The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor

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The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor

4.38 of 5 stars 4.38 · rating details · 448 ratings · 116 reviews

At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of October 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was viciously attacked by Taliban insurgents. The 53 U.S. troops, having been stationed at the bottom of three steep mountains, were severely outmanned by nearly 400 Taliban fighters. Though the Americans ultimately prevailed, their casualties made it one of the war's deadliest battles for U.S. forces....more At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of October 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was viciously attacked by Taliban insurgents. The 53 U.S. troops, having been stationed at the bottom of three steep mountains, were severely outmanned by nearly 400 Taliban fighters. Though the Americans ultimately prevailed, their casualties made it one of the war's deadliest battles for U.S. forces. And after more than three years in that dangerous and vulnerable valley a mere 14 miles from the Pakistan border, the U.S. abandoned and bombed the camp. A Pentagon investigation later concluded that there was no reason for Outpost Keating to have been there in the first place.

THE OUTPOST is a tour de force of investigative journalism. Jake Tapper exposes the origins of this tragic and confounding story, exploring the history of the camp and detailing the stories of soldiers heroic and doomed, shadowed by the recklessness of their commanders in Washington, D.C. and a war built on constantly shifting sands.

Reviews:
"In 2009, in one of the deadliest battles in Afghanistan, Combat Outpost Keating was attacked by Taliban insurgents and nearly destroyed. A Pentagon investigation concluded that the outpost, a poorly located and protected part of a counterinsurgency strategy, should not have been there in the first place. The 53 U.S. troops stationed there were part of an effort to combat extremist groups that sprouted with U.S. support during the Russian occupation. ABC News war correspondent Tapper spent two years chronicling the mission and lives of the troops and their commanders, making the war more personal as readers get to know the troops’ personality quirks, backstories, family lives, and perspectives on their mission. He notes the consequences of the fact that the Afghan war was fought on the cheap as more attention was focused on Iraq, and chronicles the troops’ encounters with harsh terrain, entrenched conflicts among tribes, and reckless commands. They marched into villages so isolated that villagers weren’t aware that their former nemesis, the USSR, no longer existed. Photographs and maps, as well as letters and e-mails, enhance this incredible account of how this outpost was horribly jeopardized. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Extensive media buzz will make this a highly visible and much-requested title." - Vanessa Bush (Booklist)
Review

"Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live-and die-at the point of the spear." - Bob Woodward (author of PLAN OF ATTACK, THE COMMANDERS and OBAMA'S WARS)

"The Outpost is a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book." - Jon Krakauer (author of Into Thin Air and Where Men Win Glory)

"As Rudyard Kipling did in the nineteenth century, now, in his magnificent book, Jake Tapper takes us to an untamed part of Afghanistan at war. Journey to THE OUTPOST to understand what our troops go through-and why they go through it." - James Bradley (author of FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, FLYBOYS and THE IMPERIAL CRUISE)

"This is a narrative, not a polemic, and Tapper patiently lays out the history of what happened at Keating in a gripping, forceful style...[T]his unadorned, powerful account challenges the purposes and wisdom of America's ongoing military presence [in Afghanistan]...A timely indictment of a thoughtless waste of young American lives." - Kirkus

"[A] fascinating history...Tapper delivers a blow by blow account of [the soldier's] actions, their personal stories, and the tortured, often incomprehensible command decisions that kept them fighting despite inadequate support and an ally, Pakistan, that actively encouraged the enemy." - Publishers Weekly(less)

Hardcover, 673 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

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Apr 09, 2013 Heather C. rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book drained me. 600+ pages describe the tragic story of a lone outpost in 2006 Afghanistan. Someone, somewhere, came up with the moronic idea of putting a post in a location so remote, so inaccessible, and so dangerous that many, MANY soldiers lost their lives, unnecessarily, the author shows.

The mountains of Afghanistan are dangerous, (with bad guys for sure, but also with a people who live pretty much the same way they did 5,000 years ago and don't have any desire for anything different...more

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Nov 21, 2012 'Aussie Rick' rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-conflicts, read-military, favourites

How to do justice to a book full of accounts of brave young men being horrifically wounded and dying in the course of their duty – I can’t! All I can say is that people need to read this book, the story of brave young American servicemen based in a deadly and highly vulnerable valley just a few miles away from the Pakistan border and surrounded by enemy forces.

The book’s main focus is on the troops manning Combat Outpost Keating – named after an officer who lost his life at that location. The o...more How to do justice to a book full of accounts of brave young men being horrifically wounded and dying in the course of their duty – I can’t! All I can say is that people need to read this book, the story of brave young American servicemen based in a deadly and highly vulnerable valley just a few miles away from the Pakistan border and surrounded by enemy forces.

The book’s main focus is on the troops manning Combat Outpost Keating – named after an officer who lost his life at that location. The outpost was first established in 2006 and the author follows the various units and their men throughout their rotation of duty at the post till it’s dramatic end in 2009.

At times some of the accounts of soldiers being wounded and killed by the enemy is quite confronting and graphic and you think to yourself; ‘God I hope the families don’t read this book’. I think the author was trying to confront the reader with the reality of combat, to make us sit back and think, that really should we, as a nation, be so quick to put our young men in harm’s way.

I understand that the author interviewed many of the men and the families whose stories are told here. I came away with nothing but admiration for all the soldiers involved and a sense of rising anger at those who put these men in this situation that lead to many fine young men losing their lives or being wounded, in both body and mind.

The book is well-written and easy to read and appears to be well researched with numerous footnotes to various items of interest. At times I found it hard to put the book down and the accounts of the many battles and skirmishes had me reading till late at night or early next morning.

Some of the accounts were funny, like this one; “Howard had told Keating that he wanted him to switch Able Troop’s focus from strictly fighting the enemy to counterinsurgency work: more meeting with local leaders and assisting on development projects, less driving around trying to find insurgents. That wasn’t so easy: ‘nobody told them,’ Keating would quip about the enemy. ‘The little bastards keep shooting at us every day’.”

Or this account of when Sergeant First Class Jeff Jacops was wounded one morning when a recoilless rifle round hit a wall right in front of him, blowing him backward and knocking him unconscious. He awoke with a number of injuries caused by shrapnel and also realised that he was spitting out teeth. He was stabilised by the base medic and medevac’d to a larger support base:

“At Forward Operating Base Bostick, the surgeon told Jacops he was going to put him under so he could take a good look at his wounds. Preparing for the anesthesia, he asked his patient, ‘What did you have for breakfast?’
'A fucking rocket,’ Jacops replied”

I was happy that I decided to read this book although I will confess that at times I felt saddened at the loss of so many good young men in a war that would appear was badly handled and supported by the very government that sent these men into action. I do not understand how these men were not provided the full support with all the resources that the United States military has at is disposal. This was the war that had to be won, but appears may have been lost, I hope not, for these men’s sake and their families.
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Mar 02, 2013 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

This should be required reading for every American. Reading this has evoked many emotions in me. Pride in these men, love for these men, sorrow for the loss, anger at our political leaders....the majority of our citizens have no clue whatsoever as to the price being paid by our armed forces. It is my hope and prayer that many will read this and perhaps come to some understanding of the great and terrible price paid by our troops and their families. To all who were a part of this story, may God...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Mike Stanley rated it 5 of 5 stars

where to start. immerses oneself into what it might be like to be a soldier in Afghanistan. First, about idiotic beuracracy directly leading to pointless deaths before the outpost story really begins. that's my quick description anyhow, i think Mr. Tapper would concur. then you vividly relive the story of the outpost, the soldiers and some of the larger perspective. bottom line is this book covers a lot of themes as well as tells a compelling tragic story of an individual outpost. highly recomme...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Phil Melton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Every American should read this book. And every member of Congress should have to read 'The Outpost' before casting any votes involving sending Americans into harm's way. Detailed, involving, sobering, infuriating. Jake Tapper has done a marvelous job of writing, and performed a public service by authoring this.

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May 13, 2013 Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars

The heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of America's deadliest battles during the war in Afghanistan, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic.

At 5:58 AM on October 3rd, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating, located in frighteningly vulnerable terrain in Afghanistan just 14 miles from the Pakistani border, was viciously attacked. Though the 53 Americans there prevailed against nearly 400 Taliban fighters, their casualties made it the deadliest fight of the war for the U.S. that year. Four

...more

The heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of America's deadliest battles during the war in Afghanistan, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic.

In THE OUTPOST, Jake Tapper gives us the powerful saga of COP Keating, from its establishment to eventual destruction, introducing us to an unforgettable cast of soldiers and their families, and to a place and war that has remained profoundly distant to most Americans. A runaway bestseller, it makes a savage war real, and American courage manifest.

From Booklist

In 2009, in one of the deadliest battles in Afghanistan, Combat Outpost Keating was attacked by Taliban insurgents and nearly destroyed. A Pentagon investigation concluded that the outpost, a poorly located and protected part of a counterinsurgency strategy, should not have been there in the first place. The 53 U.S. troops stationed there were part of an effort to combat extremist groups that sprouted with U.S. support during the Russian occupation. ABC News war correspondent Tapper spent two years chronicling the mission and lives of the troops and their commanders, making the war more personal as readers get to know the troops’ personality quirks, backstories, family lives, and perspectives on their mission. He notes the consequences of the fact that the Afghan war was fought on the cheap as more attention was focused on Iraq, and chronicles the troops’ encounters with harsh terrain, entrenched conflicts among tribes, and reckless commands. They marched into villages so isolated that villagers weren’t aware that their former nemesis, the USSR, no longer existed. Photographs and maps, as well as letters and e-mails, enhance this incredible account of how this outpost was horribly jeopardized. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Extensive media buzz will make this a highly visible and much-requested title. --Vanessa Bush

Review

"Analyzing the consequences of decisions, large and small, is what makes Tapper's book so important...for those wishing to understand the middle years of the war, they could do no better than to read THE OUTPOST." (Time )

"[Jake Tapper] has woven an intricate account about battlefield bravery hamstrung by military bureaucracy...[his] voice is understated, not polemical-just a good reporter letting the facts speak for themselves." (Tony Perry, *Los Angeles Times* )

"Jake Tapper has written perhaps the best book set in Afghanistan to date...He provides a window into the false hopes and visions that enabled this failed experiment, an attempt to create government in spaces that had actively avoided such." (Douglas Ollivant, *Foreign Policy* )

"[A] fascinating history...Tapper delivers a blow by blow account of [the soldier's] actions, their personal stories, and the tortured, often incomprehensible command decisions that kept them fighting despite inadequate support and an ally, Pakistan, that actively encouraged the enemy." (Publishers Weekly )

"One of the most important [books] of the year. Jake Tapper's book is meticulously researched, excellently written and a must-read for everyone who does more than just mouth the phrase, 'I support the troops.' " (Minneapolis Star-Tribune )

"Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live-and die-at the point of the spear." (author of PLAN OF ATTACK, THE COMMANDERS and OBAMA'S WARS Bob Woodward )

"The power of THE OUTPOST lies in Tapper's development of the main characters ... He juxtaposes dramatic battles, complete with limbs blown off and eyes dangling from sockets, with poignant scenes of wives and parents first learning of the deaths of their loved ones." (Seth Jones, *Washington Post* )

"The seminal work of documentary journalism to emerge out of the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan." (Business Standard )

"There have been many books written on the subject of America's seemingly endless engagement in Afghanistan, but none better than Jake Tapper's "The Outpost." (Jeffrey Goldberg, *Foreign Policy* )

"THE OUTPOST is a valuable because its faithful account of bravery, stupidity, and inertia makes the objective case for admiration and outrage." (Sam Jacobson, *Commentary* )

"Mr. Tapper lays bare the poor decision-making that shattered dozens of American lives in the pursuit of an ill-conceived goal." (Wall Street Journal )

"A heartbreaking chronicle of the rotation of soldiers asked to oversee an underfunded, often thankless mission." (Huffington Post )

"The Outpost is a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book." (author of Into Thin Air and *Where Men Win Glory Jon Krakauer* )

"As Rudyard Kipling did in the nineteenth century, now, in his magnificent book, Jake Tapper takes us to an untamed part of Afghanistan at war. Journey to THE OUTPOST to understand what our troops go through-and why they go through it. (author of FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, FLYBOYS and THE IMPERIAL CRUISE James Bradley )

"Meticulously researched, excellently written and a must-read...It may prove one of the most important [books] of the year." (Seattle Times Curt Schleier )

"This is a narrative, not a polemic, and Tapper patiently lays out the history of what happened at Keating in a gripping, forceful style...[T]his unadorned, powerful account challenges the purposes and wisdom of America's ongoing military presence [in Afghanistan]...A timely indictment of a thoughtless waste of young American lives." (Kirkus )

"[An] incredible account of how this outpost was horribly jeopardized." (Booklist )

""The Army uses the term 'BLUF' - bottom line up front. The BLUF on Jake Tapper's new book on Afghanistan, THE OUTPOST, is that you need to read it." (breitbart.com )

"A chronicle of the commitment and heroism of individual soldiers. As such, it can rarely have been surpassed in the history of military writing." (powerlineblog.com )

"Tapper always finds just the right personality traits and stories about [the troops'] backgrounds, allowing readers to respect them and relate to them...The Outpost is an alternately exhilarating, heartbreaking and maddening book. But ultimately...it's a testament to the fact that the brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for the United States deserve our appreciation." (Patheos.com )

"What is evident in THE OUTPOST is the sacrifice made by dozens of men who answered the call of their country." (Erica Blake, *Toledo Blade* )

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May 10, 2013 Andre Zollars rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is like reading "The Things We Carried" or any other war book from any other era. However, the echoes of Vietnam are unmistakable in the failed leadership, the lack of resources, the poor planning, and the clear inability to accomplish something the Soviets were unable to do.

An Army veteran myself, engaged to a 25-year Army Veteran, who commanded a Brigade in Afghanistan, I have a different perspective than most. It is powerfully told story full of everything you'd expect in a good war...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Efie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Efie by: no one

Wow. Just... wow. There's really nothing else I can say. I'll start off by saying that this book was the most eye opening book I have EVER read, and maybe ever will read. (In my opinion I think history classes in High School or at least in College should require students to read this book because it is simply mind blowing.) I'm a sophomore in High School and my mom had some doubts about me reading this because she was worried it would be too graphic for me (it wasn't TOO graphic but I think it's...more Wow. Just... wow. There's really nothing else I can say. I'll start off by saying that this book was the most eye opening book I have EVER read, and maybe ever will read. (In my opinion I think history classes in High School or at least in College should require students to read this book because it is simply mind blowing.) I'm a sophomore in High School and my mom had some doubts about me reading this because she was worried it would be too graphic for me (it wasn't TOO graphic but I think it's just because I read about it... if this had been a movie then I wouldn't have been able to make it through the whole thing). But I wanted to read it because I wanted to know what American soldiers truly went through in the god-forsaken war in Afghanistan (simply put, they went through Hell). I mean seriously, it felt like someone died in a horrible way every five pages or something. It took me a while to get the pattern of the book figured out (if they start telling the character's back story, especially if it's a touching one; they die).
I can't tell you how many times I felt like crying while reading this book. That's why I took so long with finishing it; I could only read about ten pages at a time before it got to be too much. Don't get me wrong, there were some funny parts (the soldier's humor was a much needed mood lightener) but mostly it was just a harrowing, completely real, un-sugar coated version of the true horrors we put our soldiers through in the war and it was... refreshing. It was really refreshing to get that version of the truth for once. I don't regret reading this book for one moment and I NEVER will. Thank You Jake Tapper for writing this book and describing the plight of our soldiers to the entire American public (a much needed wake up call if you ask me), and most of all, THANK YOU to EVERY single soldier that is or ever has served this nation. We wouldn't be here without you all, and I can only hope that one day this nation will be worthy of all your sacrifices (at the current time I personally don't think it is... but we'll get there one day). Thank you from the bottom of my heart.(less)

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Mar 11, 2013 Mal Warwick rated it 4 of 5 stars

A wrenching view of the Afghanistan war that brings the conflict into focus

Christians are urged to “hate the sin, love the sinner.” Difficult as that may be to believe in many circumstances, the distinction between action and actor seems to be the only way to reconcile honor and support for American troops at war with the horrific acts they so often commit overseas. One recent book, award-winning journalist Nick Turse’s Kill Anything That Moves, fastens our attention on the numberless atrocities...more A wrenching view of the Afghanistan war that brings the conflict into focus

Christians are urged to “hate the sin, love the sinner.” Difficult as that may be to believe in many circumstances, the distinction between action and actor seems to be the only way to reconcile honor and support for American troops at war with the horrific acts they so often commit overseas. One recent book, award-winning journalist Nick Turse’s Kill Anything That Moves, fastens our attention on the numberless atrocities carried out by the U.S. military in Vietnam directly as a result of policies handed down from the top (the White House and Joint Chiefs of Staff). Turse shows how the military’s racist emphasis on the “body count” led directly and inevitably to the routine and indiscriminate murder of civilians throughout Vietnam. Rank-and-file soldiers (“grunts,” non-coms, lieutenants, captains, majors, light colonels) had little choice but to either participate in the slaughter or stand silently by. Doubtless, some enjoyed the opportunities for cruelty, but the overwhelming majority assuredly did not. Because for all intents and purposes the atrocities weren’t their “fault,” we could still honor and support them no matter how much we despised their heedless leaders.

Writing from a totally different perspective — from the ground up rather than top down — Jake Tapper relates the story in The Outpost of the men (and very occasionally, the women) who cycled in and out of an isolated combat installation in northeastern Afghanistan from 2006 to 2009. As in Kill Anything That Moves, we find soldiers in the field up to the rank of lieutenant colonel captives of policies set at much higher levels. They frequently display outstanding courage and suffer the deprivations of life in a harsh and hostile environment largely in silence, victims of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld’s deliberate decision to under-resource American forces in Afghanistan from the moment they invaded the country. However, the fatal decisions that sealed the fate of so many of the troops on the ground at what came to be named Combat Outpost Keating were a colonel’s decision to site the installation at what one visiting officer called the worst base location he’d ever seen and Afghan president Hamid Karzai’s insistence that the post not be closed until after he was reelected.

The story told in The Outpost relates the history of the Afghanistan war writ small. At its creation, Combat Outpost Keating was the northernmost U.S. installation in the country’s northeast, the first in the province of Nuristan, a historically and linguistically distinct enclave with a reputation for fierce hostility toward all outsiders. It was placed in an exceedingly vulnerable location in a valley, surrounded on three sides by steep mountains, against the advice of virtually every officer who viewed the site from the air. The colonel in command of U.S. forces in that region insisted on placing it there anyway, since it had easy access to a road that could be used to supply it, saving precious airborne resources. However, in short order it became clear that the road was both indefensible, because every convoy was ambushed by insurgents, and impassable by any vehicles with a wide wheelbase (such as Humvees). Only when one heroic officer was killed trying to prove to his superiors just how treacherous the road really was did the Army stop attempting to supply the outpost by truck. Nonetheless, the outpost itself remained where it was instead of being moved high up into the mountains (as the troops on the ground kept requesting), because no commanding officer wanted to cede territory on his watch. And the number of troops assigned there, which was inadequate to begin with, was gradually reduced because of the scarcity of military resources. Eventually, when a new unit came onto the base, a brilliant junior officer implemented the counterinsurgency policy associated with General Petraeus, managing to bring attacks on his troops to a halt for more than half a year. Then he was replaced by a soldier who was critical of the policy, reversed course, and saw his hostility to the local people returned in spades. Finally, orders came down to abandon the outpost, but spies among the Afghan soldiers living there reported the preparations to the Taliban. In short order, days before the planned evacuation date, several hundred mujahideen surrounded the 53 Americans, fought their way into the outpost, and succeeded in killing seven of them and wounding eleven. Only one of the Afghan soldiers chose to fight; all the others either fled or hid. The Taliban was only driven back by the heroism of the defenders — and the extravagant use of airpower, including Apache attack helicopters, A-10 warthogs, F-15 fighter jets, and even a B-1 bomber dropping 2,000-pound bombs. After a decent interval, the outpost was abandoned and bombed to smithereens by American planes.

Think about the broad strokes in that picture. Doesn’t it resemble the history of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan as a whole?

Clearly, Jake Tapper wrote The Outpost to honor the brave soldiers who were assigned there. He cites the name and rank of virtually every soldier whose actions are part of the four-year story — and there appear to be hundreds of them. For the major actors on the ground, chiefly sergeants, lieutenants, and captains, with a smattering of low-ranking non-coms, Tapper features extensive biographical information, sometimes including interviews with spouses. These soldiers rise fully formed from the pages of the book — real people, with self-doubts and passions and convictions all their own.

Tapper’s effort to convey a fully three-dimensional portrait of the soldiers at Combat Outpost Keating is both the book’s greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Reading this book seems to convey about as accurate a picture of what life is like on the front line of the Afghanistan war as words might convey. The weakness lies in the use of so many individual names. In the course of the four years the outpost existed, four different units cycled in and out, each bringing its own cast of dozens of characters. It becomes tedious to follow all the individual stories because there is so much coming and going. To some degree, it’s easier to follow a few of the Afghan leaders in the nearby villages, because they generally stay where they are.

Tapper is a former White House correspondent for ABC News and is now an anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN.(less)

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May 04, 2013 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Spoiler alert! A lot of the soldiers you meet and get to know within the 614 pages of this massive war journal end up dead or severely wounded. Jake Tapper has peeled back the curtain on a war the American people rarely get to see. You won’t see most of the footage of what really happened in northeastern Afghanistan between January 2006 and October 2009. Until now. Until Tapper.

Tapper introduces us to a lot of American fighting men, mostly captains and lieutenants and the enlisted men under thei...more

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Mar 27, 2013 JR rated it 5 of 5 stars

October 2009: 50 American soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division are desperately trying to fight off an attack by 400 Afghan insurgents, who have them surrounded on three mountainsides at a remote, inaccessible base called Combat Outpost Keating. Eight Americans are killed, but they inflict horrible casualties upon the insurgents. Several Silver Stars are awarded, and Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha acts in such a courageous manner he is later awarded the Medal of Honor. Shortly after the battle...more

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May 28, 2013 Elle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 500-plus-pages, non-fiction, war-games, survival, ripped-my-heart-out, all-time-faves, will-read-again, five-star-reads

This book is haunting me. So much so that I am dreaming about it. The impact that the story of COP Keating has made on my life is astounding. I knew the basics of what happened on October 3rd, 2009 before reading this book. I think most people with even a little awareness of the war in Afghanistan had at least heard about the attack on COP Keating. However, spending 600 plus pages getting to know these fearless men, chapters and chapters of seeing the mistakes and misjudgements head towards an i...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

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May 20, 2013 Nancy Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

If anyone wants to know what soldiers in Afghanistan experience, read this book. I am shamed by their fortitude & courage; in our overfed, too much of everything, overly complacent lifestyles, most of us have no clue about the reality of Afghanistan.

This book describes the day-to-day extreme difficulties of simply functioning in Afghanistan, the horror & valor of war, and the utter futility of trying to work with the Afghanis on even the most basic level. This is a 13th century culture;...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Larry Rogers rated it 4 of 5 stars

The fate of Camp Keating is at the center of Tapper's large, rambling, but compelling book. Like many outposts in Afghanistan, the camp was badly situated tactically (in a hollow beneath three hills crawling with Taliban fighters), hard to supply (serviced by a terrible narrow road that was also dominated from the heights), and strategically worthless (Taliban routinely went around small isolated posts like Keating). It was ill-served by commanders at the camp, battalion, and regimental level. W...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

The book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, is a book of heroism, sacrifice, betrayal, honor, and confusion. It tells the true story of an American outpost in remote Afghanistan that is constantly under attack from rebel forces, and in the end, faces the fact that the whole reason for Outpost was flawed.

The author Jake Tapper examines the reasons for the outpost, and describes in heartbreaking detail the efforts American soldiers undertook to keep the outpost from Rebel attack. Each...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Paige rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just finished reading this book that I knew was in the making for the last two years. My husband was a commander with 6-4 Cav and Rob Yllescas and Dena were personal friends of ours. It was surreal reading The story of Keating and the Outpost and really just pisses you off on how and why this could happen. Our soldiers are so brave and professional and deserve our respect. These families who lost their love ones deserved to be toasted whereever they go for the rest of their lives. This is highly...more

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May 28, 2013 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Jake Tapper is a journalist. I respect his desire to tell one of the many untold stories about the wars the US is fighting and the families who are paying the price for those wars. Unfortunately, his ability to write in a compelling and in-depth manner is inadequate to the task. The profiles are superficial(even though the book is 678 pages in length)and his analysis of the conflict painfully desultory. I read the book because of a compelling interview with the author. Tapper wants people to be...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Michael Burhans rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, political

This is one of the most important books I have read n years. EVERYBODY in the USA needs to read this book and see what is being done in our name. The waste of the sacrifice and heroism of our front line troops becasue they are put in ridiculous untenable situations. the absurdity of trying to force pur political system and values on people who find them abhorrent. There is so much going on in this book you need to know. Yet it is written with a gripping and fast paced narrative that makes it an...more

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Oct 20, 2012 TuRtLe marked it as to-read

Shelves: a-wish-list-book

I hope to win a copy of this book! As a U.S. Citizen, I feel more support and acknowledgement SHOULD be made in the efforts of supporting THE U.S.A. MILITARY.
No more protests at fallen solider's funerals should be tolerated, and I am grateful for the motorcycle groups that shield grieving family members from these UTTER ATROCITIES!
I hope more and more books are read on the HEROIC deeds these brave men and women had to endure, and as a fellow U.S. Citizen, I feel they should be applauded, instead...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Charles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jack Tapper did a fabulous job of not just telling about the battles abroad, but of the soldiers, and who they really are, and their families and how each day affected them. He did such a great job of letting us get to know the soldiers that you felt your were part of them and became friends with them, only to realize a few chapters later they were gone. This is not a just a story, it was real life events. The sad thing is the only people who care about what is going on over there, are the soldi...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Gary Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazing book.

At time is very hard to read because of Tapper’s detailed descriptions of battles and the mayhem of battles as well as many sad outcomes.

Now that I have finished this book I am very glad I invested the time. So many soldiers give everything they have including their lives. This book gives you the feeling you are an up close observer in what soldiers experience. It gave me a significant appreciation for their sacrifice.

Not a political book but gives you some insights to th...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Terry Schroepfer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book describes the American experience of entering Nuristan - part of Afghanistan - in 2007. Even before the end of this book, it is clear that this effort is “almost a lost cause” because the war was being fought on the cheap and undermanned. It is quite sad to read about the many men who died or were wounded in defending this one base before it was ultimately abandoned by the Americans. It is clear that this result was due to series of failures in both the civilian and military leadership...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Russ rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book is very well written and bound to illicit an emotional response from the reader. The opening and ending are political in nature - trying to lay blame, etc. - but they don't detract from overall storytelling of unimaginable courage of the troops involved. The recount is graphic and will not appeal to readers who have negative feelings towards our military or violence in general. It will be appreciated by readers trying to gain an understanding of the sacrifices that ordinary young men ma...more

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May 01, 2013 Amy Edwards rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Outpost tells the sad story of the doomed Combat Outpost Keating, an outpost situated in a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan. It is incredibly disappointing to realize our military could be so foolish as to post our soldiers in such a dangerous location. To a man every soldier that ever arrived at COP Keating was astounded at the poor position of the outpost, where enemies could easily own the high ground. While the story is a tribute to hono...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Nicole Perez rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Our relationships that we established years ago were paramount in the success of the liberation of that particular village," Captain Alex Newsom insisted. "Without any American presence for two and a half years, these people we supported, they kept the fight up. All they needed was equipment. These are good people. There is hope."

I would like to believe the brave men and women who served in this remote part of Afghanistan feel the same way. I wish I could have the same positive attitude about t...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Doug added it

Well written and reseached, but I can't rate it or recommend it. Provides a solid, detailed analysis of a specific portion and location of the Afgan War, but the overall result was depressing for me. Here's the summary: America has some heroic young men who are wasted by their "leaders" at all levels of command, both political and military. Most the soldiers seem to die either needlessly or in vain-- they are valued only so much as they don't question command and/or help command to look good. I...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Jonathan Blanks rated it 4 of 5 stars

A detailed and heartbreaking account of what happens when an obviously bad plan by a career officer meets with military inertia. Tapper does a great job of bringing the personalities and conflicts of the soldiers who both made it back and did not. If you can handle a good amount of military jargon and can visualize basic military strategy without staring at the map--and can handle graphic details of soldiers dying--I highly recommend this book if you want to better understand the complications o...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First of all, please don't take my 3-star rating as a negative. This was an EXCELLENT book. An incredible and eye-opening view into the life of a soldier as well as the real story of what's going on in Afghanistan. I have much respect for our soldiers, but serious questions about the military leadership. In their defense, there is an ingrained culture where questions aren't asked and top brass is always right. It's very difficult to change that. But, as this book points out, that culture is caus...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Chip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Heart-rending and enraging -- a grunts'-eye view of the insanity of the Afghanistan War during the criminally underfunded and under-manned Bush years, and into the futile fog of Obama's first term.

The inside cover maps list distant combat outposts and FOBs near the Pakistan border. Tapper tells the stories of the men who fought and died at each one, and as the book progresses, each is named after the fallen like a grim roll call.

How we ended up yielding the high ground as unwelcome invaders in...more

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About Jake Tapper

Jake Tapper is the senior White House correspondent for ABC News. He is the host of "Political Punch with Jake Tapper," a web show that gives an inside look at the White House, and appears regularly on "Good Morning America," "Nightline," and "World News with Diane Sawyer." Prior to joining ABC News, he was the national correspondent for Salon.com and a columnist for TALK Magazine. He has written...more

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