About the Book
Battalion 3/5 suffered the highest number of casualties in the war in Afghanistan. This is the story of one platoon in that distinguished battalion.
Aware of U.S. plans to withdraw from the country, knowing their efforts were only a footprint in the sand, the fifty Marines of 3rd Platoon fought in Sangin, the most dangerous district in all of Afghanistan. So heavy were the casualties that the Secretary of Defense offered to pull the Marines out. Instead, they pushed forward. Each Marine in 3rd Platoon patrolled two and a half miles a day for six months a total of one million steps in search of a ghostlike enemy that struck without warning. Why did the Marines attack and attack, day after day?
Every day brought a new skirmish. Each footfall might trigger an IED. Half the Marines in 3rd Platoon didn t make it intact to the end of the tour. "One Million Steps" is the story of the fifty brave men who faced these grim odds and refused to back down. Based on Bing West s embeds with 3rd Platoon, as well as on their handwritten log, this is a gripping grunt s-eye view of life on the front lines of America s longest war. Writing with a combat veteran s compassion for the fallen, West also offers a damning critique of the higher-ups who expected our warriors to act as nation-builders and whose failed strategy put American lives at unnecessary risk.
Each time a leader was struck down, another rose up to take his place. How does one man instill courage in another? What welded these men together as firmly as steel plates?
This remarkable book is the story of warriors caught between a maddening, unrealistic strategy and their unswerving commitment to the fight. Fearsome, inspiring, and poignant in its telling, "One Million Steps" is sure to become a classic, a unique and enduring testament to the American warrior spirit.
Praise for "One Million Steps"
West shows the reality of modern warfare in a way that is utterly gripping. Max Boot, author of "Invisible Armies"
A gripping, boot-level account of Marines in Afghanistan during the bloody struggle with Taliban fighters. "Los Angeles Times"
""
"One Million Steps" transcends combat narrative: It is an epic of contemporary small-unit combat. Eliot A. Cohen, author of "Supreme Command"
""
A blistering assault on America s senior military leadership. "The Wall Street Journal"
""
A heart-pounding portrayal . . . a compelling account of what these men endured. " The Washington Post"
Stunning, sobering, and brilliantly written. Newt Gingrich
""
One of the most intrepid military journalists, Bing West, delivers a heart-wrenching account of one platoon s fight. Bill Bennett, host of "Morning in America"
Bing West has reconfirmed his standing as one of the most intrepid and insightful observers of America s wars. . . . "One Million Steps" reveals the essence of small-unit combat, the very soul of war. "The Weekly Standard"
""
A searing read, but it is one that all Americans should undertake. We send our sons into battle, and few know what our warriors experience. " The Washington Times""
About the Author :
Bing West, a Marine combat veteran, served as an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration. He has been on hundreds of patrols in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. A nationally acclaimed war correspondent, he is the author of "The Village; No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah; The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq; "and" The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan. "Most recently, he was the co-author of Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer s memoir, " Into the Fire. "A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Infantry Order of St. Crispin, West is the recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Colby Award for Military Writers, the Andrew J. Goodpaster Prize for military scholarship, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation award (twice), Tunisia s Medaille de la Liberte, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association Award, the Father Clyde Leonard Award, the Free Press Award, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award. He lives with his wife, Betsy, in Newport, Rhode Island."
Review :
A compelling account of what these men endured. . . [Bing]West is at his best describing the tactical decisions of small-unit leaders. The opening chapters give a heart-pounding portrayal of the battalion s brutal first month. . . . What makes these Marines so impressive is not that they are superhumans for whom danger and exhaustion are their natural habitat and killing a joy, but very young men for whom the prospect of walking 2.6 miles a day for six months over IED-riddled ground is no more appealing than it would be for anyone else. . . . Only two years after 3rd Platoon s final patrol there, the district s governor was proclaiming, Sangin is like an open space for the Taliban. If we re going to do better in the future, stories like this need to be told. Phil Klay, "The Washington Post"
A gripping, boot-level account of Marines in Afghanistan during the bloody struggle with Taliban fighters . . . [West s] style is narrative, almost novelistic, capturing the personalities of individual Marines and their roles in the platoon. . . . His approach here is pointillist, sharp colors that blend into a cohesive picture. "Los Angeles Times"
A blistering assault on America s senior military leadership. "The Wall Street Journal"
Bing West has reconfirmed his standing as one of the most intrepid and insightful observers of America s wars. . . . "One Million Steps" reveals the essence of small-unit combat, the very soul of war. "The Weekly Standard"
This book is a searing read, but it is one that all Americans should undertake. We send our sons into battle, and few know what our warriors experience. Gary Anderson, "The Washington Times"
""
A moving account of bravery . . . Marine veteran [Bing] West offers a suspenseful account of the perilous mission, during which the platoon suffered a greater than 50 percent casualty rate. . . . West demonstrates the tenacity and cohesion that kept this fighting force together and driven despite the horrendous conditions. The author gives a terrific overview of the Western attempt after 9/11 to expunge Al-Qaida, while the U.S. remained ostensibly to build a democratic nation. "Kirkus Reviews"
This new book, I believe, will go down in American military history as one of the most important books written about the long wars of the twenty-first century in the Middle East. Nicholas Warr, author of "Phase Line Green: The Battle for Hue, 1968"
"One Million Steps" should be mandatory reading for every citizen who wants to understand the reality of the war we are in with those who would destroy our civilization and kill us. It is a stunning, sobering, and brilliantly written book. Every presidential candidate should read it and then meet with Bing West. It is a first step to rethinking the thirteen years of strategic failure we have been engaged in. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and author of "A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters"
""
"One Million Steps" transcends combat narrative: It is an epic of contemporary small-unit combat that in austere prose depicts the old fighting virtues of selflessness, skill, and perseverance. It is, at the same time, a stinging indictment of our strategy in Afghanistan that inspires reflection on wars upon which we have closed one chapter, but not, in all probability, the book. Eliot A. Cohen, author of "Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime"
Bing West has created another masterpiece of war reporting. His first, "The Village, " was his personal account of leading a Marine rifle platoon in Vietnam. Now he has done it again. If you want a firsthand account of small-unit infantry combat, this book is it, and few others will ever top it. Colonel Gian Gentile, U.S. Army (retired), author of "Wrong Turn: America s Deadly Embrace of Counterinsurgency"
Bing West has spent a decade chronicling the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the Marine grunt s viewpoint. West has seen more war than most professional soldiers or Marines, and he has never flinched at going where the fighting is heaviest. "One Million Steps" is the latest (and he says final) product of his courageous ground-level reporting. Like his other books, it displays remarkable empathy for the warriors on the front lines. West shows the reality of modern warfare in a way that is utterly gripping and utterly different from the sanitized picture presented in the news. Max Boot, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of "Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present"
""
One of the most intrepid military journalists of our time, Bing West, delivers a heart-wrenching account of one platoon s fight for victory and survival on the front lines of Afghanistan. West reveals what inspired these fearless warriors, and what each of us can learn from them. William J. Bennett, host of "Morning in America" and author of" America: The Last Best Hope"
""
These are Marines at the Marine Corps s best worthy successors to all who wore the cloth before them. Bing West uses his Marine infantry experience in Vietnam to great advantage, comparing and contrasting strategy, tactics, technology, and daily life. He ends by expressing frustration because such great sacrifices are being made willingly and eagerly by admirable Marines but to what end? This book will indeed make you think and ask why. Brigadier General Thomas V. Draude, USMC (Ret.), president of the Marine Corps University Foundation
Once again, Bing West has absolutely nailed it! This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how much we ask of the young men and women who fight on our behalf. And it s a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the human element and the human toll of war in the modern era. Donovan Campbell, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Joker One: A Marine Platoon s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood""
