A story of courage, perseverance, and patriotism behind the 75th Army Rangers' rescue mission following one of the deadliest Special Operations incidents in Afghanistan--a grueling search for twelve Navy SEAL casualties and eight downed Night Stalkers--but just one lone survivor
On June 28, 2005, a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team under Operation Red Wings was ambushed in northeastern Afghanistan--as depicted in the book and film Lone Survivor. A quick reaction force was dispatched to assist them. Turbine 33, carrying eight Navy SEALs and eight members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, bringing the dual-rotor chinook careening toward the rugged peak of Sawtalo Sar.
The result was the deadliest single incident in Afghanistan Special Operations at the time.
Commanders, unwilling to let this disaster get any worse, quickly called on the largest element of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, the 75th Ranger Regiment. The rescue mission: Operation Red Wings II.
Tony Brooks, then a newly minted Army Ranger, tells a first-hand account of the daring recovery of Turbine 33 and the subsequent search for the remaining compromised Navy SEAL reconnaissance team--one of whom was Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor. The Rangers would need to overcome lack of intelligence assessment, treacherous terrain, violent weather, and an enemy that was born and raised to fight.
Like his fellow Rangers, Tony Brooks lived--and many died--by the axiom, "Leave No Man Behind." His account is the first to tell the story that other books and films have left out, one of courage, skill, and perseverance in overcoming overwhelming odds to accomplish a mission to bring every American soldier home.
About the Author :
After enlisting in the US Army in 2003 at the age of twenty-one, Dr. Tony Brooks graduated from Infantry and Airborne school followed by the four-week Ranger Indoctrination program, officially checking in to the 2nd Ranger Battalion on Fort Lewis, Washington, in September 2004. He deployed to eastern Afghanistan in April 2005, based at Bagram Airfield. His first mission was Operation Red Wings II. Tony subsequently deployed to the Ramadi region of Iraq in 2006-2007. He was featured in Air & Space magazine and Discovery Channel's Black Files Declassified, as a subject matter expert on Operation Red Wings, and is also featured in the Backbone docuseries. Dr. Brooks lives in Everett, Washington.
Bob Welch is a speaker, author, award-winning columnist, and writing teacher who has served as an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He is the author of more than twenty books.
Review :
"A heart-wrenching story of one of the most important military missions of our generation...Tony Brooks shows us that war stripped to its core is a human endeavor where young men and women are willing to fight and die for each other under a solemn code of cohesion and brotherhood that binds them."
-- "John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, United States Military Academy, author of Connected Brothers"
"A vivid, fast-paced, first-person account of the actions by US Army Rangers on the ground in one of the episodes in Afghanistan that best illustrated the commitment in the Ranger creed: 'I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy.' An extraordinary--and truly inspirational--story of sheer determination, physical toughness, and mental fortitude, as well as a fierce desire to never let one's comrades down on the battlefield."
-- "General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, US and International Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA"
"An engagingly honest view of a young, middle-class American's journey from the golf course to the mountains of Afghanistan--and the realities of combat. As instructive as it is entertaining, Tony Brooks has captured both the pain and camaraderie of combat in an unforgettable way."
-- "General Stanley McChrystal, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of JSOC, Director of the Joint Staff, and Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan"
"An exceptional read that combines thrilling, you-are-there narrative with the introspection of a modern warfighter during one of recent military history's most renowned moments. It is an excellent and very important addition to the genre."
-- "Ed Darack, author of Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers--The Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan"
"An extraordinary--and truly inspirational--story of sheer determination, physical toughness, and mental fortitude, as well as a fierce desire to never let one's comrades down on the battlefield."
-- "General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, US and International Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA"
"Brooks and his fellow Rangers were thrust into a whirlwind of menace and dread that few warriors ever experience. Leave No Man Behind is a firsthand accounting of the untold story of the Rangers' search for survivors from a U.S. Navy SEAL reconnaissance operation that went tragically wrong on the treacherous slopes of Afghanistan's Swatalo Sar. In the spirit of Stephen E. Ambrose's Band of Brothers, Tony Brooks writes with a humble, authentic voice that speaks to all Americans."
-- "Jeffrey Layton, author of the The Vigilant Spy"
"Dr. Tony Brooks gives a first-hand account of the extraordinary lengths America will go to rescue one Lone Survivor. The sacrifices that Tony and his buddies made to rescue Marcus Luttrell and recover his fallen comrades will inspire anyone who reads Leave No Man Behind."
-- "Jeff Struecker, author of The Road to Unafraid, pastor, and decorated US Army Ranger veteran of "Black Hawk Down" during the Battle of Mogadishu"
