Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by Doug Stanton

Jun 16, 2011 Terri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-war, own, favorites, afghanistan-war, american-military-and-foreign-polic

Fantastic. Utterly fantastic. Books like this rarely come along - the books that should exceed the 5 star Goodreads rating system. To me, Horse Soldiers, by far and away, is one of those books.
The story in itself is astounding. That a group of Special Forces guys would be dropped into Afghanistan with the express intention of assisting the Northern Alliance by calling in bombs on targets. So yes, that story in itself is fascinating, and inspirational, but you then have to add into the equation t...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

”I asked for a few Americans,” said General Abdul Rashid Dostum. “they brought with them the courage of a whole army.”

The Famous Horse Soldiers of Afghanistan.

Dostum was ruling Northern Afghanistan when the Taliban captured Masar-i-Sharif in 1998 and blew up the ancient Buddhas that had watched over the town for centuries. ”What man had the right to write the future by blowing up the past?” The Taliban wanted a pure state, a return to a brand of Islam that is true to their interpreted beliefs o...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Bill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Special Forces lead the way... This was interesting to see how effectively a well trained group of men adequately supported by airpower can turn the tide of a conflict. Great insight into the shadow warriors. The section on the errant bomb during the battle for Qala-i-Jangi was especially moving. Knowing how easily things can go wrong in a conflict, I was surprised that the operations of TF Dagger did not receive more casualties. I appreciate the sacrifice of these soldiers and their Northern Al...more

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May 11, 2012 Jerome rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cia-sof-afghanistan-2001, john-mulholland-5th-special-forces

Excellent book chronicling ODC 53's, ODA 595's, and ODA 534's operations in Afghanistan, taking some small villages with warlord Dostum's and Atta's militia forces and culminating in the battles of Mazar-e Sharif and Qala-i Jangi fortress, where CIA officer Mike Spann became the first casualty of the war. It really puts the reader in the atmosphere.
Of course, i had read about Dostum and the battles for Mazar-e Sharif and Qala-i Jangi in Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda: A Persona ...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Mike Gottert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: afghanistan, military

Stanton documents the actions of U.S. Special Forces soldiers who entered Afghanistan in October 2001 with the mission of assisting Northern Alliance forces in their battle against the Taliban. The description of 21st Century horse cavalry charges alone are worth reading the book for. Besides the stories of the men involved Stanton also documents the activities of John Walker Lindh. The book culminates in the riot at Qala-i-Jangi where Lindh was captured and Mike Spann became the first U.S. casu...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Jeffrey May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Saddle Pains but Worth the Ride

It’s stunning to think that we “invaded” Afghanistan only about one month after 9/11. Doug Stanton’s Horse Soldiers, for the most part, effectively depicts a new kind of warfare, redefining the term “invasion.” From a base in Uzbekistan, we learn about our forces coordinating with warlords, calling in bomb strikes, and riding into battle horseback on makeshift wood and cloth saddles with ill-fitting stirrups and no saddle horn. Likely many of us remember the images...more Saddle Pains but Worth the Ride

It’s stunning to think that we “invaded” Afghanistan only about one month after 9/11. Doug Stanton’s Horse Soldiers, for the most part, effectively depicts a new kind of warfare, redefining the term “invasion.” From a base in Uzbekistan, we learn about our forces coordinating with warlords, calling in bomb strikes, and riding into battle horseback on makeshift wood and cloth saddles with ill-fitting stirrups and no saddle horn. Likely many of us remember the images of those soldiers on TV, but their story has never been told because they were CIA and Special Forces on a secret mission. One can only admire and thank these men. They are American heroes. I believe that our initial invasion of Afghanistan was a just war, and I also think it essential that we salute the service of these men. While Stanton avoids political statements, one picture caption is revealing. “(Staff Sergeant Brett) Walden, as did all the Special Forces, took great care to recognize the custom and culture of local Afghan citizens. He would survive the conflict in Afghanistan and was later tragically killed in Iraq.” My criticisms of Stanton’s book have nothing to do these men, their bravery, and our mission in Afghanistan.

Other reviews of this book are likely favorable, and mostly they are deserved, but I believe it’s time that we as “reviewers” start doing a better job. The critic’s job is to point out both the good and the bad, and in this case there is some perfectly awful writing. Mostly, when this occurs, I blame the publishers first who are invariably out to make a quick buck, then I blame the editors who were likely pressured by the publishers. Then the author, but I like to think that if Doug Stanton were to read his book now, he might want to revise. Books like Horse Soldiers deserve better.

For long stretches the story is gripping, and I admire Stanton’s extensive research. However, the writing is much too often interrupted by irrelevant scenes and cheap tricks that are acceptable when they work, and abysmal when they don’t. For example, the prologue is not a prologue at all, it is an event told out of sequence, out of context, with no point of reference. It was intended to capture our interest right from the start with action scenes, compelling us buy the book, but it fails partly because of the clumsy writing, making dramatic real-life events sound like a cheap action thriller, as evidenced by the first two sentences. “Trouble came in the night... Trouble rolled past the refuge camp... the lone cry of a baby driving high into the sky, like a nail.” Who compares a baby crying to a nail, especially one that “drives high into the sky”? Then we have “Sunrise was no better; at sunrise, trouble was still there, bristling with AKs and RPGs, engines idling, waiting to roll into the city. Waiting.” I can admire understating potential catastrophe as “trouble,” but continual repetition of the word degrades the narrative (and just in case you missed it, trouble was waiting.) This is pretentious bad writing, which is... troubling.

Part one opens with “Little Bird woke.” A paragraph or so down we learn that “Little Bird” is Mohammed Atta, then a couple pages of information about 9/11 that anybody with a pulse in the past ten years has practically memorized. Perhaps this is an attempt to “remind” us, or teach young people about those events. If so, this should all be a footnote, not integrated into the story. Then we have about 75 pages of plodding, disjointed background information, attempts to personalize these men by providing pages of mind-numbing ordinariness, the Special Forces guys preparing for their mission, poorly dramatized by italics, lack of focus, cliches, and so on.

Somewhere in here the narrative seems to gain focus and really take off but, inexplicably, it is interrupted by jazzed up dramatization of John Walker Lindh’s “normal” upbringing. This is not a story about John Walker Lindh and attempts to weave his story into the Horse Soldiers creates another series of sections for skimming, forcing the reader to search for reentry into the real narrative.

On page 128, a map of the campaign appears. Why there, and why not at the beginning or end? Flipping back to the map was irritating because, unless you write the page number down, you won’t find it. It appears as if randomly placed. Horse Soldiers needs a good copy edit. Some may think I’m being picky. Okay, fair point, after all how much of an annoyance was skimming irrelevant info and flipping around looking for a map? And I supposed we have become so used to poor quality that we are willing to overlook it. And in the grand scheme of things, my minor annoyances don’t really amount to much. Do they?

Even with my criticisms, the core story about bravery on horseback in Afghanistan make this worth the aggravation of having to skim irrelevant sections and poorly written passages. As with all my writing, you may easily feed it to the fish. And if you feel like criticizing my work, please do.

Jeffrey Penn May, author of Where the River Splits, No Teacher Left Standing, and others. Visit my website: http://www.askwritefish.com (less)

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Nov 26, 2011 Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

This was a fascinating book that left me with two takeaway points. (1) Afghanistan is one of the most incredibly complex, dangerous, nuanced, barren, afflicted, difficult places on earth. It is hard for Americans, who live with such far-reaching freedom and ridiculous affluence, to even imagine that a place like this exists. Unless, of course, you are one of the brave and dedicated members of our armed forces (like those in this book) who have spent time fighting there. (2) The best way to fight...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Alyce (At Home With Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Horse Soldiers is the story of the first group of Special Forces soldiers to arrive in Afghanistan; the story of those who prepared the way for the arrival of the rest of the US troops. Their goal was to utilize and incorporate the existing rebel Afghan troops in the defense against the Taliban.

This book was informative in that I learned quite a bit that I didn’t know about the first soldiers who went into Afghanistan. It was nice to not only learn about their preparations for their missions, bu...more Horse Soldiers is the story of the first group of Special Forces soldiers to arrive in Afghanistan; the story of those who prepared the way for the arrival of the rest of the US troops. Their goal was to utilize and incorporate the existing rebel Afghan troops in the defense against the Taliban.

This book was informative in that I learned quite a bit that I didn’t know about the first soldiers who went into Afghanistan. It was nice to not only learn about their preparations for their missions, but also to see what their personal lives were like prior to their deployment, especially in the secrecy of their service (their friends and neighbors not knowing what their jobs were).

If I had no knowledge of the war except for reading this book, it would be easy to think that the book implied that the war in Afghanistan was over and done with after the battles that were summed up in this book. I think part of that is due to the hopeful tone at the end of the book, but really it did seem as if the author was saying, “These battles won us the war,” and that seemed odd to me because the war is obviously not over.

The author has an interesting take on the war in Afghanistan vs. the war in Iraq, and how their progress has been vastly different because of the approach and utilization of the citizens of each country; predicting success or failure based on how our military empowered the people to fight for themselves against those inciting violence. The comparison is being made because the military in Afghanistan tried to work with the rebel forces that were already there, whereas in Iraq the military was disbanded.

It does make sense that a military created from the people themselves would have more support than a foreign army (the difference between countrymen fighting for liberty vs. foreigners seen as occupiers – regardless of their intent to spread liberty among the people). The main problem I have with the comparison in this book is that it is kind of tacked on at the end, and there is not enough time or space to elaborate on the subject. Really, I have to think that a comparison of tactics that have succeeded and failed in both wars could fill many volumes.

Finally, I have to say that there was an overwhelming amount of people followed in this book. Keeping track of the names and personalities was a challenge even with the guide at the front.

Horse Soldiers was certainly an interesting read about how the first US soldiers set up operations in Afghanistan, if for nothing else than to see how woefully unprepared and ill-informed our intelligence community was at that time.(less)

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Feb 07, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the aftemath of the tragedy of 9/11, a Special Forces team was sent into Afghanistan to help overthrow the oppressive Taliban.

This was a small group that went in under total secrecy. Its hard to believe but only a very few top ranking military and political people knew of their incursion. Their families, although they were used to secrecy, were told nothing other than they were going on a mission.

The mission was highly unusual in that the Special Forces were to work with the many Afghan war l...more In the aftemath of the tragedy of 9/11, a Special Forces team was sent into Afghanistan to help overthrow the oppressive Taliban.

This was a small group that went in under total secrecy. Its hard to believe but only a very few top ranking military and political people knew of their incursion. Their families, although they were used to secrecy, were told nothing other than they were going on a mission.

The mission was highly unusual in that the Special Forces were to work with the many Afghan war lords. Their goal was to attempt to bring them together as a unified fighting force, and assist them in defeating the Taliban.

The book gives an excellent description of what these Special Forces people would be up against in this endeavor. One of the soldiers likened it to, "The Flintstones meeting the Jetsons". One can only imagine the difference in technology and culture.

The soldiers worked as well as they could within the cultural boundaries of the Afghans, and met them more than halfway in living amongst them. The ate what they ate, they suffered the cold winter nights, and rode horses into battle. They stood beside the Afghans in dangeous situation after dangerous situation. They advised whenever possible but without being obtrusive.

The climax of the book is the battle of Mazar-i-Sharif. This fortress was in the hands of the Americans and Afghans, but due to an error in judgement, about 600 Taliban were allowed to surrender but were held under inadequate security. The Taliban, not really meaning to surrender, entered the facility with armament hidded under their tunics. They knew that the main Afghan fighting force was moved to a major battle in Konduz, and took this opportunity to attack Mazar-i-Sharif from within. What follows is a bloody battle that had the Special Forces using everything at their disposal to stay alive.

This is an unusal story of was and how war is fought. The author details the experiences of the soldiers, but also gives the reader some insight to the families they leave behind. It also gives a good look at unconventional warfare.(less)

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Sep 24, 2010 Billbob Spear rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military

Having read Sebastian Junger's WAR, I was hungry for more Afghan information. This book is another must read for those who are trying to understand what we are really involved in in Afghanistan. Doug Stanton explains what it was like to be among the 50 Special Forces men who won the initial war in Afghanistan by bringing in hi-tech techniques to assist the horse soldiers of the Northern Alliance in defeating 50,000 Taliban fighters. Now we are back and are losses are going up.

War (SJunger) weak...more

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May 18, 2010 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A birthday book! One that once started, had to be finished. It is the story of the first three months after September 11, 2001, when Osama bin laden was identified as the overall ideological leader of the strike, the Afghanistan Taliban refusing the US request/demand for his capture and handover(indeed he was made an honorary Afghan citizen by the Taliban government sometime in October or November, 2001), and when a war began.

A military book, it describes the details of how US special forces sol...more A birthday book! One that once started, had to be finished. It is the story of the first three months after September 11, 2001, when Osama bin laden was identified as the overall ideological leader of the strike, the Afghanistan Taliban refusing the US request/demand for his capture and handover(indeed he was made an honorary Afghan citizen by the Taliban government sometime in October or November, 2001), and when a war began.

A military book, it describes the details of how US special forces soldiers were called from "normal" deployment or R&R within hours and days after 9/11 - saying goodbye to normal life (children at school, soccer games, wives about to give birth, etc), and heading to a world apparently forgotten by our intelligence agencies. With teams of only 10-20 at a time headed for Uzbekistan, then airlifted into Afghanistan, these soldiers used emergency US Government credit cards to supply themselves from outdoor stores such as REI, Campmor, and LLBean with sleeping bags, Garmin GPS units, camelback water packs, whole shelves of batteries from Batteries Plus, and pistols and ammo direct from Shotgun Magazine. (Government requisition was available, but would have taken too long.)

Armed with laptops, and antennas, these specially trained men were to meet up with the thin remaining forces of Afghan warlords - left over from the days when these individuals were supported by the US against the Soviet occupation - who were now clinging to a small shrinking slice of land near the Uzbek border. (Remember that on September 9, a Taliban suicide squad had assassinated the major Alliance commander and Mujahideen warrior Massoud, as an indirect prelude to the 9-11 attack, and were advancing in late September towards complete control of the country.)

The story unfolds as the Taliban are abruptly stopped by arriving US air assets directed by these on the ground US soldiers allied with the Northern Alliance forces, then driven slowly back towards Mazar-i-sharif. It was there that the first post 9-11 US combat casualty occurred - Mike Spann, a CIA operative who was killed during a revolt of Tliban prisoners at a large fort while he was interrogating captured foreign fighters. A thread of this story is the story of John Walker Lindh - the American Taliban captured and held at this fort, seen briefly by Spann, and returned later to the US for trial.

As with most war books, it is a bitter intense tale - full of loss, violence, and tears. The author lifts his narrative at the end - he describes the aftermath of the story, the trial of Lindh in America, the Arlington national cemetery plot given to Mike Spann between the remains of two Iwo Jima veterans one of whom is Ira Hayes - a Pima Indian who was one of those 5 Marines raising the iconic flag of US victory on the island.

A snippet described regarding Spann's burial caught my attention as well, a reminder about people's lives cut short in war, "When Mike lived nearby in Manassas Park, he had enjoyed walking through the cemetery and studying the headstones. Even as a boy during family trips to Washington DC, he liked to walk among the headstones. This bored a sister who told him, "Mike, let's go! They're all the same!" "No Tanya, they're not," he had said. "There are stories behind them.""

In an afterward, the author brings us surprisingly close to the present - including his observations regarding President Obama's March 2009 decision to send an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan bolstering the nearly 40,000 US and NATO troops already there. He ends with the question that the Special Forces branch of the military has asked for decades, "what do you do when someone wants to harm you? Do you use physical force? Social interaction? Cultural influence?" The answers hinted at through the story are both sophisticated, elusive, contradictory, and shifting. And nearly always surprising. (less)

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Sep 18, 2009 Gary Brecht rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first glance the title conjures images of mid-nineteenth century cavalry chasing bands of Native Americans across the western plains. Quite to the contrary, one discovers this is the true story of American Special Forces inserted in Afghanistan immediately after the events of 9/11. Their mission was to assist a loose coalition of Afghani warlords, known as the Northern Alliance, in recapturing key territory conquered by the Taliban, and to locate and bring to justice the Terrorist, Osama Bin...more At first glance the title conjures images of mid-nineteenth century cavalry chasing bands of Native Americans across the western plains. Quite to the contrary, one discovers this is the true story of American Special Forces inserted in Afghanistan immediately after the events of 9/11. Their mission was to assist a loose coalition of Afghani warlords, known as the Northern Alliance, in recapturing key territory conquered by the Taliban, and to locate and bring to justice the Terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. The story proceeds from their harrowing arrival by helicopter through a mysterious dessert phenomenon that causes pilots to fly blindly to attaching themselves to a warlord named Dostum whose troops depend largely on horses. Most of the Special Forces team members had little or no experience riding horses, let alone taking them over treacherous mountain passes. By utilizing their technological advantage of laser guided bombs the SF troops were able to expeditiously recapture key cities like Mazari Sharif which enabled the Northern Alliance to rid their country of Taliban soldiers. A detailed account is given of the battle of Qala-i-Janghi in which 600 Taliban soldiers who had surrendered suddenly turned on their captors, killing the first American soldier in Afghanistan after 9/11.The fort in which they had been incarcerated became a bloody killing ground for both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. It was also the place where the so-called “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh was captured.

Stanton weaves within the narrative the personal side of some of the principal SF team members, illustrating the effect their mission had on their families and fellow professionals. It also highlights the significance of the Special Forces’ unique approach to war…one which emphasizes respect for the cultures of those with whom they work. Such a well-rounded approach to soldiering, as Stanton points out, was essential to the success of their mission. This is at times a very exciting story and one that certainly would make most Americans proud.
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Sep 15, 2009 Leo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military, favorites

Gives an account of how we got into the Afgan war. With a hand full of 5th Brigade, Special Forces Soldiers,most of them veterans over 30 years of age, we worked with the Afgans to defeat the Taliban and AlQaida. Nevertheless, we abandoned that front and went to war in Iraq. Most of those were killed in Iraq and are now resting in Arlington. Now we are back to the Afgan war which is spreading and we have over 60,000 soldiers and they want to send more.
WHEN WILL WILL WE REST FROM WARS??

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Jul 29, 2010 Craig rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: war-military

This book contains a riviting account of two US "Special Forces" teams (14 men) who were sent into Afganistan shortly after the terroist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. They worked with CIA agents already in place. Linking up with Afganistan forces opposed to the Taliban, the book details how these teams worked with the Afgan warlords to rout tens of thousands of Taliban soldiers from northern Afganistan, and eventually (through their successors) from other parts of the country. The t...more

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May 06, 2011 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: war, nonfiction

Long story made short: After 9/11 we invaded Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden. The Taliban was in power and gave safe harbor to al-Qaeda and other terrorists. The "tip of the spear" was a small, mobile detail of Special Forces operatives working in concert with CIA paramilitary officers. This is the story of how these men joined forces with the Northern Alliance and took on and defeated the enemy...on horseback.

This riveting story was diligently researched by Doug Stanton and paints a fr...more

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May 27, 2009 Carmaletta Hilton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a difficult read. At times, I felt like I was trudging through a high school or college text book with the information piling on top of me until I couldn't breathe. Other times, however, I felt like I was in the middle of a story with a real narrative that pulled me along. Obviously, the narrative parts were easier to read, but at the same time, they gave me pause and made me stop. I found myself actually reading it like this was a story, some kind of historical fiction, which led...more This book was a difficult read. At times, I felt like I was trudging through a high school or college text book with the information piling on top of me until I couldn't breathe. Other times, however, I felt like I was in the middle of a story with a real narrative that pulled me along. Obviously, the narrative parts were easier to read, but at the same time, they gave me pause and made me stop. I found myself actually reading it like this was a story, some kind of historical fiction, which led me to look at the people involved as characters that I needed to feel one way or the other about, that I needed to understand, instead of the real people were involved. This became a problem when someone did or said something I didn't agree with, or as in the case of Mike Spann, the way in which the author presented his backstory made me think a little less of him. I had to put my feelings about these characters' decisions aside and remember that I am not really here to judge these people, I'm not even reading this book to judge them. I'm reading simply to find out what happened.

I was forced to think about a lot of things as I read Horse Soldiers, but the main one actually kind of made me feel guilty about reading the book. I have always believed that we don't need to know everything and that there are some things that we don't need to know. As I read about how these Special Forces men lived in secret and had no desire to be heroes, I wondered how much we force these people to sacrifice by what the media like to call America's "need to know." As I read about the way the media rained down on everyone involved, from the men in Afghanistan to the families back at home, I became even more upset. People's lives could be in danger by revealing not only these identities, but also where these people live. The fear that some of these soldiers expressed over their identities getting out made me feel bad about reading this book and I had to put it down. Then, in a few minutes, I was actually kind of angry because while they did seem to have this fear of being found out, they also spoke freely with the author of the book, thus giving away that anonymity that they so valued. I was able to push those thoughts away because this is something they participated in, something that is meant to be read.

Overall, I found the book interesting, and what those men did in Afghanistan was absolutely amazing. I was leaning toward 3.5 enough, at first, to push it to a 4, but I settled at three because of the epilogue (which felt pretty judgmental to me) and because, in the end, it was a pretty difficult read. There were so many people involved, many of them often introduced only once or twice, that I couldn't keep them all straight, even though it was clear that I was supposed to readily remember who had done what and with whom. Despite that, Mr. Stanton did put forth a story that intrigued me and I will probably pick up his other book, In Harm's Way.(less)

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Mar 13, 2013 Mike A rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read dozen's of books based on the Afghan war but by no means an expert. I am nor a soldier or historian but an American trying to understand the war. I've read this book several times and see new meaning each time I read it. I wonder why the US didn't create a hybrid plan that embraced Rumsfeld as well as Powell. War historians in the future should look at the successes documented in Horse Soldiers and in later years of the Afghan conflict it's failures. Like 9/11, we cannot forget the cou...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Dergrossest rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Whether it is Alexander the Great conquering in antiquity, the British being wiped out in the Victorian Age, or the Soviets suffering through a meat-grinder occupation in the 1980’s, the wars in Afghanistan are always a gruesomely interesting affair. The Afghanis are perhaps the toughest people in the world living in stone-age conditions in one of the harshest countries on the planet. The privations which they have faced with stoicism during the last 30 years, most lately caused by the brutal Ta...more Whether it is Alexander the Great conquering in antiquity, the British being wiped out in the Victorian Age, or the Soviets suffering through a meat-grinder occupation in the 1980’s, the wars in Afghanistan are always a gruesomely interesting affair. The Afghanis are perhaps the toughest people in the world living in stone-age conditions in one of the harshest countries on the planet. The privations which they have faced with stoicism during the last 30 years, most lately caused by the brutal Taliban and outlined in this book, are sadly amazing.

However, the might of American arms and the ingenuity of its fighting men and women are ultimately the stars of this show about the first U.S. ground forces to enter Afghanistan in 2001. They do not disappoint and the struggles and triumphs of U.S. Army Special Forces in this most difficult part of the world are truly impressive. It is hard to point to a more effective fighting force than the Special Forces with their combination of intensive training, maturity, esprit de corps, high-tech weaponry and appreciation for the various cultures with which they are compelled to engage. This is a combination sadly lacking in the U.S. military’s top brass and other soldiers (including Delta Force and the Navy SEALs who are experts in killing only). Indeed, the sincere regret with which the Special Forces used lethal force and their struggles to grapple with the death and destruction they caused was deeply moving.

The writing is crisp, if somewhat matter-of-fact, and the story is a page turner. Nevertheless, it is difficult to completely enjoy this book knowing that the gains which were so hard fought by these brave men were ultimately squandered by the Bush administration’s failure to commit enough U.S. regular forces to ensnare the remnants of Al Queda and the Taliban as they fled to Pakistan because of their diversion to the senseless invasion of Iraq. Sadly, we are still paying a heavy price for that mistake today.
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Dec 14, 2009 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a non-fiction account about a group of Special Forces teams and CIA operatives who are sent into Afghanistan following 9/11. Their mission was unpublicized and they were to operate with a confederation of anti Taliban warlords acting as advisors and providing air support during conflicts with the Taliban. They lived as the did, eating what they ate and moving by horseback or on foot for the most part. Despite being well trained they endured a good bit of hardship that was a daily life fo...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Cecelia Hightower added it · review of another edition

Shelves: bill-2013

(2009 in hardback and updated and reprinted in 2010) This book was written about a small group of Special Forces troops sent to Afghanistan to assist in the battle against the Taliban. These men were air lifted in and fought along side the Afgans, living with them, eating what they ate, and riding horses into battle against tanks and other armored war vehicles. The main weapon in their kit was the ability to pin-point and call in Air Force strikes. To me the author provided a good insight into w...more

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Jul 21, 2009 Jacqui rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, military

What an amazing untold story of the American Special Forces in Afghanistan following 9/11. They were welcomed as liberators. People lined the streets thanking this small band of Americans for freeing them from Taliban rule.

How'd they do it? Riding horses shoulder-to-shoulder with the indigenous Northern Alliance soldiers, using Civil War strategies for mounted attacks. They worked with the embedded Afghani soldiers. They considered their wisdom and experience. They fought with them in the mount...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Rex Yoder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a good choice to read because it was interesting and it was just a fun book for me to read. This book is also a good choice for people to read that are interested in books that are full of action and suspense.I like the fact that the Author wrote a book to shed more light on the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and what happened in the following eight years.
This story takes place in Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan, about a week after the 9/11 attacks happened. The main characters are a group o...more

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Oct 03, 2009 charlie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A lot of reporting about our military's activities over the last few years has been about the scandals of poor civilian planning, under resourcing and many shameful tales of horrific moral judgement. It's important to read periodically a book which conveys the other side of our military - the skills, determination, courage and dedication of the guys on the ground.

At the same time, it´s hard to separate your admiration for the characters and their story in this book versus the book itself. I coul...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I ride horses, which is why this book first caught my eye; the idea of Americans fighting in Afghanistan on horseback fascinated me. I admit that I am embarrassingly ignorant about anything other than the most general details of the war there, and when I read the subtitle of the book I said to myself, “Rode to what victory in Afghanistan?”

I’ve seen several reviewers complain about the number of pages devoted to the men and what they were doing on September 11, 2001, that it took too long to star...more I ride horses, which is why this book first caught my eye; the idea of Americans fighting in Afghanistan on horseback fascinated me. I admit that I am embarrassingly ignorant about anything other than the most general details of the war there, and when I read the subtitle of the book I said to myself, “Rode to what victory in Afghanistan?”

I’ve seen several reviewers complain about the number of pages devoted to the men and what they were doing on September 11, 2001, that it took too long to start talking about them actually being in Afghanistan and about the epilogue. I’ve also seen gripes about having distances between cities, officers’ ranks, etc. wrong (I read the paperback; I don’t know if anything was corrected for it.). For me, none of these things were a big deal. Remember, I wondered what victory it was Stanton was referring to? I didn’t realize it was only weeks after the terrorist attacks, so, while I wasn't expecting it, I found that part of the book interesting, especially since these guys knew what it meant for them.

Before I read Horse Soldiers, for the most part I thought that we needed to get out of Afghanistan and Iraq, that there wasn’t much hope that we could really help bring any peace to the region, and why should American money be spent and lives lost? Yes, even though I knew there were some who did want us there and that conditions could get even worse, and fast, without us. I’m a bit more conflicted about the idea of us leaving entirely after reading this book, not just because of the ramifications for the Afghans (I just saw a story on the news tonight about a blind man the Taliban has said they will kill in several days because he’s teaching women how to use computers and that American forces were no longer responsible for protecting him), but also because of the warlords and their men who worked with the Special Forces. I don’t agree with these guys’ illegal activities or their, what I thought were, asinine attempts to boost their own strength and numbers during the fight for Mazar-i-Sharif and the negotiations for the Taliban’s surrender, but I couldn’t help admire their courage and their attempts to keep the Americans safe (despite the fact that it benefitted them and especially when there were huge bounties on their heads).

I lived on Staten Island and worked in lower Manhattan in 2001. When I finally got out of Manhattan on the first ferry allowed to leave and we broke through the debris cloud that resulted when the first tower fell, I leaned out the window and looked back. When some of the smoke cleared I could see that one tower was gone and then watched, shocked, as the second tower collapsed. I remember talking to two guys, who I think were construction workers or contractors, and we were wondering what the hell was going on (we’d heard of a plane crashing in or near Pittsburgh too), but I also remember saying that whatever was happening we needed to find who did this and get them. I knew it would be the U.S. military who would be the ones to eventually get whoever they were, but I never really thought about the individuals, or that they would be fighting a 19th Century style war. I’m quite sure these guys aren't/weren’t perfect, but the way they went about helping the Afghans push back the Taliban while being sensitive to their culture and beliefs was incredible (Oh, and one thing that made my jaw drop was their low salaries; absolutely ludicrous.). The fact that there are tens of thousands of troops there now unable to do what those few men did really makes me wish that our leaders, military and civilian, would get over themselves and realize that maybe they should actually take a look at, and listen to, these Special Forces guys who, as Stanton mentioned more than once, thought before they acted.

One of my complaints with the book was that I wish Stanton had included more of a where-are-they-now in the epilogue about the rest of the teams, Dostum, Atta and some others. Also, there are a lot of people to keep track of, the book jumps around between the teams, K-2 and others, which makes it a little tough to follow at times, but I really enjoyed this book. I know it’s not often that we hear from and about these guys, which I agree with for security reasons, so I’m very glad that Doug Stanton was able to write this book. It was fascinating to learn about their training and the weapons and methods these guys used under waaay less than ideal conditions. Though most of the book was very serious there were parts, especially related to horseback riding, that had me cracking up.

Yes, there may be some facts that are off or wrong, but I really liked this book. Whether you’re like I was, woefully lacking in knowledge about the early days of the war in Afghanistan, or not, I highly recommend Horse Soldiers.(less)

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Jun 02, 2009 James rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'It was OK' is really the best I can do.

The characters were too numerous to follow a narrative, the details too sound-byte-ish to follow the procedural.

But perhaps the worst infraction that a flash-in-the-pan, not-intended-to-be-on-bookstore-shelves-two-years-from-now book, can commit: it was easy to put down. Easy to set aside, easy to get distracted from.

That said, I give it an 'OK' and not something worse, because it did have it's interesting bits. Not the writing, and not enough, but the sto...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Marks54 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an account of the efforts of the US special forces/CIA teams that infiltrated Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and teamed up with the warlords of the Northern Alliance to defeat the Taliban and the terrorists in around three months. It is a largely journalistic account, describing what the teams did, how they prepared, how the battles went, etc. Some of this materials was already accounted in magazines at the time, especially a NYT magazine story I seem to recall. It is very well writt...more This is an account of the efforts of the US special forces/CIA teams that infiltrated Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and teamed up with the warlords of the Northern Alliance to defeat the Taliban and the terrorists in around three months. It is a largely journalistic account, describing what the teams did, how they prepared, how the battles went, etc. Some of this materials was already accounted in magazines at the time, especially a NYT magazine story I seem to recall. It is very well written and engaging on a number of levels.

Some of he takeaways include:
. The skill and initiatives of the soldiers involved is outstanding. This is perhaps the ultimate story of special forces teams and how they can best operate. In this situation, everything seemed to come together well but these men were superbly trained and some of the most effective individuals I have ever read about. This is a tribute to the benefits of incorporating training squarely into the development of an entire force structure, as the US military pioneered after Vietnam.
. The actual operation of the close air support, multimedia and their interaction with hand-to-hand fighting, cavalry charges, and mountain warfare are enlightening for those of us who have never been in such combat. One of the paradoxes here, mentioned by the author, is that the lack of preparation of the US for the Afghan situation and the small number of forces available to deploy may have forced the adoption of such a strategy, which has not been the American way since the US Civil War.
. Knowing how the history progressed after this episode is more troubling but does not detract in the slightest from the accomplishments of these teams. Afghanistan was neglect once the Iraq war started and this permitted the Taliban to recover. The subsequent history of the Iraq war and the use of the experiences in this book by Rumsfeld to justify war on the cheap is also disheartening. To me, this account is more consistent with the rediscovery of counter-insurgency strategy in the Iraq surge and more generally by General Petraeus.

Overall, not a deep analytical book but thought provoking for those inclined to ponder the relations among strategy, tactics, and the political dimensions of modern war.(less)

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Sep 15, 2009 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: current-affairs, history-world, history-us, military, political-thriller, tech-thriller, nonfiction

Like Ambrose, McCullough, and Lord, Stanton has produced a readable, entertaining historical account of US actions in Afghanistan following 9/11. Not only is this an account of historical importance, but it is a lesson in what a handful of dedicated, professional, Special Forces and CIA operatives can accomplish with the correct will and direction and the importance of "cultural awareness" in the application of war. It is also an account of our "professional soldier" class that will go anywhere,...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Elisif rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very interesting book, and a very satisfying read. Better than other military books I've read because it is written by a journalist who did LOTS of interviews, including Afghanis. I was hoping this would be a horse book as well as a military book, but not so much a horse book. Yes, they do ride horses, and that is significant in that modern warfare is not usually fought from horseback, but there isn't much else about the horses themselves. But it was a very interesting book about how...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Hilmi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pasukan-khas, ketenteraan

Buku ini mengisahkan pengalaman dua buah kumpulan kecil dari Pasukan Khas ke-5 Tentera Darat Amerika Syarikat (AS) membantu Pakatan Utara menentang Taliban di utara Afghanistan. Kedua-dua kumpulan ini diutus tidak berapa lama selepas peristiwa bersejarah 11 September 2001. Pengalaman mereka yang bermula dari pertemuan mereka dengan panglima-panglima perang Pakatan Utara sehingga pembebasan bandar Mazar-i-Sharif direkodkan di dalam buku ini. Selain itu,diselitkan juga pengalaman peristiwa berdara...more Buku ini mengisahkan pengalaman dua buah kumpulan kecil dari Pasukan Khas ke-5 Tentera Darat Amerika Syarikat (AS) membantu Pakatan Utara menentang Taliban di utara Afghanistan. Kedua-dua kumpulan ini diutus tidak berapa lama selepas peristiwa bersejarah 11 September 2001. Pengalaman mereka yang bermula dari pertemuan mereka dengan panglima-panglima perang Pakatan Utara sehingga pembebasan bandar Mazar-i-Sharif direkodkan di dalam buku ini. Selain itu,diselitkan juga pengalaman peristiwa berdarah yang meragut nyawa seorang anggota separa tentera Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),Mike Spann di sebuah bangunan berkubu di Mazar-i-Sharif yang diberi nama Qala-i-Janghi dan penemuan mereka dengan John Walker Lindh,seorang rakyat Amerika yang berjuang di pihak Taliban.
Mungkin ada yang tertanya-tanya,kenapa saya memberikan penilaian sebanyak lima (5) bintang (markah penuh) kepada buku ini? Saya tidak nafikan,buku ini,sama ada sengaja atau tidak disengajakan,sememangnya menyokong kempen ketenteraan (yang dipanggil Operation Enduring Freedom) di Afghanistan pada tahun 2001. Malah,wujud propaganda AS di dalamnya dan terdapat bias atau berat sebelah yang agak ketara. Namun begitu,saya memberikan markah yang sedemikian kerana saya berpendapat penulis buku ini,Doug Stanton,telah berjaya menyampaikan isi cerita utama dengan baik,tepat dan kreatif. Saya katakan baik dan tepat kerana sememangnya buku ini ditulis bukanlah untuk membincangkan perjalanan perang melawan keganasan yang dianjurkan oleh AS (sama ada baik atau tidak peperangan itu dilancarkan). Sebaliknya,fokus utama buku ini ditumpukan kepada pengalaman dua buah kumpulan kecil pasukan khas AS. Penulis telah berjaya 'menterjemahkan' pengalaman mereka itu di dalam buku ini dengan begitu jelas dan teliti sekali,berdasarkan hasil temuramah penulis dengan beberapa ahli kumpulan tersebut yang berkongsi pengalaman dengan penulis buku 'Horse Soldier' ini.
Manakala,dari segi kreativiti pula,penulis berjaya menulis buku ini dalam bentuk yang agak santai sifatnya. Gaya penulisannya lebih mirip kepada penulisan novel walaupun buku ini sebenarnya ditulis berdasarkan kisah benar. Perkara ini dapat dilihat melalui penggunaan dialog dan unsur-unsur saspens turut diterapkan di dalam penulisan. Berdasarkan pemerhatian saya,kebanyakan penulis Barat agak cenderung untuk menggunakan gaya penulisan ala novel ketika menulis sesuatu yang ilmiah atau bukan fiksyen. Mungkin sekali gaya seumpamanya digunakan untuk menarik minat para pembaca dan memudahkan lagi pemahaman pembaca. Bandingkan jika penulisan ilmiah digunakan secara 'rigid'. Mungkin akan ada sesetengah pembaca yang tidak begitu biasa dengan gaya penulisan berbentuk ilmiah akan sukar memahami isi kandungan yang ingin disampaikan oleh penulis,lantas secara tidak langsung akan mengurangkan faktor tarikan untuk membaca. Di Malaysia,sudah wujud beberapa penulis yang menggunakan cara yang sedemikian,namun,bilangannya masih agak kurang. Mungkin cara ini patut digunakan secara meluas untuk menarik minat para pembaca,terutamanya golongan muda untuk lebih banyak membaca bahan bacaan ilmiah terutamanya yang berkaitan dengan sejarah.
Dari segi bahasa,bahasa Inggeris yang digunakan tidak begitu sukar untuk difahami. Bagi mereka yang sudah biasa membaca novel bahasa Inggeris,tidak sukar bagi mereka untuk membaca buku ini. Cuma,memandangkan buku ini ditulis di dalam bahasa Inggeris-AS dan mengenai hal-ehwal ketenteraan,mungkin terdapat perkataan,jargon dan istilah yang memerlukan para pembaca untuk merujuk kepada kamus untuk memahaminya. Di dalam buku ini,terdapat empat (4) bab utama sahaja. Memandangkan buku ini mempunyai bilangan muka surat melebihi 390 muka surat,dari bab ke bab,mempunyai bilangan muka surat yang banyak. Saya berpendapat adalah lebih baik bab-bab itu dipecahkan kepada beberapa sub-bab atau bab-bab kecil di dalam setiap bab untuk memudahkan pembacaan dan pemahaman para pembaca. Ia juga bertindak sebagai 'checkpoint' atau 'pit-stop' kepada pembaca untuk 'berehat' ketika membaca buku yang tebal muka suratnya.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Brad H rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Man !!! What a book !!
James Bond...meets Rooster Cogburn !

As OTR 18 Wheeler truck driver, I spend my time reading books and learning or being "taken" away.
Mr Stanton has written a book for all ages and for all times. There is no finer.... no more well written book then this.

I cheered for the Spec Ops. Cursed our Government and Military "know it alls" for casting aside what was real and what was politics.

The one "minor" flaw that I found with this book was that he had to "black out" names and stu...more

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Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan

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