, trains for combat, and eventually fights a battle against a huge opposing force.

©2006 Frank Antenori and Hans Halberstadt (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"...Antenori's memoir offers a gritty inside look at a Special Forces team at war." (Publishers Weekly)
"A notable contribution to the literature on both the Iraq war and the capabilities of special-ops units." (Booklist)

Excellent in all ways!

I really enjoyed this book. I listen to a lot of these: and this keeps you engaged with the story and action!
For the first time I understood what happened during the Iraq war and the battle discussed here. I was on the edge of my seat with the first hand under the helmet look at the action as it unfolded. I was engaged throughout the battle, including having to catch myself swearing at command and control for the usual BS.
The audible reading was realistic enough to feel as though I was there. Thank you- I don’t usually write these reviews. This book deserves it.

Interesting story.

This was a very interesting story. Unfortunately the narrator was not the right person to read this book. The narrator does a good job of clearly reading the story, but his voice did not match the drama of what he was reading. I didn’t want to finish listening.

An honest, respectful, professional account.

This was an honest and tough account, in the most respectful of ways. I really enjoyed hearing this story served up honestly and professionally.

Awsome Book

Just got done listing to Roughneck Nine-One,
Awesome Book! This is one of the best well written military books I have listened to. Go USA, GO S.F!

Lots of technical detail.

I liked the book, but I got lost in the details related to equipment. It was interesting for a while, but got bored with listening to it after a while.

Really great book

I love a book to give you full details of operations how the guys responded how the NCOs responded this book is full of details and how the thinking of SF soldiers operate under very stressful conditions great read get it listen to it enjoy it

Great book

Great heroic story mixed with drama from a weak micromanager bosses leading the special forces unit

Well written - Great Book

Frank Antenori puts together a well written narrative. Well written meaning the organization and structure of his thoughts demonstrate real skill in writing. Some books of this genre are written on a Jr. High level. I would like to say thank you to Frank Antenori for having the courage to kill the enemy, not be conflicted about it, and for telling his story.

Enjoyed it!

Loved all the modern weapons technology. Enjoyed the plot, characters, and insight into Special Forces challenges with unit commanders, other units-our own and friendly allies, and the enemy. I enjoyed a lot and recommend.

Special Operations Command

If you’re looking to know more about how socom works and why every soldier wants in, this is the book for you. Unconventional warfare is the only way to fight. These dude can mission pivot at the drop of a dime and use local resources to get the job done. Great read!!