Courage Under Fire

The Definitive Account from Inside the Capitol on January 6th

De: Steven A. Sund

Narrado por: Steven A. Sund

One of the darkest days in American history became an extraordinary story of courage under fire.

Courage Under Fire is United States Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund’s gripping personal account that takes listeners inside the events leading up to January 6, and provides a detailed and harrowing minute-by-minute account of the attack on the US Capitol, which was valiantly defended in hand-to-hand combat by the US Capitol Police officers who found themselves outnumbered fifty-eight to one.

Courage under Fire draws upon audio recordings, key documents, and government records as it traces Sund’s extraordinary journey from his command post on January 6 to his explosive behind-closed-doors testimony before the January 6 committee.

Steven A. Sund, one of only ten men in history to hold the title of Chief of the US Capitol Police, has coordinated dozens of National Special Security Events, responded to numerous critical incidents and active shooter events, and has protected every living US president. But nothing could have prepared him for the violent attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Three days before the attack, Chief Sund requested the assistance of the National Guard. This request was denied. In preparation for the Joint Session of Congress, Chief Sund directed every available sworn officer to be on duty to protect the Capitol and all of its members and staff.

But it wasn’t enough.

The savage attack that followed was a well-planned and carefully coordinated armed assault on the United States Capitol, involving thousands. The shock and horror of this attack exploded on TV screens worldwide as US Capitol Police officers under Chief Sund’s command found themselves facing a violent siege, hit with pipes, fire extinguishers, boards, and flag poles. Dedicated men and women were knocked unconscious and sprayed with mace and bear spray as live pipe bombs were discovered at the national headquarters of both major political parties.

Finally, multiple police lines were breached. Then the building was breached. The National Guard didn’t arrive until it was much too late. In the end, 150 officers were seriously injured, and nine Americans were dead.

Now, for the first time, Chief Steven Sund has written the definitive inside story of the perfect storm of events that led up to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, a day that rocked the nation and threatened our democracy. As the Capitol descended into chaos, insurrectionists infiltrated and stormed its hallowed halls and democracy was pushed to the brink. Few people realize just how close we came to seeing the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, and countless members of Congress beaten, maimed, or killed.

There have been many false reports and outright lies concerning the conduct of the US Capitol Police on January 6, and there has been no accountability for the individuals who bear most of the responsibility for the failures that left the USCP unprepared that day—from the shocking failures in intelligence to the outright stonewalling Chief Sund received from the Pentagon when he repeatedly called for the National Guard’s help, even as the attack on the Capitol was raging.

Two years later, so many questions still remain unanswered: What did the intelligence community know about the plans of the insurrectionists before the attack? Why was the request for the National Guard continually denied and delayed? Why was the nation’s capital so vulnerable?

Forced to take the fall and resign, this is Chief Sund’s chance to answer those questions and to tell the full truth about what really happened on January 6.

©2023 Steven A. Sund (P)2023 Blackstone Publishing

Great performance but questions remain

This account is gripping. Who could have thought a writer of such ability would hide his light under a bushel until now? Did practice writing after-action reports hone his narrative skills? I don't believe Chief Sund wrote this book, rather I think some thriller writer took Chief Sund's notes and ran with it. How can his description of a savage battle be reconciled with the peaceful walking between velvet ropes depicted by the videos released by Tucker Carlson a few weeks ago? Those videos showed capital police allowing entry and tour-guiding protesters around the inside of the Capital Building. Was that really de-escalation as the author says? I don't think so. Combine that evidence with the fact that over 1000 people have been charged over their participation on J6 and only a small percentage were charged with violent action. This book is full of exaggeration. One might wonder why? Is some agenda being served here? While he notes the growing evidence for agent provocateurs among the crowd, his focus is on the bad intelligence he received and quoting select statements by President Trump taken far out of context. I'm troubled by the pressure that must have been applied to an honorable man like Chief Sund to get him to go along with this. This may be the period where America is at its worst.

Outstanding Book

I highly recommend this book. The author does an excellent job providing factual information and keeping the politics out of the novel, as much as possible.

insider's account of January 6th

Thank you Chief Sund for sharing your story and the story of the men and women you served with at USCPD. This book was emotionally hard to listen to at times but we'll worth it.

Well written and moving.

Thank you for sharing your story. This first-person account gives a clearer picture of the events of the day and the wrongful firing of a man just trying to execute his job well

Good book

Books like this are like an open window to our sometimes corrupt politicians and government institutions

Fubar -1/6

We watched events of 1/6 on live TV , kept asking ourselves , why wasn’t the Capital adequately secured against riot. Everyone on any social media platform knew it was going to be trouble, in the the thousands. At last an explanation of the layers of government inertia. Many thanks to Capt. Sund for writing this book.

Great listen

This was hard to put down. It was even better read by the author. I’m glad he set the record straight from his perspective- and clearly he was the fall guy. Sad but not surprising given how politics work.

A must Listen to for clarity and understanding.

I found this book extremely riveting and fast paced. The author reading his own words absolutely brought his compassion toward the job. A tribute of Mr. Sunds true character and commitment in the getting the events of those hours to go down in history. AN MUST BOOK TO LISTEN TO,

Curiously Left Out

Sund seems credible from his POV but he leaves out the Lila Morris beating to death of Rosanne Boyland and the agitators that wore the badge. Nothing about flash bangs inside a crowd, before any breech happens. Your officers injured people just wandering up from ellipses and drove up the anger

GREAT, POLITICALLY NEUTRAL & FACTUAL JAN 6 ACCT

If you want a neutral, fact based account of what Washington DC Capitol Police, and those Officers who backed them up, actually dealt with on Jan 6th, this book is for you. Told by the DC Chief based on HIS OWN factual information, he doesn't rely on other people or agency's information to relay what happened.

Police Officers put their lives on the line that day, and, not surprisingly, ended up with minimal support from the very people they were protecting.

This book is a sad reminder that the majority (not all) of the politicians in DC, no matter which "side" , care MOST about themselves, their image, and keeping the power so they can keep (and get more) MONEY. The rest of us, those they "represent", seem to matter only at election time.