The fighters : Americans in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq

"Unflinching, insightful, and humane. I can think of no other book that takes as its charge so ambitious a goal: to take the full measure of America's wars in this new century. A landmark work."—Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of Horse Soldiers and In Harm's Way Pulitzer Prize winner C.J. Chivers' unvarnished account of modern combat, told through the eyes of the fighters who have waged America's longest wars. More than 2.7 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001. C.J. Chivers reported from both wars from their beginnings. The Fighters vividly conveys the physical and emotional experience of war as lived by six combatants: a fighter pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and a Special Forces sergeant. Chivers captures their courage, commitment, sense of purpose, and ultimately their suffering, frustration, and moral confusion as new... Almost 2.5 Million Americans Have Served In Afghanistan Or Iraq Since September 11, 2001. C.j. Chivers Has Reported From Both Fronts From The Beginning, Walking Side By Side With Combatants For More Than A Dozen Years. He Describes The Experience Of War Today As It Is Endured By Those Most At Risk--the Camaraderie And Profound Sense Of Purpose, Alongside Courage, Frustration, And Moral Confusion Mixed With Technical Precision. In These Remote Places Where The Reason For Their Presence Is Sometimes Not Clear, These Young Men Kill Or Are Killed, Facing Palpable And Often Constant Threat Of Ambush Or Hidden Bombs. They Repeatedly Return, Rushing Toward Danger, Often To Rescue The Wounded In Wars That Escalate Around Them As The Pentagon Changes Doctrines And Plans. Weaving A History Of The War Through Troops' Experiences, The Characters In The Fighters Climb Into An F-14 Cockpit For The Opening Strikes After The Attacks Of 9/11, Hunt For Osama Bin Laden Along The Pakistani Border, Chase Insurgent Rocket Teams With Helicopters Alongside American Bases, Face Snipers In A Hostile City In Anbar Province In Iraq, And Engage In Deadly Counterguerilla Warfare In The Soaring Mountains Of The Korengal Valley In Afghanistan. Some Suffer Terribly. All Are Changed. They Return Home, Uncertain Of Their Place In The World And What Their Wars Have Achieved. Chivers Accompanied Combatants Over Many Years And Multiple Tours, Including Many Of The Characters In This Book, Developing Deep Understanding Of The Experience Of Combat In Our Times. The Fighters, His Tour De Force, Tells A History Of America's Longest Wars As Well As The Lives Of The Volunteers Who Have Waged Them-- Part 1. Storm. Into Afghanistan : G-monster : Lieutenant Layne Mcdowell's Quick Air War -- Into The Kill Zone : Sergeant First Class Leo Kryszewski And The Gauntlet At Al-kaed Bridge -- Part 2. Bad Hand. The One You Hear Already Missed : Sergeant First Class Leo Kryszewski And The Rocket Attacks -- In The Navy He'll Be Safe : Hospital Corpsman Dustin E. Kirby And A Family At War -- Down Safe : Chief Warrant Officer Michael Slebodnik And The Air Cavalry War In Iraq -- G-monster : Lieutenant Commander Layne Mcdowell's Dream -- Part 3. Counterinsurgency. On Al Qaeda's Turf : Dustin Kirby And The Route Chicago Shooting Gallery -- I'll Fly Away : Chief Warrant Officer Mike Slebodnik And The Air Cavalry In The Eastern Afghan Valleys -- We're Here Because We're Here : Specialist Robert Soto And The Ghosts Of Korengal Valley -- The Push : Lieutenant Jarrod Neff And A Battle To Turn The Tide Of The War -- Part 4. Reckoning. G-monster : The Satisfaction Of Restraint -- The Fighter : Gail Kirby's Demand. C.j. Chivers. Includes Index. "Unflinching, insightful, and humane. I can think of no other book that takes as its charge so ambitious a goal: to take the full measure of America's wars in this new century. A landmark work."—Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of Horse Soldiers and In Harm's Way Pulitzer Prize winner C.J. Chivers' unvarnished account of modern combat, told through the eyes of the fighters who have waged America's longest wars.More than 2.7 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001. C.J. Chivers reported from both wars from their beginnings. The Fighters vividly conveys the physical and emotional experience of war as lived by six combatants: a fighter pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and a Special Forces sergeant. Chivers captures their courage, commitment, sense of purpose, and ultimately their suffering, frustration, and moral confusion as new enemies arise and invasions give way to counterinsurgency duties for which American forces were often not prepared. The Fighters is a tour de force, a portrait of modern warfare that parts from slogans to do for American troops what Stephen Ambrose did for the G.I.s of World War II and Michael Herr for the grunts in Vietnam. Told with the empathy and understanding of an author who is himself an infantry veteran, The Fighters presents the long arc of two wars The harrowing account of US soldiers caught in America's forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that The New York Times calls "relentless...a classic of war reporting," by Pulitzer Prize winner and former Marine C.J. Chivers. More than 2.7 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001, and C.J. Chivers reported on both wars from their beginnings. The Fighters vividly conveys the physical and emotional experience of war as lived by six combatants: a fighter pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and a Special Forces sergeant. Chivers captures their courage, commitment, sense of purpose, and ultimately their suffering, frustration, and moral confusion as new enemies arise and invasions give way to counterinsurgency duties for which American forces were often not prepared. The Fighters is a "gripping, unforgettable" ( The Boston Globe ) portrait of modern warfare. Told with the empathy and understanding of an author who is himself an infantry veteran, The Fighters is "a masterful work of atmospheric reporting, and it's a book that will have every reader asking—with varying degrees of urgency or anger or despair—the final question Chivers himself asks: 'How many lives had these wars wrecked?'" ( Christian Science Monitor ). A classic of war reporting...The authors stories give heart-rending meaning to the lives and deaths of these men and women, even if policymakers generally have not. The New York Times Pulitzer Prize winner C.J. Chiverss unvarnished account of modern combat, told through the eyes of the fighters who have waged Americas longest wars. More than 2.7 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001. C.J. Chivers reported from both wars from their beginnings. The Fighters vividly conveys the physical and emotional experience of war as lived by six a fighter pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and a Special Forces sergeant. Chivers captures their courage, commitment, sense of purpose, and ultimately their suffering, frustration, and moral confusion as new enemies arise and invasions give way to counterinsurgency duties for which American forces were often not prepared. The Fighters is a tour de force, a portrait of modern warfare that parts from slogans to do for American troops what Stephen Ambrose did for the G.I.s of World War II and Michael Herr for the grunts in Vietnam. Told with the empathy and understanding of an author who is himself an infantry veteran, The Fighters presents the long arc of two wars. Chivers has reported from the Afghan and Iraqi wars from the beginning, walking side by side with combatants for more than a dozen years. He describes the experience of war today as it is endured by those most at risk - the camaraderie and profound sense of purpose, alongside courage, frustration, and moral confusion mixed with technical precision. In these remote places where the reason for their presence is sometimes not clear, these young men kill or are killed, facing palpable and often constant threat of ambush or hidden bombs. They repeatedly return, rushing toward danger, often to rescue the wounded in wars that escalate around them as the Pentagon changes doctrines and plans. Weaving a history of the war through troops' experiences, the characters in The Fighters climb into an F-14 cockpit for the opening strikes after the attacks of 9/11, hunt for Osama bin Laden along the Pakistani border, chase insurgent rocket teams with helicopters alongside American bases, face snipers in a hostile city in Anbar Province in Iraq, and engage in deadly counterguerilla warfare in the soaring mountains of the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. Chivers accompanied combatants over many years and multiple tours, developing deep understanding of the experience of combat in our times