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The Pepperdogs
"The Serbs behind them were preparing to attack, and in front of them lay open ground, flat and white as a shroud. We've run a hundred miles," Lang thought, "to come up a football field short."
When a fellow Marine is kidnapped, Captain Mark Lang and his recon team, the Pepperdogs, disobey orders and cross into snowbound Serbia to rescue him. A leader who can't quit, Lang is urged on by his team members. Five New York City reservists -- a trader, a fireman, an auto mechanic, a fitness trainer and a computer geek -- set out on an impossible odyssey. Superbly fit and equipped, they employ speed, ambush and the Internet to close in on their target.
After a team member sends back e-mails describing their firefights, the Pepperdogs become front-page news. Once Weekend Warriors, by the end of their mission they are the most feared unit in Europe, fighting anyone who stands in their way. The press calls them ""The Wild Bunch" on technological steroids." Lang, haunted by memories of his missing buddy's dying mother, knows the horrific costs they are inflicting but won't turn back. Their rescue mission, condemned by the military, slowly escalates into a standoff between the Oval Office and NATO Europe with the world watching.
A razor-sharp storyteller and Pentagon insider, Bing West unleashes a blistering techno thriller that probes the limits of physical and mental endurance. Drawing on firsthand knowledge of combat, West fuses the grit of "Blackhawk Down" with the behind-the-scenes intrigue of "The West Wing," showing how in the near future a squad can become wired to the White House, to the dismay of the traditional chain of command. "The Pepperdogs" is a gripping storyabout American reserves, conflicting loyalties and devotion to comrade. What price will a nation pay to save one life?
When a fellow Marine is kidnapped, Captain Mark Lang and his recon team, the Pepperdogs, disobey orders and cross into snowbound Serbia to rescue him. A leader who can't quit, Lang is urged on by his team members. Five New York City reservists -- a trader, a fireman, an auto mechanic, a fitness trainer and a computer geek -- set out on an impossible odyssey. Superbly fit and equipped, they employ speed, ambush and the Internet to close in on their target.
After a team member sends back e-mails describing their firefights, the Pepperdogs become front-page news. Once Weekend Warriors, by the end of their mission they are the most feared unit in Europe, fighting anyone who stands in their way. The press calls them ""The Wild Bunch" on technological steroids." Lang, haunted by memories of his missing buddy's dying mother, knows the horrific costs they are inflicting but won't turn back. Their rescue mission, condemned by the military, slowly escalates into a standoff between the Oval Office and NATO Europe with the world watching.
A razor-sharp storyteller and Pentagon insider, Bing West unleashes a blistering techno thriller that probes the limits of physical and mental endurance. Drawing on firsthand knowledge of combat, West fuses the grit of "Blackhawk Down" with the behind-the-scenes intrigue of "The West Wing," showing how in the near future a squad can become wired to the White House, to the dismay of the traditional chain of command. "The Pepperdogs" is a gripping storyabout American reserves, conflicting loyalties and devotion to comrade. What price will a nation pay to save one life?
- GenresFictionMilitary Fiction
384 pages, Hardcover
First published December 24, 2002
5 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Bing West
24 books91 followersFrancis J. "Bing" West Jr. (born May 2, 1940) is an American author, Marine combat veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration.
West writes about the military, warfighting, and counterinsurgency. In the Vietnam War, he fought in major operations and conducted over a hundred combat patrols in 1966–1968.
(wikipedia)
West writes about the military, warfighting, and counterinsurgency. In the Vietnam War, he fought in major operations and conducted over a hundred combat patrols in 1966–1968.
(wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 25, 2022
Unforgettable.
I felt loyal to the team, mine. I was proud to be American, if North American. Villain was genocidal killer maniac, too real in wars, not just Holocaust. The team felt real. The people felt real, except the president was too good.
Is a Greek Tragedy where heroes get dead, or disabled, disfigured, disgraced? The ending is open, whether sneaky selfish could scapegoat good guys. That is when I wanted the realism to stop.
The newbie was overweight, unfit, carried, kept warm, by the others. His broadcast exaggerations drew supporters but left evidence possible for blame. Finally he was in the way at the wrong time.
I was so frustrated at the situation, especially the end. Where should be safe was not. Could sharpshooter not just take the shot? Banging my head was what I felt like doing.
Suspense is terrific, as in terrifying. Villain blames heroes for his crimes. Will lost man be found? be alive? be normal? die sooner or later? Will team save him? Will enough support come in time? Much much more.
Conflict builds. Opposition grows. Till the most unpredictable of climaxes. Boys excited till pain, blood. Team's good deeds are rewarded by attacks, smelly sleeping bag, death.
Marine volunteers want to rescue (body) member of team, vanished on patrol, close to Serb/Croat border. Resistance against their effort is bad on their side too. A last minute replacement is so excited to be part of the famed pepperdogs, he posts at first secretly to the web.
I felt loyal to the team, mine. I was proud to be American, if North American. Villain was genocidal killer maniac, too real in wars, not just Holocaust. The team felt real. The people felt real, except the president was too good.
Is a Greek Tragedy where heroes get dead, or disabled, disfigured, disgraced? The ending is open, whether sneaky selfish could scapegoat good guys. That is when I wanted the realism to stop.
The newbie was overweight, unfit, carried, kept warm, by the others. His broadcast exaggerations drew supporters but left evidence possible for blame. Finally he was in the way at the wrong time.
I was so frustrated at the situation, especially the end. Where should be safe was not. Could sharpshooter not just take the shot? Banging my head was what I felt like doing.
Suspense is terrific, as in terrifying. Villain blames heroes for his crimes. Will lost man be found? be alive? be normal? die sooner or later? Will team save him? Will enough support come in time? Much much more.
Conflict builds. Opposition grows. Till the most unpredictable of climaxes. Boys excited till pain, blood. Team's good deeds are rewarded by attacks, smelly sleeping bag, death.
Marine volunteers want to rescue (body) member of team, vanished on patrol, close to Serb/Croat border. Resistance against their effort is bad on their side too. A last minute replacement is so excited to be part of the famed pepperdogs, he posts at first secretly to the web.
March 29, 2020
This book was really good. Anyone in the service has dealt with the politicians sticking their nose in where it doesn’t belong. If the U.S. military was allowed to fight conflicts the way they should there would not be many more conflicts.
The characters were believable and the book moved right along.
The characters were believable and the book moved right along.
June 26, 2011
Fictional account of a Marine rescue in Kosovo/Serbia. Insight into that conflict.
July 30, 2014
I know why I hate war books. Bing West follow through on it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews