Hammerhead Six

How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan's Deadly Pech Valley

By: Ronald Fry, Tad Tuleja - contributor

Narrated by: Ronald Fry

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Two years before the action in Lone Survivor, a team of Green Berets conducted a very different successful mission in Afghanistan's notorious Pech Valley. Led by Captain Ronald Fry, Hammerhead Six applied the principles of unconventional warfare to "win hearts and minds" and fight against the terrorist insurgency.

In 2003, the Special Forces soldiers entered an area later called "the most dangerous place in Afghanistan". Here, where the line between civilians and armed zealots was indistinct, they illustrated the Afghan proverb "I destroy my enemy by making him my friend." Fry recounts how they were seen as welcome guests rather than invaders. Soon after their deployment ended, the Pech Valley reverted to turmoil. Their success was never replicated.

Hammerhead Six finally reveals how cultural respect and hard work (and the occasional machine-gun burst) were more than a match for the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

©2016 Ronald Fry (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Amazing story.....

I am young....18 years old....kinda felt weird when he said we are unreasonable....but I truly wish I did have his wisdom....over and out
-- future special forces operative

the dog lunged through the air sinking his teeth

a heartwarming example of the golden rule in an unconventional war... wow! this is definitely a must if you're into action and details... íts a combination of both if you're looking for strictly action this may not be what you want.,.

such a powerful story

A true example of how insurgent wars should be handled. I can't for the life of me figure out why big military can't figure out that there is not much need for large forces now days. Vietnam showed a blue print on how to defeat the US military with insurgent warfare. Well written and well narrated.

Review Your Life and Its Contributions...We Will All Do More

Even at my advanced age of 40 years, I’m enthralled at the ability of individuals to have innate leadership abilities and a clarity for their own mission in life.
I have no regrets in my life and will take the lessons provided by the honorable Ronald Fry to better my life and the society we live in.
There’s a beauty in the gifts that life provides...the gift provided to me they Ronald’s teachings is a respect and reverence for humankind and spirit as a whole!

Mahalo!

Leadership

Excellent example of Strength, Humility, Justice and Mercy! Winning hearts and minds of those who don't like us, or trust us.

A must read account of modern, unconventional war<br />

This is a compelling account of modern UW. A must read for soldiers and Americans.

Best SF Book Yet

This book is a great example of exactly how an ODA trains, equipts, and leads men.

learned a few things

As a Civil Affairs member I found this book very insightful into how to put COIN into practice with just handing out money and projects which so many units have done to little effect. Must read for anyone in Special Operations.

Must Read

This is an amazing story of green berets in Afghanistan. I am an enthusiast of all books related to military first hand experiences, particularly books on the Afghanistan war. After reading this and knowing what was to come of northeastern Afghanistan following this 2003 deployment of green berets, it is sad that our military didn’t continue the work of Captain Fry and his men. What an outstanding job they did, if only everyone in our military had what Ron Fry has. The world would certainly be a better place if they did. If you are interested in military history, the war in Afghanistan, and want to see what the best of U.S. special forces are about, read this book. Books written by the soldiers on the ground are the best experience for the reader and this is no exception. I would rate this among the top 5 I have personally read and I have ready 50+ books on Afghanistan alone.

Not Just Another War Story

This is not another war story, this is a human story. It tells the story of how a team of special forces went into one of the most dangerous places in the world and "killed" the enemies with kindness. Now of course they still has to defend themselves with guns, but the main objective was to win over the people, so that no matter what their enemies said about them, they would be above reproach. I have struggled to figure out what a Christian's role in war should be. To me this is the clearest example I have seen of what that role should be. I feel like Ron and his team embraced the concept of the Sermon on the mount. Love your enemies and through this they will know that you are His disciples. Ron and his team put a value on each life, even the enemies. Instead of turning away suspected enemies from getting medical help, they gave them medical help in hopes that they would bring back the good news that the Americans were here to help. It's one thing to say you are here to help, it's another to prove it through action. Yes there may be times for more aggressive tactics, but if we fought our wars with this as an example, the world would be a lot better off.