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Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The only comprehensive, firsthand account of the fourteen-hour firefight at the Battle of Keating by Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha, for readers of Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden and Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.
"'It doesn't get better.' To us, that phrase nailed one of the essential truths, maybe even the essential truth, about being stuck at an outpost whose strategic and tactical vulnerabilities were so glaringly obvious to every soldier who had ever set foot in that place that the name itself—Keating—had become a kind of backhanded joke."
In 2009, Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost (COP) Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after its construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known it was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend.
On October 3, 2009, after years of constant smaller attacks, the Taliban finally decided to throw everything they had at Keating. The ensuing fourteen-hour battle—and eventual victory—cost eight men their lives.
Red Platoon is the riveting firsthand account of the Battle of Keating, told by Romesha, who spearheaded both the defense of the outpost and the counterattack that drove the Taliban back beyond the wire and received the Medal of Honor for his actions.
"A vitally important story that needs to be understood by the public, and I cannot imagine an account that does it better justice that Romesha's."—Sebastian Junger, journalist and author of The Perfect Storm
"Red Platoon is sure to become a classic of the genre."—Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice
The only comprehensive, firsthand account of the fourteen-hour firefight at the Battle of Keating by Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha, for readers of Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden and Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.
"'It doesn't get better.' To us, that phrase nailed one of the essential truths, maybe even the essential truth, about being stuck at an outpost whose strategic and tactical vulnerabilities were so glaringly obvious to every soldier who had ever set foot in that place that the name itself—Keating—had become a kind of backhanded joke."
In 2009, Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost (COP) Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after its construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known it was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend.
On October 3, 2009, after years of constant smaller attacks, the Taliban finally decided to throw everything they had at Keating. The ensuing fourteen-hour battle—and eventual victory—cost eight men their lives.
Red Platoon is the riveting firsthand account of the Battle of Keating, told by Romesha, who spearheaded both the defense of the outpost and the counterattack that drove the Taliban back beyond the wire and received the Medal of Honor for his actions.
"A vitally important story that needs to be understood by the public, and I cannot imagine an account that does it better justice that Romesha's."—Sebastian Junger, journalist and author of The Perfect Storm
"Red Platoon is sure to become a classic of the genre."—Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice
390 pages, ebook
First published May 3, 2016
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October 28, 2016
After back-to-back tours of duty often demanded of a soldier, his/her next mission may not get better, cushier or less dangerous, which fatally was the case for the "Black Knight Troop, a mechanized armor unit whose sixty-five men were spread across three platoons: Red, White, and Blue" deployed with the task of dismantling Combat Outpost Keating, the most remote American camp in Afghanistan.
Inside Red Platoon Barracks
"IT DOESN'T GET BETTER!"- the unnerving mantra etched in wood at COP Keating- expresses concisely how susceptible the platoon felt at the outpost that lay in a basin enclosed by mountains, literally fishbowled in and virtually unprotected from any angle.
View down into COP Keating from the North Face
On the morning of October 3rd, 2009, the camp of 53 Americans soldiers was attacked by 300 Taliban assailants scattered around its perimeter. They were basically sitting ducks; the following 14 hour carnage came to be known as the Battle of Kamdesh.
Combining accounts from Clinton Romesha and other survivors of the siege detail in panoramic perspective that hellish day. Their defense of the outpost is described in heart-pounding strategic counterattacks against "the fighters who were already inside our wire." Exploding RPGs, rapid zings from AK-47s, Humvees blasted into infernal heaps and searing hot shrapnel embedding into- and shredding- flesh and bone: do not, despite its apocalyptic images, overshadow the sheer courage it took to face the "task needed to be tackled by men who had their boots on the ground and were willing to engage in a direct, eyeball-to-eyeball gunfight, inch by inch and shot by shot, for this contested piece of dirt.”
While recalling each defensive tact like a football game in overtime, Romesha takes greater care in personalizing each of his teammates - the soldier is not just a player fighting a bloody game - he is someone's best friend, a jokester, a teaser, a family-man, an average 'joe' with real worries and aspirations for his future- he is humanized.
Romesha's memoir steers clearly away from any blaming of policy makers or questioning the judgement of administration. Instead, his chief aim is to honor the brave fallen comrades who fought heroically that day; who, as good soldiers who have pledged "to go and do" without question, completed their mission without reservation. His aim was precise and hit its target flawlessly.
Narrative of winning the battleground was not one of Romesha's main concerns knowing that "the Taliban placed great value on American bodies, which they removed from the battlefield and filmed, then posted the resulting videos on the Internet....For these reasons, we had to get our dead back too."
How strongly each soldier held his unspoken loyalty to the other is one absolutely resonating message in Romesha's memoir. It was not just a matter of teamwork, but how deeply the relationships ran between the Red Platoon, these 'brothers-in-arms'- that, if one of them fell in mortal danger, the other will rise, without hesitation, to catch and support him at the risk of his own life; and that, dead or alive, no one would be left behind, "even if the effort to retrieve them might entail losing more guys, me included. Given what we stood for and what we believed in, we really had no other choice.”
The Red Platoon
Romesha's recounting of the Battle of Kamdesh is a high octane story of bravery, faithful comradeship and the unselfish giving of oneself for his country and countryman in the face of his own mortality. In case some aren't quite sure, this is the true definition of Sacrifice. Heroic acts such as these must not be degraded or cheapened in its meaning by fake plastic medals.
Red Platoon is a must-read and has already been slated for a movie adaptation. Congratulations to Sergeant Clinton L. Romesha for receiving the Medal of Honor, the highest honor in the country- It Doesn't Get Better Than That! Unlike some undeserving wannabes not worth mentioning, you and the Red Platoon company have earned it.
Medal of Honor recipient, Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha
For more in honor of Sgt.Clinton Romesha, check out:
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/rom...
Inside Red Platoon Barracks
"IT DOESN'T GET BETTER!"- the unnerving mantra etched in wood at COP Keating- expresses concisely how susceptible the platoon felt at the outpost that lay in a basin enclosed by mountains, literally fishbowled in and virtually unprotected from any angle.
View down into COP Keating from the North Face
On the morning of October 3rd, 2009, the camp of 53 Americans soldiers was attacked by 300 Taliban assailants scattered around its perimeter. They were basically sitting ducks; the following 14 hour carnage came to be known as the Battle of Kamdesh.
Combining accounts from Clinton Romesha and other survivors of the siege detail in panoramic perspective that hellish day. Their defense of the outpost is described in heart-pounding strategic counterattacks against "the fighters who were already inside our wire." Exploding RPGs, rapid zings from AK-47s, Humvees blasted into infernal heaps and searing hot shrapnel embedding into- and shredding- flesh and bone: do not, despite its apocalyptic images, overshadow the sheer courage it took to face the "task needed to be tackled by men who had their boots on the ground and were willing to engage in a direct, eyeball-to-eyeball gunfight, inch by inch and shot by shot, for this contested piece of dirt.”
While recalling each defensive tact like a football game in overtime, Romesha takes greater care in personalizing each of his teammates - the soldier is not just a player fighting a bloody game - he is someone's best friend, a jokester, a teaser, a family-man, an average 'joe' with real worries and aspirations for his future- he is humanized.
Romesha's memoir steers clearly away from any blaming of policy makers or questioning the judgement of administration. Instead, his chief aim is to honor the brave fallen comrades who fought heroically that day; who, as good soldiers who have pledged "to go and do" without question, completed their mission without reservation. His aim was precise and hit its target flawlessly.
Narrative of winning the battleground was not one of Romesha's main concerns knowing that "the Taliban placed great value on American bodies, which they removed from the battlefield and filmed, then posted the resulting videos on the Internet....For these reasons, we had to get our dead back too."
How strongly each soldier held his unspoken loyalty to the other is one absolutely resonating message in Romesha's memoir. It was not just a matter of teamwork, but how deeply the relationships ran between the Red Platoon, these 'brothers-in-arms'- that, if one of them fell in mortal danger, the other will rise, without hesitation, to catch and support him at the risk of his own life; and that, dead or alive, no one would be left behind, "even if the effort to retrieve them might entail losing more guys, me included. Given what we stood for and what we believed in, we really had no other choice.”
The Red Platoon
Romesha's recounting of the Battle of Kamdesh is a high octane story of bravery, faithful comradeship and the unselfish giving of oneself for his country and countryman in the face of his own mortality. In case some aren't quite sure, this is the true definition of Sacrifice. Heroic acts such as these must not be degraded or cheapened in its meaning by fake plastic medals.
Red Platoon is a must-read and has already been slated for a movie adaptation. Congratulations to Sergeant Clinton L. Romesha for receiving the Medal of Honor, the highest honor in the country- It Doesn't Get Better Than That! Unlike some undeserving wannabes not worth mentioning, you and the Red Platoon company have earned it.
Medal of Honor recipient, Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha
For more in honor of Sgt.Clinton Romesha, check out:
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/rom...
September 29, 2016
I grew up with Clint and we were best friends for the better part of 18 years. When I found out he was putting this book together I knew I would read it as soon as I got my hands on it, and that I would give it a high rating because of the bias created by our friendship. I have to say though, now that I've completed Red Platoon, I would have given any author of this exceptional book 5 stars.
It reads like an action movie, and then you stop and think "oh wait, this really happened." He does a great job of setting up the scene and helping the reader get to know the guys he fought with. It's apparent that Clint has done his best to make this book about those brave men that gave their lives to hold the ground at Keating rather than to glorify himself and his actions.
Like any movie, I cannot really let myself become enveloped with the story without good character development. Clint does a great job of helping the reader get to know the men that fought in the events that unfolded on October 3rd through vivid stories and genuine dialogue throughout. This publication already has a place on my bookshelf and will never be taken down, except for when I decide to begin reading it for the second time.
It reads like an action movie, and then you stop and think "oh wait, this really happened." He does a great job of setting up the scene and helping the reader get to know the guys he fought with. It's apparent that Clint has done his best to make this book about those brave men that gave their lives to hold the ground at Keating rather than to glorify himself and his actions.
Like any movie, I cannot really let myself become enveloped with the story without good character development. Clint does a great job of helping the reader get to know the men that fought in the events that unfolded on October 3rd through vivid stories and genuine dialogue throughout. This publication already has a place on my bookshelf and will never be taken down, except for when I decide to begin reading it for the second time.
August 21, 2017
Red Platoon is easily the best first hand account of a military action that I have read. There is a rare feel of honesty and nobility in Romesha's story and I think within the telling. The reader gets a true sense of what it was like to be a soldier at an obscure outpost in Afghanistan.
Keating was an outpost in an isolated area in the Nuristan province in Afghanistan near the Urmul village. Red Platoon was one of 3 platoons sent to the outpost. Located in an area that was almost tactically indefensible and strategically incomprehensible, these soldiers were sent to close it down. The mission of Keating was unclear and its dangers were evident to even the newest recruits. It's location violated the most basic tenets of combat strategy. It was located at the bottom of a valley nestled in a mountainous area. It was too far from the nearest military bases, so helicopter and air support spotty and logistics were almost impossible. It took large amounts of fuel to reach the outpost. There were no real roads to the outposts. It really was a strange setup by any military and/or diplomatic objectives. The real mission of Keating isn't covered in the book but Romesha speculated (very tongue in cheek):
This is what I loved about the book and what I think is it's most important message. Soldiers don't often know exactly why they are where they are; they do their duty. But it is worth looking at how they see their world. There is a superficiality in the way Americans view the concept of war and the reasons we are at war. Soldiers are not that "fluffy". They don't have the luxury to be. Romesha goes into a great deal of detail about what the soldiers go through. I think he highlights a lot of things that Americans would do better if we were more mindful of what our military does and how it is used. Romesha talks a lot about the soldier with some statistics that gave me pause:
All while being surrounded by indigenous people who don't like them there. And the soldier whether conditioned or through personal experience are not too keen on the Afghani people either. While they had a healthy respect for the people in the province, there was a mutual inherent distrust:
At this point the book begins a blow by blow description of Romesha's involvement in the battle and the heroics that earned him a Medal of Honor. For me, the descriptions became a little repetitive and slowed the pace. But I will also say that his descriptions and explanations were excellent. He went into great detail about what was going on from his standpoint and what was going on in Command Posts etc to make conditions on the ground more advantageous. Of particular distinction were his descriptions and explanations of the air support, specifically the Apache helicopter pilots and the Air Force pilots. It was well articulated, researched and presented. To be fair, his entire presentation of the battle was excellent; explaining the nature of all of the dangers they faced, the armaments, the evacuation of the village, the strategy of both Taliban and the military and why it was so difficult to get under control. Romesha is a great storyteller and there is a tremendous amount of intellect and self-awareness in the telling. I can guarantee you there are many journalists and writers who wish they had the knowledge and experience to write this book.
All of this brings me to myissues reservations about the book. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a recounting of Romesha's experience and that he did a significant amount of research to write this book. I truly believe this is his story and how he would tell it. What I am having trouble believing is that he had the skills and the literary insight to put together such a cohesive and cogent book. There is skill, focus, organization and articulateness to the book that in my mind says that he a lot of help in putting this together; as in someone who writes for a living. The only evidence I saw of this was in the Acknowledgement section where he says:
All in all, the best military book I've read thus far (not that there have been many).
Almost 4.5 Stars
Edited to Add: In the book Romesha makes sure that these soldiers are remembered. The reader gets to know all of the soldiers, the ones that died in battle and the ones that survived. This is a book about them, not him. A laudable achievement.
Read on kindle
Keating was an outpost in an isolated area in the Nuristan province in Afghanistan near the Urmul village. Red Platoon was one of 3 platoons sent to the outpost. Located in an area that was almost tactically indefensible and strategically incomprehensible, these soldiers were sent to close it down. The mission of Keating was unclear and its dangers were evident to even the newest recruits. It's location violated the most basic tenets of combat strategy. It was located at the bottom of a valley nestled in a mountainous area. It was too far from the nearest military bases, so helicopter and air support spotty and logistics were almost impossible. It took large amounts of fuel to reach the outpost. There were no real roads to the outposts. It really was a strange setup by any military and/or diplomatic objectives. The real mission of Keating isn't covered in the book but Romesha speculated (very tongue in cheek):
If I had to explain why we’d been sent to Keating and what we were supposed to accomplish there, what it apparently boiled down to was that we were helping the Afghan government beef up security just enough to kick-start commerce in the region. This would enable local people to start making money, which they could then use to buy a bunch of DVD players and toasters and other sweet stuff for themselves and their families, thereby magically transforming Nuristan into a hub of vibrant economic development. At this point, the government could hold elections, which would enable folks to race off to the ballot box and vote to shut down the Taliban—whereupon everybody could kick back in front of their new TV sets, break out some cocktails, and enjoy themselves.Then Romesha states what he was told about the reasons for Keating:
US military’s strategy at the time, which was to use Keating and other remote combat outposts to tie up the insurgents’ resources in the hopes of preventing them from attacking larger towns and cities to the south.Finally Romesha states what the soldiers think their mission is:
Our mission at Keating,” he declared, “is to turn these MREs into shit.This is inside baseball, but basically he is saying, he doesn't know why they are there. MRE stands for Meals Ready to Eat. It is a real military acronym representing some not a very appetizing items but they are nutritious, lightweight, portable and will sustain you.
This is what I loved about the book and what I think is it's most important message. Soldiers don't often know exactly why they are where they are; they do their duty. But it is worth looking at how they see their world. There is a superficiality in the way Americans view the concept of war and the reasons we are at war. Soldiers are not that "fluffy". They don't have the luxury to be. Romesha goes into a great deal of detail about what the soldiers go through. I think he highlights a lot of things that Americans would do better if we were more mindful of what our military does and how it is used. Romesha talks a lot about the soldier with some statistics that gave me pause:
In the aftermath of 9/11, when America had committed itself to fighting two extended wars overseas, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan, it consigned a relatively small group of young soldiers to something relatively new, which was to send them abroad repeatedly and throw them into combat again and again and again. [sic] The brunt of our fighting during this time was performed by less than one percent of our population, and many of the folks who wound up on the front lines—especially the ground-pounders in the infantry—were guys just like me, men who joined up straight out of high school and had three or four deployments under their belts by the time their peers were finishing college.Romesha goes on to discuss that the impacts of this military with the small number of soldiers being subjected to repeated deployments:
One of the clearest signs of the problem was the alarmingly high rate of PTSD, especially among enlisted soldiers. This wasn’t always easy to detect, at least not directly. But you could discern it in the rising incidents of suicide and drug abuse. Within a month or two, the brigade found itself wrestling with substance-abuse problems ranging from marijuana to cocaine and meth, as well as incidents of depression that would contribute to three suicides.Romesha also does an excellent reveal of what it is like to be a soldier at Keating. He goes into detail about all of the things that do they do, where they live, how they live, the routine duties that most people would find disgusting, the anticipation of the very few number of actual hot meals that they have in a given week, their continued use of the internet as a connection to home, their obsession with things that might seem nonsensical to most people but it makes them feel at home (a tennis star's underwear for example--read the book for explanation--not that sordid), the things they would do to relieve the boredom and tediousness of everyday life. Honestly it comes across as dreary and without benefit of comradery and friendships these men would all be certifiable. In fact Romesha shows signs of extreme behavior in some of his tales before the attack:
To ferret out snipers, for example, I would climb onto the sponson box, a big rectangular storage compartment on the turret of our lead tank, pretend it was a surfboard, and balance myself out there as we clattered through the streets of Habbaniyah, daring any Iraqi marksmen to take a shot at me and expose their positions.
All while being surrounded by indigenous people who don't like them there. And the soldier whether conditioned or through personal experience are not too keen on the Afghani people either. While they had a healthy respect for the people in the province, there was a mutual inherent distrust:
THE PROVINCE OF NURISTAN is so isolated and poor that US soldiers who have logged time there often refer to it as the Appalachia of Afghanistan. Like Appalachia, this region on the southern side of the Hindu Kush is home to a population of fiercely independent people who have a reputation for insularity and backwardness, and who take a dim view of outsiders. They also know how to fight.And as for the Afghans that were supposed to fight alongside the soldiers, from Romesha's view there was no admiration or respect, only contempt:
We viewed them as lazy and incompetent…Bear in mind that it's clear that Red Platoon and Romesha had almost no real formative contact with the Afghanis and that he does not have any relationships with any of them, so it is a one-sided presentation. This is not a criticism. But having contempt even for the supposed good guys does dehumanize which makes it easier to kill them. I also say this to make a point. Soldiers are not meant to see all sides. Their job is combat. They thrive in the absolutes. In fact it is an important part of command and control in war. In battle, responses must be reflexive almost instinctual. They can't be mulling over what is fair or right. Seconds are the difference between alive and dead.
At this point the book begins a blow by blow description of Romesha's involvement in the battle and the heroics that earned him a Medal of Honor. For me, the descriptions became a little repetitive and slowed the pace. But I will also say that his descriptions and explanations were excellent. He went into great detail about what was going on from his standpoint and what was going on in Command Posts etc to make conditions on the ground more advantageous. Of particular distinction were his descriptions and explanations of the air support, specifically the Apache helicopter pilots and the Air Force pilots. It was well articulated, researched and presented. To be fair, his entire presentation of the battle was excellent; explaining the nature of all of the dangers they faced, the armaments, the evacuation of the village, the strategy of both Taliban and the military and why it was so difficult to get under control. Romesha is a great storyteller and there is a tremendous amount of intellect and self-awareness in the telling. I can guarantee you there are many journalists and writers who wish they had the knowledge and experience to write this book.
All of this brings me to my
And I’m grateful to the writer Kevin Fedarko for helping me find a way to tell this story.Why didn't Fedarko get credit elsewhere. Because if he didn't provide a whole lot of help to write the book, it would appear that Romesha is some kind of literary savant. The book is expertly done. Also, there was a notes section that was very vague and generic. There is no accounting of where the facts came from. Romesha says he flew around the country and interviewed and read other accounts. There are many points in the book where the author is not present and could not know, but no attributes. I would hope a huge publishing house like Penguin Random House, would understand the importance. Thirdly, this is a bit of a Conservative screed. Almost everything is presented within a framework of absolutes: very distinct heroes and villains, lots of manly men whose bravery is demonstrated by their willingness to sacrifice even when they know it is feckless and foolhardy, a slight rebellious streak that know when stop and fall in line etc. There was a particular passage of shade that served no purpose in the book
All in all, the best military book I've read thus far (not that there have been many).
Almost 4.5 Stars
Edited to Add: In the book Romesha makes sure that these soldiers are remembered. The reader gets to know all of the soldiers, the ones that died in battle and the ones that survived. This is a book about them, not him. A laudable achievement.
Read on kindle
June 7, 2019
It doesn't get better
Why?
Why do we keep making decisions like this? I understand the idea behind a line of outposts to disrupt the enemy's sphere of control but how do you put an outpost here
"It doesn't get better."
To us, that phrase nailed one of the essential truths, maybe even the essential truth, about being stuck at an outpost whose strategic and tactical vulnerabilities were so glaringly obvious to every soldier who had ever set foot in that place that the name itself-Keating-has become a kind of backhanded joke. A byword for the army’s peculiar flair for stacking odds against itself in a way that was almost guaranteed to blow up in some spectacular fashion, and then refusing to walk away from the table.
The location the analysts selected was unacceptable by almost any yardstick you’d care to measure it with. Positioned only fourteen miles from the Pakistan border, the site was ensconced in the deepest valley of Nuristan’s Kamdesh District at a spot that resembled the bowl of a toilet. It was surrounded by steep mountains whose summits went as high as twelve thousand feet and whose ridgelines would enable an enemy to pour fire down on the outpost while remaining concealed behind a thick scrim of trees and boulders.
What makes this an even more tragic incident is that the decision had been made to abandon the outpost and in fact the three platoons on site, Red, White and Blue were to be the last before the outpost was destroyed. So close that some of the medical supplies had been boxed up, ready to be airlifted out.
Early in the morning of October 3, 2009 the Taliban began a sophisticated, multi-pronged attack on the outpost, pinning down most of the fighting positions around the outpost. The outpost teeters on the edge before the first air attack is carried out by Apache helicopters. Over time, a tremendous amount of air support is called in and even included a B-1 bomber dropping 500 to 2000 pound bombs.
I have read many of these battle experience books over the last several years but this stands out for a couple of reasons. First, the sheer lunacy of the outpost positioning itself. Second, Romesha spoke with other members of the platoons before writing the book to provide a better overall perspective of the battle. This book also seemed to paint an honest picture of the action and reaction of fellow soldiers. Not everybody in the platoon got along, not everyone was gung-ho balls to the wall. It seemed like a realistic view of the workings of a group of men put together in an almost impossible situation.
9/10
Why?
Why do we keep making decisions like this? I understand the idea behind a line of outposts to disrupt the enemy's sphere of control but how do you put an outpost here
"It doesn't get better."
To us, that phrase nailed one of the essential truths, maybe even the essential truth, about being stuck at an outpost whose strategic and tactical vulnerabilities were so glaringly obvious to every soldier who had ever set foot in that place that the name itself-Keating-has become a kind of backhanded joke. A byword for the army’s peculiar flair for stacking odds against itself in a way that was almost guaranteed to blow up in some spectacular fashion, and then refusing to walk away from the table.
The location the analysts selected was unacceptable by almost any yardstick you’d care to measure it with. Positioned only fourteen miles from the Pakistan border, the site was ensconced in the deepest valley of Nuristan’s Kamdesh District at a spot that resembled the bowl of a toilet. It was surrounded by steep mountains whose summits went as high as twelve thousand feet and whose ridgelines would enable an enemy to pour fire down on the outpost while remaining concealed behind a thick scrim of trees and boulders.
What makes this an even more tragic incident is that the decision had been made to abandon the outpost and in fact the three platoons on site, Red, White and Blue were to be the last before the outpost was destroyed. So close that some of the medical supplies had been boxed up, ready to be airlifted out.
Early in the morning of October 3, 2009 the Taliban began a sophisticated, multi-pronged attack on the outpost, pinning down most of the fighting positions around the outpost. The outpost teeters on the edge before the first air attack is carried out by Apache helicopters. Over time, a tremendous amount of air support is called in and even included a B-1 bomber dropping 500 to 2000 pound bombs.
I have read many of these battle experience books over the last several years but this stands out for a couple of reasons. First, the sheer lunacy of the outpost positioning itself. Second, Romesha spoke with other members of the platoons before writing the book to provide a better overall perspective of the battle. This book also seemed to paint an honest picture of the action and reaction of fellow soldiers. Not everybody in the platoon got along, not everyone was gung-ho balls to the wall. It seemed like a realistic view of the workings of a group of men put together in an almost impossible situation.
9/10
February 2, 2022
I just finished Red Platoon by MOH winner Clinton Romesha. With the recent announcement of the build-up in Afghanistan, this is a very timely read. I believe that military history buffs as well as people interested in current events will devour this narrative.
Red Platoon is about the defense of a command outpost (COP) called Keating in Nuristan Afghanistan in October of 2009. The COP was in the middle of a valley and it was indefensible due to plunging fire from the surrounding ridges. The base was so indefensible that the Army was preparing to evacuate it. The evacuation was delayed because the Army was short of helicopters due to some other emergencies including the desertion of the infamous traitor, Bowe Bergdahl. The helicopters needed to evacuate this base were redeployed in the search for this deserter. As a result, the cavalry unit defending it had to stay on a few days too many. This small outpost with about 50 men and an undisclosed amount of Afghanis became surrounded by about 500 Taliban that understood the art of war. By the way, the Afghanis – to a man – refused to fight. Only their two Latvian trainers would fight.
This narrative by Romesha is quite the page turner. I read it over the weekend. It is a book that you cannot put down. The first chapter reads like it would make a good movie script. Romesha introduces each character with the customary verbiage and also by including a picture on the adjoining page. The pages are filled with the typical locker room banter that young Americans at war chide each other with. However, Romesha adds some surprisingly deep, philosophical commentary about the crucible of combat/crucible of war and how this influences young men to make some rash, heat of the moment decisions. He also spoke of a very talented scout by the name of Eric Snell who was killed in an earlier battle. Romesha said "...I realized one of the fundamental truths about war is that horrible things can - and often will - happen to anybody, even a soldier who has everything dialed to perfection."
I really like Romesha’s description of calling in close air support a mere 100-200 yards in front of their position from a B-1 Lancer, which he describes as a Dunkin Donuts of the sky. The B-1 dropped 500 Lb and then 2000 Lb smart bombs:
Then Shrode and Bunderman performed a quick huddle to figure out how far they wanted to push inside the zone of what was called “danger close,” the unspoken question between the two of them being: What’s the closest strike we can call in while lowering the odds that any of us will survive an additional ten percent?
One minute later, they sent word to Bostick[airbase] that anything to within one hundred yards of Keating was fair game….
When you’re less than two hundred yards from a massive bomb drop, the impact is unspeakably violent.
The initial explosion registers as a deafening bolt of sound, but the auditory assault doesn’t really matter, because the concussion that follows is so much more powerful. What’s more, these forces - sound plus shockwave - are stacked so closely together that you’re barely aware of the distinction. What you feel, mostly, is a kind of vast pushing sensation, almost as if an ocean wave has struck you in the solar plexus and, through some strange trick of physics, is now passing through your tissue, your bones, your entire body.
If you haven’t experienced directly, the effect is hard to imagine unless you try to conceive what is might be like to be an especially tiny insect – a type of mite, say – huddled inside a base drum of a heavy metal rock band.
“Wow that was close,” you say to yourself as first shock registers and passes.
“But damn-it was kind of cool too,” you think as the last shock recedes.
And then you’re struck with by a disturbing idea:
“Oh my God…did I just die and haven’t realized it?”
With President Trump announcing the build-up in Afghanistan, let us not repeat some of the mistakes that were made at Keating.
Red Platoon is about the defense of a command outpost (COP) called Keating in Nuristan Afghanistan in October of 2009. The COP was in the middle of a valley and it was indefensible due to plunging fire from the surrounding ridges. The base was so indefensible that the Army was preparing to evacuate it. The evacuation was delayed because the Army was short of helicopters due to some other emergencies including the desertion of the infamous traitor, Bowe Bergdahl. The helicopters needed to evacuate this base were redeployed in the search for this deserter. As a result, the cavalry unit defending it had to stay on a few days too many. This small outpost with about 50 men and an undisclosed amount of Afghanis became surrounded by about 500 Taliban that understood the art of war. By the way, the Afghanis – to a man – refused to fight. Only their two Latvian trainers would fight.
This narrative by Romesha is quite the page turner. I read it over the weekend. It is a book that you cannot put down. The first chapter reads like it would make a good movie script. Romesha introduces each character with the customary verbiage and also by including a picture on the adjoining page. The pages are filled with the typical locker room banter that young Americans at war chide each other with. However, Romesha adds some surprisingly deep, philosophical commentary about the crucible of combat/crucible of war and how this influences young men to make some rash, heat of the moment decisions. He also spoke of a very talented scout by the name of Eric Snell who was killed in an earlier battle. Romesha said "...I realized one of the fundamental truths about war is that horrible things can - and often will - happen to anybody, even a soldier who has everything dialed to perfection."
I really like Romesha’s description of calling in close air support a mere 100-200 yards in front of their position from a B-1 Lancer, which he describes as a Dunkin Donuts of the sky. The B-1 dropped 500 Lb and then 2000 Lb smart bombs:
Then Shrode and Bunderman performed a quick huddle to figure out how far they wanted to push inside the zone of what was called “danger close,” the unspoken question between the two of them being: What’s the closest strike we can call in while lowering the odds that any of us will survive an additional ten percent?
One minute later, they sent word to Bostick[airbase] that anything to within one hundred yards of Keating was fair game….
When you’re less than two hundred yards from a massive bomb drop, the impact is unspeakably violent.
The initial explosion registers as a deafening bolt of sound, but the auditory assault doesn’t really matter, because the concussion that follows is so much more powerful. What’s more, these forces - sound plus shockwave - are stacked so closely together that you’re barely aware of the distinction. What you feel, mostly, is a kind of vast pushing sensation, almost as if an ocean wave has struck you in the solar plexus and, through some strange trick of physics, is now passing through your tissue, your bones, your entire body.
If you haven’t experienced directly, the effect is hard to imagine unless you try to conceive what is might be like to be an especially tiny insect – a type of mite, say – huddled inside a base drum of a heavy metal rock band.
“Wow that was close,” you say to yourself as first shock registers and passes.
“But damn-it was kind of cool too,” you think as the last shock recedes.
And then you’re struck with by a disturbing idea:
“Oh my God…did I just die and haven’t realized it?”
With President Trump announcing the build-up in Afghanistan, let us not repeat some of the mistakes that were made at Keating.
September 11, 2020
"The Battle of Kamdesh"
I watched "The Outpost" (Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, and Orlando Bloom) when it was released this summer then later knew of this book. Red Platoon reads like an action thriller, but it's a true story of real life heroes.
Combat Outpost Keating/Kamdesh was in mountainous Nuristan province near Pakistan border. Whose great idea to have a Combat Outpost (COP) at the bottom of a deep valley surrounded by mountains? The narrow roads along the steep mountains were unsafe with frequent ambush by Taliban insurgents. They stop using this road for resupply after 1st Lt Benjamin Keating drove a LMTV on said road and it collapsed. Keating died from his injuries (2006). Since then supplies were delivered at night by air. COP Keating wasn't fully supplied and considered indefensible. Due to diplomacy and politics at the time, evacuation and closing keep getting postponed.
On October 3, 2009 just before 6 am roughly 300 heavily armed Taliban attacked COP Keating from all sides. Later, they received air assault support but visibility was bad from smoke of burning barracks. Eight soldiers were KIA, one later from PTSD, 27 wounded. Many medals were awarded including two Medals of Honor for Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Specialist Ty Carter.
I watched "The Outpost" (Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, and Orlando Bloom) when it was released this summer then later knew of this book. Red Platoon reads like an action thriller, but it's a true story of real life heroes.
Combat Outpost Keating/Kamdesh was in mountainous Nuristan province near Pakistan border. Whose great idea to have a Combat Outpost (COP) at the bottom of a deep valley surrounded by mountains? The narrow roads along the steep mountains were unsafe with frequent ambush by Taliban insurgents. They stop using this road for resupply after 1st Lt Benjamin Keating drove a LMTV on said road and it collapsed. Keating died from his injuries (2006). Since then supplies were delivered at night by air. COP Keating wasn't fully supplied and considered indefensible. Due to diplomacy and politics at the time, evacuation and closing keep getting postponed.
On October 3, 2009 just before 6 am roughly 300 heavily armed Taliban attacked COP Keating from all sides. Later, they received air assault support but visibility was bad from smoke of burning barracks. Eight soldiers were KIA, one later from PTSD, 27 wounded. Many medals were awarded including two Medals of Honor for Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Specialist Ty Carter.
February 24, 2024
We are those we love. They make us who we become. They help us to get where we are. They push us beyond where they often go themselves. They are sources of our laughter and our tears. They are why certain scents are impossible to forget and some words still carry their voices long after they are gone. We are them. Always. This book reminded me of that.
With photographs from better times, this memoir goes well beyond an account of a battle. It is about a group of men, vastly different from one another, who come to depend and care as few can imagine caring for another human being in a lifetime.
Its author, Clinton Romesha, is the recipient of the Medal of Honor and numerous other decorations. His writing also merits an award.
With photographs from better times, this memoir goes well beyond an account of a battle. It is about a group of men, vastly different from one another, who come to depend and care as few can imagine caring for another human being in a lifetime.
Its author, Clinton Romesha, is the recipient of the Medal of Honor and numerous other decorations. His writing also merits an award.
July 23, 2020
Reread (x4) Reading Rush: I feel myself coming back to this book about every 1.5-2 years because this is a book I can never stop thinking about. It has imprinted on me in a way that will never fade. This book leaves the ego, arrogance, and USA yeehaw out and brings us a real, raw, and painful account of the Battle of Keating. One thing I love is while reading there are pictures of the men he introduces you too and even after the introduction it feels as though you know them yourself. The pictures while reading provide this humanness to the men he talks about-letting the reader know that these were real people that died; friends that died and with the connection of these pictures my heart hurts a bit more.
If you have to read one military autobiography/nonfiction book I highly recommend this one. This story is about a platoon; not just one person but average men "who were put to an extraordinary test"
UPDATE: This is the third time I have now read this book and every time it hits me right in the feels, and when I read it I hope that things turn out differently; that the people who died didn't and the decisions made were revoked. Every time I read this book, I learn more about combat, brotherhood, friends, and the bonds between humans that surprises me. This book should be read by everyone to gain an understanding of what people were going through, thinking, and feeling during combat to better tie the rift between soldiers and civilians. I will always be coming back to this book and I will continue to reread it for the rest of my life.
Where do I start??
This book exceeded my expectations and now has become one of my top favorite books of all time. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and sometimes I had to put it down due to what they were going through that I had to think about it.
What I love about this book is that Romesha would talk about the guys in his platoon, their personalities, their physical appearance, everything and beside the words are pictures of the guys which I think is a powerful and effective way to show the reader that they were real people that this was what they were like.
This book wasn't political, it is not egotistical in anyway which I really enjoyed. It's about the battle, its about surviving, sacrifices, but also the brotherhood of this platoon.
Highly recommend!!!
-Meagann
If you have to read one military autobiography/nonfiction book I highly recommend this one. This story is about a platoon; not just one person but average men "who were put to an extraordinary test"
UPDATE: This is the third time I have now read this book and every time it hits me right in the feels, and when I read it I hope that things turn out differently; that the people who died didn't and the decisions made were revoked. Every time I read this book, I learn more about combat, brotherhood, friends, and the bonds between humans that surprises me. This book should be read by everyone to gain an understanding of what people were going through, thinking, and feeling during combat to better tie the rift between soldiers and civilians. I will always be coming back to this book and I will continue to reread it for the rest of my life.
Where do I start??
This book exceeded my expectations and now has become one of my top favorite books of all time. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and sometimes I had to put it down due to what they were going through that I had to think about it.
What I love about this book is that Romesha would talk about the guys in his platoon, their personalities, their physical appearance, everything and beside the words are pictures of the guys which I think is a powerful and effective way to show the reader that they were real people that this was what they were like.
This book wasn't political, it is not egotistical in anyway which I really enjoyed. It's about the battle, its about surviving, sacrifices, but also the brotherhood of this platoon.
Highly recommend!!!
-Meagann
April 23, 2016
Received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Goodreads Give Away program.
For me this was a very emotional read. The book was very detailed, gave an excellent chronology of the events as well as introducing the reader to many of the individuals involved. The book shows a great detail of research was involved in compiling the book.
In ways it read like a novel, but then the reader realizes that this is real, very real, and it really did happen. War (and we are at war) is extremely brutal. It gave me a great deal of pause, when I try to understand why in the world was this outpost put in such an area, that could not be reinforced properly or even protected to provide a measure of defense for these men. It makes you wonder what was going through the minds of those who made the decision for the location of this outpost and living conditions that they endured. And our Government wants to put females in combat positions? Read this and picture a female living in these conditions. Soldiers sign up to take and follow orders, which is what these young men did, without question. It is just so sad that so many had to lose their lives. My question is "For what?". I applaud all those involved in defending Keating as well as those involved in rescuing them. It's an amazing feat that was accomplished by all involved.
Exceptional read for me. Very eye-opening. It makes me proud to be an American, especially to know that we have such brave and self-sacrificing young men who give their all for their country. Do some of our "leaders" actually realize what they have in individuals such as these!
Some of the young people today have the "entitlement mentality" and have no clue what some people sacrifice to allow them to have this mentality.
Definitely recommend.
For me this was a very emotional read. The book was very detailed, gave an excellent chronology of the events as well as introducing the reader to many of the individuals involved. The book shows a great detail of research was involved in compiling the book.
In ways it read like a novel, but then the reader realizes that this is real, very real, and it really did happen. War (and we are at war) is extremely brutal. It gave me a great deal of pause, when I try to understand why in the world was this outpost put in such an area, that could not be reinforced properly or even protected to provide a measure of defense for these men. It makes you wonder what was going through the minds of those who made the decision for the location of this outpost and living conditions that they endured. And our Government wants to put females in combat positions? Read this and picture a female living in these conditions. Soldiers sign up to take and follow orders, which is what these young men did, without question. It is just so sad that so many had to lose their lives. My question is "For what?". I applaud all those involved in defending Keating as well as those involved in rescuing them. It's an amazing feat that was accomplished by all involved.
Exceptional read for me. Very eye-opening. It makes me proud to be an American, especially to know that we have such brave and self-sacrificing young men who give their all for their country. Do some of our "leaders" actually realize what they have in individuals such as these!
Some of the young people today have the "entitlement mentality" and have no clue what some people sacrifice to allow them to have this mentality.
Definitely recommend.
December 2, 2016
I read this book first because it was my job, and then I read it again because it blew my mind. It's not the story of Navy SEALS or highly trained soldiers; it's about young people who are barely old enough to vote or drink, or are in the Army because it was their only option for a career, and who end up facing the Taliban for a 14-hour firefight. It doesn't get political, it just gets compassionate.
June 14, 2016
Difficult read. Unbelievable that this Keating was set up to defend in its location in the first place. It seems the incompetent directions are abounding. And not only in how we perceive and name.
In company language, some of the conversations are sometimes hard for me to grasp within their complete context, but nevertheless this writer has above average ability to detail. And to achieve a living witness testimony that is accurate but at the same time well written.
You get to know all these soldiers. Mace's story made me cry.
Medal of Honor is deserved and his lack of bragging or hubris presently is phenomenal.
In company language, some of the conversations are sometimes hard for me to grasp within their complete context, but nevertheless this writer has above average ability to detail. And to achieve a living witness testimony that is accurate but at the same time well written.
You get to know all these soldiers. Mace's story made me cry.
Medal of Honor is deserved and his lack of bragging or hubris presently is phenomenal.
July 4, 2024
"Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor" by Clinton Romesha is an extraordinary and gripping account that stands out as a must-read. This true story is a page-turner, captivating and intense, as it delves into the harrowing events of the Battle of Keating in 2009. Romesha and the Black Knight Troop of Red Platoon were preparing to shut down Command Outpost (COP) Keating, one of the most remote and inaccessible US military bases in Afghanistan. Just as they were nearing completion, the Taliban launched a major assault, sparking a fourteen-hour battle that resulted in a hard-won victory at the cost of eight soldiers' lives.
Romesha, who led both the defense and counterattack, earned the Medal of Honor for his bravery, and "Red Platoon" is his firsthand account of this intense battle. Reading this book over Memorial Day weekend was a profound experience, a fitting tribute to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. The Battle of Keating was unfamiliar to me, and the sheer intensity and effort it took for those at Keating to overcome hostile forces and reclaim the base is almost mind-bending.
"Red Platoon" is an immersive, detailed, and graphic read, deeply emotional and eye-opening. It meticulously focuses on the battle, moment by moment, while also exploring the lives of the soldiers involved, allowing readers to connect with them on a personal level. The book is well-researched, offering multiple perspectives—Romesha's own point of view, the viewpoints of his men on the ground, and accounts of the actions taken 200 miles away and 20,000 feet above by pilots and drones supporting the soldiers.
The realism of this book is unparalleled, capturing the essence of active combat. It reads like an action movie, but the sobering realization that these events actually happened brings a profound depth to the narrative. Romesha's deep personal knowledge, firsthand experience, vivid stories, and genuine dialogue make for a well-written and powerful account.
"Red Platoon" is a testament to bravery, camaraderie, and the unselfish giving of oneself for country and countrymen in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I don’t say this often, but this book is an absolute must-read.
Romesha, who led both the defense and counterattack, earned the Medal of Honor for his bravery, and "Red Platoon" is his firsthand account of this intense battle. Reading this book over Memorial Day weekend was a profound experience, a fitting tribute to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. The Battle of Keating was unfamiliar to me, and the sheer intensity and effort it took for those at Keating to overcome hostile forces and reclaim the base is almost mind-bending.
"Red Platoon" is an immersive, detailed, and graphic read, deeply emotional and eye-opening. It meticulously focuses on the battle, moment by moment, while also exploring the lives of the soldiers involved, allowing readers to connect with them on a personal level. The book is well-researched, offering multiple perspectives—Romesha's own point of view, the viewpoints of his men on the ground, and accounts of the actions taken 200 miles away and 20,000 feet above by pilots and drones supporting the soldiers.
The realism of this book is unparalleled, capturing the essence of active combat. It reads like an action movie, but the sobering realization that these events actually happened brings a profound depth to the narrative. Romesha's deep personal knowledge, firsthand experience, vivid stories, and genuine dialogue make for a well-written and powerful account.
"Red Platoon" is a testament to bravery, camaraderie, and the unselfish giving of oneself for country and countrymen in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I don’t say this often, but this book is an absolute must-read.
January 7, 2022
“Red Platoon” is simply an amazing book in every way!
It’s always the story of how I small band of soldiers is attacked by the Taliban. It talks about their attempt to fight back the attack and gives incredible detail of their actions.
It is truly a fast paced read that is hard to put down.
I give it my highest recommendation.
It’s always the story of how I small band of soldiers is attacked by the Taliban. It talks about their attempt to fight back the attack and gives incredible detail of their actions.
It is truly a fast paced read that is hard to put down.
I give it my highest recommendation.
February 1, 2020
Wow.
This account of the Battle for COP Keating was truly incredible.
Clinton Romesha had the distinct challenge of telling the story of a battle that was pure chaos coherently and in a way that captivated the reader.
I was blown away by the humility with which this Medal of Honor recipient told the story. He brought each of his characters to life without even giving himself an introduction. Even now I know everything about each of the members of red platoon but very little about Ro himself.
His writing is eloquent for a man whose primary job was not to write well but to kill America’s enemies. He rarely resorted to vulgarities except in direct quotes, and kept the story moving briskly. I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through the book.
He did his research too. While he only had eyes on one portion of the battle at a time, he interviewed all of his friends who were at the battle, spoke with the generals who were overseeing the battle from afar, talked to the helicopter and jet crews who supported the battle from overhead, and even brought to life the medical team who was working to heal the injured soldiers while they were fighting.
But the thing that stood out to me about this book was Romesha’s leadership - which was evident to me from his ability to change perspective. He would always first give you the perspective of the events from his own point of view and that of his men on the ground - but then would switch and tell you what was happening 200 miles away to remedy that situation or what was simultaneously being done 20000 feet above by pilots and drones trying to support those men.
Truly the best war novel I’ve ever read (head and shoulders above Lone Survivor, Hunt for Red October, Caine Mutiny, and Red Badge of Courage— to name the most recent ones that I’ve read that come to mind immediately).
I’m surprised that this book is not already a movie, considering it is more action packed than some war movies I’ve watched. If you like action, get your hands on a copy of Red Platoon.
This account of the Battle for COP Keating was truly incredible.
Clinton Romesha had the distinct challenge of telling the story of a battle that was pure chaos coherently and in a way that captivated the reader.
I was blown away by the humility with which this Medal of Honor recipient told the story. He brought each of his characters to life without even giving himself an introduction. Even now I know everything about each of the members of red platoon but very little about Ro himself.
His writing is eloquent for a man whose primary job was not to write well but to kill America’s enemies. He rarely resorted to vulgarities except in direct quotes, and kept the story moving briskly. I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through the book.
He did his research too. While he only had eyes on one portion of the battle at a time, he interviewed all of his friends who were at the battle, spoke with the generals who were overseeing the battle from afar, talked to the helicopter and jet crews who supported the battle from overhead, and even brought to life the medical team who was working to heal the injured soldiers while they were fighting.
But the thing that stood out to me about this book was Romesha’s leadership - which was evident to me from his ability to change perspective. He would always first give you the perspective of the events from his own point of view and that of his men on the ground - but then would switch and tell you what was happening 200 miles away to remedy that situation or what was simultaneously being done 20000 feet above by pilots and drones trying to support those men.
Truly the best war novel I’ve ever read (head and shoulders above Lone Survivor, Hunt for Red October, Caine Mutiny, and Red Badge of Courage— to name the most recent ones that I’ve read that come to mind immediately).
I’m surprised that this book is not already a movie, considering it is more action packed than some war movies I’ve watched. If you like action, get your hands on a copy of Red Platoon.
August 1, 2024
Most Goodreads reviewers gave this book 5 stars. Not one to buck a trend, I give this a well deserved 5 stars too.
This is not my usual book fare. I am female and never had to face the prospect of going to war. If I read about war it's normally in a general way - "Johnny went to war for 4 years and then came home, got married and had 12 children". This is not that kind of book. It gets down to the knitty gritty. It is a minute-by minute memoir by Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, describing a single 2009 battle in Afghanistan. 300 Taliban tried to overrun an American outpost, COP Keating. In the end, there were 8 American causualties and approximately 200 Taliban killed. At one point a soldier turned to his fellow soldier (they were crouched together avoiding gunfire) and asked, "Is this the way it was in World War II?" The other soldier said, "No, World War II was worse." I guess he said that because of the sophistication of modern weaponry - when it doesn't malfunction. That happened often.
The air support for Keating was phenomenal but they had to be careful not to bomb Americans and not to crash into each other in their excitement. This particular airfield had a sign on the exit door that read - THE MISSION IS AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD WITH A RIFLE. EVERYTHING ELSE IS SUPPORT.
One of the things that amazed me the most was the mind-boggling amount of money these complicated machines cost. I am sure the American military will continue to dream up new and more deadly weapons. A word often used by the ground troops was "Awesome" as they witnessed the devastation of the American weaponry. One young American soldier even said at the beginning of the action, "Let's go kill people". It was chilling. I guess that's the mindset he had to have that day to be successful.
The author won the Medal of Honor for his bravery in this battle. I'm glad I read his book. I had only a vague idea what modern warfare is like.
This is not my usual book fare. I am female and never had to face the prospect of going to war. If I read about war it's normally in a general way - "Johnny went to war for 4 years and then came home, got married and had 12 children". This is not that kind of book. It gets down to the knitty gritty. It is a minute-by minute memoir by Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, describing a single 2009 battle in Afghanistan. 300 Taliban tried to overrun an American outpost, COP Keating. In the end, there were 8 American causualties and approximately 200 Taliban killed. At one point a soldier turned to his fellow soldier (they were crouched together avoiding gunfire) and asked, "Is this the way it was in World War II?" The other soldier said, "No, World War II was worse." I guess he said that because of the sophistication of modern weaponry - when it doesn't malfunction. That happened often.
The air support for Keating was phenomenal but they had to be careful not to bomb Americans and not to crash into each other in their excitement. This particular airfield had a sign on the exit door that read - THE MISSION IS AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD WITH A RIFLE. EVERYTHING ELSE IS SUPPORT.
One of the things that amazed me the most was the mind-boggling amount of money these complicated machines cost. I am sure the American military will continue to dream up new and more deadly weapons. A word often used by the ground troops was "Awesome" as they witnessed the devastation of the American weaponry. One young American soldier even said at the beginning of the action, "Let's go kill people". It was chilling. I guess that's the mindset he had to have that day to be successful.
The author won the Medal of Honor for his bravery in this battle. I'm glad I read his book. I had only a vague idea what modern warfare is like.
October 9, 2020
My husband recommended I read this. I do not read many war books, but I am so glad I read this one. It is truly a horrific, graphic, extremely difficult book to read in the very nature of the war these men fought in less than 24 hours, however, it is so important that we get an inkling of what these heroes go through to protect our country, but most importantly, each other. Their valor is inspiring. I could only read a few pages at a time because of the "hardness" of war, but it drew me in and was interesting to read. Thank you, soldiers and warriors, for all you do in your time of service including giving your lives. You are true heroes.
June 3, 2016
Stunning book! Review to come...6 stars!
June 19, 2016
I am a fan of military books. They are probably the number one type of nonfiction book that I read. Most of the books however have been about the past wars. Red Platoon is the most recent book I have read in a while focusing on a more current war. At first I was not into this book, which disappointed me due to the subject matter. Yet, because of this subject matter I tried to stick with the book. The second time I opened up this book it was like I was reading a different book, I was more focused and engaged in Clinton Romesha and his fellow comrades of the Black Knight Troop. This is probably one of the most realistic military books I have read in a while. There really was no holding back from the poo barrels to life in the barracks to the graphic details of the men getting hit and their brains spilling all over the dirt. If you are a fan of military stories than you are used to the language. Which for me I am used to and accept as part of the story. It was like I was there with Clinton and the rest of his comrades as they were taking heavy fire. It is people like Clinton and his comrades that fight for the rest of us and are willing to share their stories that we can have movies base don these books like the most recent movie, 13 Hours. This is a must, must read.
June 8, 2016
This was, quite simply, an incredible read. Romesha provides a peek into what war really means - who chooses to stand for our country - what it really means to defend America and its interests. Aside from the simple fact that this is a compelling story, Romesha provided incredible moment-by-moment detail. The book was compelling, beautifully written, factual without being overly dramatic - which made those moment of tragedy stand out that much more.
In a sea of literature about teenage angst and hurt feelings, I wish this were a book my children would be asked to read, because this tells us what freedom really costs. Romesha and his fellow soldiers distill being an American soldier down to its most basic elements: drawing together, regardless of origins, to become a team; and understanding that ultimately, it's us-vs-them.
Even if this isn't your genre, it is worth reading. It is important to know why we are free, who the enemy is, and who the heroes are. This book lays it all out, and makes me think of the age-old saying: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
In a sea of literature about teenage angst and hurt feelings, I wish this were a book my children would be asked to read, because this tells us what freedom really costs. Romesha and his fellow soldiers distill being an American soldier down to its most basic elements: drawing together, regardless of origins, to become a team; and understanding that ultimately, it's us-vs-them.
Even if this isn't your genre, it is worth reading. It is important to know why we are free, who the enemy is, and who the heroes are. This book lays it all out, and makes me think of the age-old saying: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
November 26, 2023
5 stars
It's hard to conceive of a better war memoir about the War in Afghanistan and there have been many great ones that I have read.
This one is special because the author, Sgt Clinton Romesha, was in the middle of the Taliban assault on Command Outpost Keating.
Highly recommended.
It's hard to conceive of a better war memoir about the War in Afghanistan and there have been many great ones that I have read.
This one is special because the author, Sgt Clinton Romesha, was in the middle of the Taliban assault on Command Outpost Keating.
Highly recommended.
June 23, 2017
I typically don't read modern war narratives - in recent years, most of the ones I've encountered have felt like poorly-written cash grabs. But Red Platoon is different. Author (and Medal of Honor recipient) Clinton Romesha is an incredible writer.
And his story is absolutely ferocious.
Red Platoon recounts the bloody 12-hour defense of Outpost Keating - a small, under-resourced American base in the middle of the Afghani mountains. Romesha eschews the requisite "good ole boy" autobiography section that typically bog down books like this in favor of leaping immediately into the conflict. The Battle of OP Keating unfolded like a modern day Alamo, with 50 U.S. soldiers defending a strategically indefensible base against more than 300 enemy combatants.
What makes this book so riveting is Romesha's writing style. He doesn't preach or push an agenda. He also doesn't hero worship - himself or his teammates (he's honest in his portrayal of his squad - most of them were burnt-out high school graduates that saw the Army as a way out of their hometown). Additionally, the book unfolds in near real-time, which creates a riveting, white-knuckle experience.
Be forewarned: Romesha doesn't hold back in his description of violence. Eight U.S. soldiers lost their lives in the defense of OP Keating, and Romesha traces the trajectory of every bullet, chunk of shrapnel, and RPG round that tore through their bodies in brutal, almost lyrical prose.
Red Platoon is an important war narrative. It portrays its soldiers not a superheroes or walking gods, but as real men sent to do a pointless and seemingly stupid mission. It reveals to us the horrors of war in all of its bloody carnage, while never letting us forget that most of the men "defending our freedom" aren't even old enough to buy a drink at a bar.
And his story is absolutely ferocious.
Red Platoon recounts the bloody 12-hour defense of Outpost Keating - a small, under-resourced American base in the middle of the Afghani mountains. Romesha eschews the requisite "good ole boy" autobiography section that typically bog down books like this in favor of leaping immediately into the conflict. The Battle of OP Keating unfolded like a modern day Alamo, with 50 U.S. soldiers defending a strategically indefensible base against more than 300 enemy combatants.
What makes this book so riveting is Romesha's writing style. He doesn't preach or push an agenda. He also doesn't hero worship - himself or his teammates (he's honest in his portrayal of his squad - most of them were burnt-out high school graduates that saw the Army as a way out of their hometown). Additionally, the book unfolds in near real-time, which creates a riveting, white-knuckle experience.
Be forewarned: Romesha doesn't hold back in his description of violence. Eight U.S. soldiers lost their lives in the defense of OP Keating, and Romesha traces the trajectory of every bullet, chunk of shrapnel, and RPG round that tore through their bodies in brutal, almost lyrical prose.
Red Platoon is an important war narrative. It portrays its soldiers not a superheroes or walking gods, but as real men sent to do a pointless and seemingly stupid mission. It reveals to us the horrors of war in all of its bloody carnage, while never letting us forget that most of the men "defending our freedom" aren't even old enough to buy a drink at a bar.
June 23, 2016
When we hear about the war in Afghanistan on the news, we get a sanitized version. In reality it is exhausting, dirty, and bloody. The men of Red Platoon give us a picture of real men; scared but brave in the face of danger--brothers in battle, protecting each other and encouraging each other in the midst of chaos.
Red Platoon is a book difficult to put down. The author, who was one of the platoon leaders, was on the ground during the fierce battle at COP Keating in Afghanistan. It is a riveting account of the attach on the base by enemy insurgents. He takes the reader right into the battle--you can smell it and taste it; it's a place you do not want to be.
This is a book about heroes. The only con in a book like this is a younger child would not be able to read it, primarily because of the forceful and vulgar language that is used. I'm not criticizing the use of the language--it gets the point across, but for a young child, it would be difficult to process. We need some young readers versions of books like this so children today can read what a real hero is like.
Red Platoon is a book difficult to put down. The author, who was one of the platoon leaders, was on the ground during the fierce battle at COP Keating in Afghanistan. It is a riveting account of the attach on the base by enemy insurgents. He takes the reader right into the battle--you can smell it and taste it; it's a place you do not want to be.
This is a book about heroes. The only con in a book like this is a younger child would not be able to read it, primarily because of the forceful and vulgar language that is used. I'm not criticizing the use of the language--it gets the point across, but for a young child, it would be difficult to process. We need some young readers versions of books like this so children today can read what a real hero is like.
June 14, 2016
COP Keating was the most remote and poorly sited of the American outposts in Nuristan Province in Eastern Afghanistan. Its placement tells a lot about the direction of the war in Afghanistan. It was surrounded and commanded by near-vertical hills that reached a thousand feet above it. Taliban forces had perfect vision of the base, could make probes against it and gauge American responses, and could shoot straight down into the camp. Keating was defended by a strike force composed of three platoons and a headquarters platoon, perhaps seventy-five men in all. At any given time, one of the platoons was stationed in a fire base that was out of visual range of Keating. That left a force of a bit more than fifty men to defend Keating, not counting their utterly unreliable Afghan military and police allies. To add to the problems faced by Keating's defenders, the post was flanked by two rivers (not an advantage given the fact that Keating was situated in a veritable pit, and there was an Afghan village just a couple of hundred yards away. And road resupply was impossible. All supplies, most notably ammunition, came in by helicopter, and the landing pad was outside the compound and across one of the rivers.
An earlier book (Jake Locker's excellent "Outpost") examined the issue of Keating's placement. Romesha's book is an action report based on a deep personal knowledge of the action at Keating. (Romesha, a staff sergeant, won the Medal of Honor for his actions at Keating.) It provides a minute-by-minute account, is well written, and is fueled by personal ties to the men he fought beside. It is one of the best accounts of its kind (ranking with F. L. West's "The Village"), and it is absolutely riveting.
An earlier book (Jake Locker's excellent "Outpost") examined the issue of Keating's placement. Romesha's book is an action report based on a deep personal knowledge of the action at Keating. (Romesha, a staff sergeant, won the Medal of Honor for his actions at Keating.) It provides a minute-by-minute account, is well written, and is fueled by personal ties to the men he fought beside. It is one of the best accounts of its kind (ranking with F. L. West's "The Village"), and it is absolutely riveting.
June 27, 2017
In 2009 a small American army outpost in Afghanistan was nearly overrun by a massive Taliban attack, finally staving off defeat after an all-day battle that turned on artillery and air support from distant bases. This is a first-person account of that fight by an infantryman who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his part in it.
No ghostwriter is credited, so presumably Clinton Romesha wrote it all himself, in which case it's an impressive job. It's pretty well written (except for a few annoying solecisms which an editor should have axed) and Romesha's personal experience is filled out with extensive research, making it a comprehensive and absorbing account of a complex engagement.
The book vividly conveys the desperation of men fighting for their lives but also the astonishing complexity of modern high-tech combat as practiced by the American military. An American non-com can call in pinpoint air support from a base a thousand miles away-- provided he can keep his head enough to perform complex tasks under stress so intense most of us cannot imagine it.
It was that combination of overpowering fire support and sheer animal courage that won the battle for Combat Outpost Keating; whatever you think of the war in Afghanistan you can't help but admire Romesha and his comrades.
But at the end of the day, in view of the blood and treasure expended to defend an insignificant outpost that was soon abandoned, you start wondering about cost-benefit ratios and strategies and directions after fifteen-plus years of war. We should all hope there won't be any more fights like Keating.
No ghostwriter is credited, so presumably Clinton Romesha wrote it all himself, in which case it's an impressive job. It's pretty well written (except for a few annoying solecisms which an editor should have axed) and Romesha's personal experience is filled out with extensive research, making it a comprehensive and absorbing account of a complex engagement.
The book vividly conveys the desperation of men fighting for their lives but also the astonishing complexity of modern high-tech combat as practiced by the American military. An American non-com can call in pinpoint air support from a base a thousand miles away-- provided he can keep his head enough to perform complex tasks under stress so intense most of us cannot imagine it.
It was that combination of overpowering fire support and sheer animal courage that won the battle for Combat Outpost Keating; whatever you think of the war in Afghanistan you can't help but admire Romesha and his comrades.
But at the end of the day, in view of the blood and treasure expended to defend an insignificant outpost that was soon abandoned, you start wondering about cost-benefit ratios and strategies and directions after fifteen-plus years of war. We should all hope there won't be any more fights like Keating.
December 8, 2020
I'm not sure that I can find words adequate enough to express my feelings about this book. As someone without a military background, nor with a deep understanding of tactical logistics and positioning, some of the details of this book were lost on me. But in a way, this helped to convey the extreme chaos and uncertainty that only those who have experienced battle can understand. This book has a very visceral feel to it, and I felt myself getting choked up at various points. It is also a bit bare bones, not trying to pull any punches, or make the soldiers out to be anything other than what they are. One common theme that you hear from so many veterans is the pain not so much of their wounds, but the guilt of being a survivor, and being recognized as a hero when they feel as though they are the farthest thing from it. It is tragic that these brave men cannot recognize their worth, or see themselves as those of us who admire and respect them do. If you want an insider's take on the Battle of Kamdesh, which chronicles not only Romesha's experience, but from many of those with first hand experience, I could not recommend this book more highly.
February 1, 2017
I don't normally read this particular sub-genre of narrative non-fiction. I chose it from a friend's bookshelf for a reading challenge, and I really enjoyed it. Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor is a compelling minute-by-minute retelling of the Battle of Keating, that took place during the Afghan War, October 3, 2009. Basically, a "battle narrative," the book is thorough and unflinching. The author, Clinton Romesha, is a Medal of War recipient and a masterful storyteller.
June 27, 2016
War is not pretty and this book gives you all the ugly parts that our military deal with. A camp placed in a vulnerable spot, an enemy with no moral boundaries and our soldiers hands tied by the rules of engagement. How can you fight against those odds?
It was a valiant 14 hour battle where they gave their all, some gave the ultimate price. If we are not in war to win but only maintain then don't send our boys to die under those odds .
It was a valiant 14 hour battle where they gave their all, some gave the ultimate price. If we are not in war to win but only maintain then don't send our boys to die under those odds .
April 15, 2024
The calculus of combat, at its most brutal essence, is binary.
On one morning in 2009, the camp of 53 US soldiers was attacked by 300 Taliban attackers. The following 14 hours are now known as the Battle of Kamdesh. This book by one of the US soldiers there tells the story of those 14 hours.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in a first-hand account of military combat. But beware that there are moments in the book that won't be easy to get through. The story of what happened in the Battle of Kamdesh is outlined honestly and in detail.
I appreciated that the book avoided politicking and blame. The author focused on his friends in arms and their acts on the day. However, even without the author's spur, I wondered whether the people on the battleground should've been there in the first place.
On one morning in 2009, the camp of 53 US soldiers was attacked by 300 Taliban attackers. The following 14 hours are now known as the Battle of Kamdesh. This book by one of the US soldiers there tells the story of those 14 hours.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in a first-hand account of military combat. But beware that there are moments in the book that won't be easy to get through. The story of what happened in the Battle of Kamdesh is outlined honestly and in detail.
I appreciated that the book avoided politicking and blame. The author focused on his friends in arms and their acts on the day. However, even without the author's spur, I wondered whether the people on the battleground should've been there in the first place.
February 21, 2023
I do not think this novel deserved to be reviewed, or rated. It's simply just facts and a true story of passionate brotherhood that's knitted together when you all share a common cause and trust your life into the hands of others. This was unbelievably a bit of an emotional roller-coaster to see a brotherhood that in my opinion, no average American would ever come to understand without experiencing it themselves. And it was a reminder, and an understatement, of how lowly these men thought of themselves and how important it was to them to keep each other living for another moment a little longer.
I hope more Americans would read this and learn not just of valor, but of an unselfish sacrifice that was presented in Red Platoon, a recount of the Battle of Kamdesh.
I hope more Americans would read this and learn not just of valor, but of an unselfish sacrifice that was presented in Red Platoon, a recount of the Battle of Kamdesh.
August 3, 2016
This pulse-pounding first-hand account of heavy combat in Afghanistan by a Medal of Honor winner kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. The army base, called Keating, was a nightmare ready to happen from the moment it was built, and that nightmare came true. Sitting in a hollow surrounded by steep mountains on all sides and with no viable supply lines, it was impossible to defend. This fact was realized fairly quickly and the base was in the process of being shut down and evacuated when hundreds of Taliban attacked from all sides with a fierce, well-coordinated, and well-armed attack from the high ground. The violence, death, gore, and emotional trauma that Red Platoon and the other occupants in Keating went through is described in grisly, riveting detail. This is not fiction and is not for the faint of heart. Those who love combat stories will eat it up; if that's not your thing, you might want to think twice before starting this one.
This kind of tale can be divisive, separating those who think everyone who wears our uniform is a hero keeping us all safe from those who thinks the army is full of dropouts or losers or those bloodthirsty gung-ho maniacs who just like to kill. As I see it, they can both be right in part, even when describing the same soldiers. The author makes clear his platoon was not a bunch of choir boys nor did they all join to defend their country. Some joined to escape death in a gang or because they were meth addicts with no chance at a real job. There were some who were lazy and some who were cowards or just plain stupid. None wanted to be at a screwed up base like Keating. But when the attack came, most stepped up and did what soldiers do in every war - they fought with every ounce of courage they had for their comrades and their own survival. Many showed remarkable resilience, bravery, and ingenuity.
The minute-by-minute account was heartening in this way, but frightening and disheartening at the same time. Why in the world were we there? Why are we still there? I've read another first-hand account of a soldier's time in that god-forsaken country that makes the same point. The whole nation-building thing is a joke. I fully supported going in right after 9-11, but it was time to get out long ago. No one but the corrupt Afghan government wants us there. Our continued presence just serves to help Al-Qaeda or the Taliban recruit more USA-haters and results in deaths and maimed veterans.
The writing is at times eloquent, even elegant. It is always engrossing. It tells the unvarnished story from the eyes of one soldier, although a lot of research was done to incorporate the experience of others who were present on the ground, in the air, or in remote command positions. Despite the generally fine writing, there were moments of eye-stabbing grammar and spelling errors that disrupted the flow. "Me and Jones went..." "feeling went throughout myself..." "areal support." I wanted to yell at the ghostwriter, "pick a lane: the left side of the IQ bell curve or the right, or better yet, aim for the big hump in the middle." I assume that Kevin Fedarko, whom Romesha acknowledges at the end for the writing, was trying to impart some of the voice of Romesha in the telling. While the writing was uneven, it was compelling. I found it hard to put down. My thanks go to all the men, survivors or not, who endured that assault at Keating, and for matter, all our men and women who wear the uniform.
This kind of tale can be divisive, separating those who think everyone who wears our uniform is a hero keeping us all safe from those who thinks the army is full of dropouts or losers or those bloodthirsty gung-ho maniacs who just like to kill. As I see it, they can both be right in part, even when describing the same soldiers. The author makes clear his platoon was not a bunch of choir boys nor did they all join to defend their country. Some joined to escape death in a gang or because they were meth addicts with no chance at a real job. There were some who were lazy and some who were cowards or just plain stupid. None wanted to be at a screwed up base like Keating. But when the attack came, most stepped up and did what soldiers do in every war - they fought with every ounce of courage they had for their comrades and their own survival. Many showed remarkable resilience, bravery, and ingenuity.
The minute-by-minute account was heartening in this way, but frightening and disheartening at the same time. Why in the world were we there? Why are we still there? I've read another first-hand account of a soldier's time in that god-forsaken country that makes the same point. The whole nation-building thing is a joke. I fully supported going in right after 9-11, but it was time to get out long ago. No one but the corrupt Afghan government wants us there. Our continued presence just serves to help Al-Qaeda or the Taliban recruit more USA-haters and results in deaths and maimed veterans.
The writing is at times eloquent, even elegant. It is always engrossing. It tells the unvarnished story from the eyes of one soldier, although a lot of research was done to incorporate the experience of others who were present on the ground, in the air, or in remote command positions. Despite the generally fine writing, there were moments of eye-stabbing grammar and spelling errors that disrupted the flow. "Me and Jones went..." "feeling went throughout myself..." "areal support." I wanted to yell at the ghostwriter, "pick a lane: the left side of the IQ bell curve or the right, or better yet, aim for the big hump in the middle." I assume that Kevin Fedarko, whom Romesha acknowledges at the end for the writing, was trying to impart some of the voice of Romesha in the telling. While the writing was uneven, it was compelling. I found it hard to put down. My thanks go to all the men, survivors or not, who endured that assault at Keating, and for matter, all our men and women who wear the uniform.
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