Gentlemen Bastards

On the Ground in Afghanistan with America's Elite Special Forces

By: Kevin Maurer

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

Until the war in Iraq, the Special Forces were the military's counterinsurgency experts. Their specialty was going behind enemy lines and training insurgent forces. In Afghanistan, they toppled the Taliban by transforming Northern Alliance fighters into cohesive units. But in the almost nine years since, Special Forces units have forgone their previous mission, instead focusing on offensive raids. With time running short, the Green Berets are going back to their roots and have started to focus on training Afghan security forces and building an Afghan government one village at a time. Award-winning journalist Kevin Maurer traveled with a Special Forces team in Afghanistan, finding out firsthand the inside story of the lives of this elite group of highly trained soldiers. He witnessed the intense brotherhood built upon the Special Forces' rigorous selection process and arduous training that makes them the smartest soldiers on the battlefield. He also discovered the boredom of chasing an elusive enemy and managing third world cops and the infighting that occurs between teammates and other units. Nine years after the start of the Afghan war, Maurer delivers a compelling account of modern warfare and of a fighting force that is doing everything in its power to achieve victory on a complex 21st-century battlefield.

©2012 Kevin Maurer (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This story brings to life the unique men who form the ranks of the Green Berets and the Herculean tasks they must accomplish." (Rusty Bradley, author of Lions of Kandahar)

I applaud the effort

Well, I appreciate insight to the ground war in Afghanistan, and I realize the author only had to believe 10 weeks on ground. I would’ve liked to seen more detail as a relates to his involvement with the green Braves and their specific actions.

Ok, not the best I have read.

I have read a lot of books about the Afghan war an SF and this one was just so so. Author at times tried to hard to insinuate that he was part of the team instead of an observer.

Great Book with Tech issue.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in special forces or looking at an 18 series MOS. It’s a fantastic source of information on the daily life of SF in the GWOT. (Tech note: it starts skipping really bad in the latter half of the book so just be prepared.)

A good scope on reality

The book was well thought out and outlined and gave a great perspective to the realities, flaws and complexities of the US effort in Afghanistan, especially among Green Berets. What the average action craved post 9/11 war book junky craves to read, will find themselves lacking fulfillment with this book, and that is quite alright, if not refreshing for the average reader hoping to find a better sense of education concerning Afghanistan.

The only warning to the next listener is the wariness of the overall plot of the book. This book will not help portray the special forces community into an acceptable light. The "one-uppers" in this book was at times hard to stomach, and the journalist who wrote the book seems to be searching for something to fill the void in his own life. Maybe holding a pen instead of a weapon is a good place to start. Overall though, Maurer gives readers an honest perspective into the special forces community that should be taken into account. The "juice is worth the squeeze" as he quoted.

not as good as lions of Kandahar

this is a story of the point of view of Keven Maurer and not of the soldiers he was embedded with. still a decent story though