Horse Soldiers

[Dino0311]

I'm enjoying this book, but there is some odd stuff in it. The atrocities in Vietnam crap jumped out at me as well as the total bullshit about Gracie jiu-jitsu and "grappling".

[Forestboy]

Read it yesterday. I agree with the comments here, when he was quoting the ODA's/telling their story, it was good, when he was doing background it was not so good. I also think he rushed to failure trying to get it published quickly.

That being said, I'll still keep the book for the library at home.

[dusty]

Sorry for the necro-post, but I just recently listened to Horse Soldiers on disc as I made an 800 mile drive.

Did anyone else think the author went well out of his way to be especially kind and forgiving to John Walker "Suleiman Rashid" Lindh? Repeated mentions of how Lindh hadn't come to Afghanistan to engage in terrorism, but to fight terrorism. How he was cold and wet and scared in the Qala-i-Jangi, and that he was nowhere near Mike Spann when he went down. The repeated soft-soaping became irritating and soured me on what was otherwise an outstanding account.

I noticed a little of the same excuse-making in Sides' "Ghost Soldiers" when the author made excuses for the savagery and inhumanity of the Japanese toward POWs.

[MandMmom]

Read it on a recent flight--picked it up because I had read his book on the Indianapolis years ago (which was excellent). Good read--though I would have to agree on other's reactions to some of the references to history and his repeated empathetic focus on Lindh (I find it hard to believe that Lindh was that ignorant of what he was walking into).

It did leave me wondering if Special Forces has included a class in "horsemanship" -- who would have thought

[The91Bravo]

I had a friend that was on 595, and he was killed in Ramadi, Iraq later in the war. I have seen pictures of Bill Bennett on his horse at the ODA's team room, back when CSM Walker was the CSM. I will miss Bill, and I hope to read this book soon. He and his team's actions during this part of the GWOT deserved to be told.

Later if you remember when Saddam was rolled up, the medic sticking the tongue depressor into his raunchy mouth was Bill. I think I saw him on CNN with Lindh too, but not sure.

[The_Dirty_Name]

I read the book early this month.

Good read.

It's interesting to look at the tactics of fighting then and now.
The enemy was fairly mechanized, and the US went G . Now things are nearly swithed.

Even though I am not a fan of Rumsfield, he got it right with sending SF into the new campaign in late 2001 and not going with Tommy Franks' call. That was probably the best GWOT call the President ever made.

I have a lot of respect for the men who made it happend. I also respect the Northern Alliance who made it happen.

____

I agree about the remarks in Vietnam. Granted, I am not an historian.

____

I wonder where all the Nortern Alliance went to. I guess they are in Kabal as politicians.

___

This book is great for those interested in OEF.

[HighDragLowSpeed]

Originally Posted by dusty

Did anyone else think the author went well out of his way to be especially kind and forgiving to John Walker "Suleiman Rashid" Lindh? Repeated mentions of how Lindh hadn't come to Afghanistan to engage in terrorism, but to fight terrorism. How he was cold and wet and scared in the Qala-i-Jangi, and that he was nowhere near Mike Spann when he went down. The repeated soft-soaping became irritating and soured me on what was otherwise an outstanding account.

The author lives in the same town where I spent a bit of time recently. Regularly drinks coffee and reads the paper on Sunday mornings in the small downtown area. Almost all of the locals that I've asked about him say that he is politically part of the Michael Moore crowd and often speaks with him so the above wouldn't surprise me.

[LSUinNL]

This is being made into a movie soon starring Chris Hemsworth. Looks like it set to film this winter at White Sands Missile Range.

[MrMojok]

Originally Posted by HighDragLowSpeed

The author lives in the same town where I spent a bit of time recently. Regularly drinks coffee and reads the paper on Sunday mornings in the small downtown area. Almost all of the locals that I've asked about him say that he is politically part of the Michael Moore crowd and often speaks with him so the above wouldn't surprise me.

Sorry to bump an old post like this, but I think it's worth it because somebody in this community is going to consider picking this book up at some point in the future. I just picked it up recently myself, and just now came across this gem, about SF:

Originally Posted by 12 Strong

Vietnam had done them in. During that war, the men of Fifth Group grew their hair, slept in hammocks, took native women as girlfriends, and lived and fought in the jungle far beyond the reach of anyone’s official control. They had also committed some of the conflict’s worst atrocities.

In the late 1980s, the unit was shunted into deeper twilight, providing what was called FID, or Foreign Internal Defense—a euphemism for training the armies of foreign governments. Other missions, such as serving as policemen on Native American reservations, had been more routine. Desert Storm had provided the first use of Special Forces in combat since Vietnam, much to the initial chagrin of General Norman Schwarzkopf, who’d seen their dirty work while commanding in Southeast Asia.

I mean... really?! This is 28 pages in. I am going to press on, but I do not have high hopes for this.

[MrMojok]

Alright, I have read another fifty pages, and it's gotten much better and I haven't read anything else like that. Perhaps my first post was a bit premature.