The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan
by Doug Stanton
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Readers' rating:
Published May 2009
416 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special
Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war
on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy
across mountainous terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the
city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential if they were to defeat
the Taliban.
The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators, and overjoyed
Afghans thronged the streets. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn.
During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were
ambushed. Dangerously outnumbered, they fought for their lives in the city's
immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi, or the House of War. At risk were the military
gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the
effort to defeat the Taliban might be doomed.
As the Americans struggled to hold the fortress, they faced some of the most
intense urban warfare of our time. But until now the full story of the Horse
Soldiers has never been told. Doug Stanton received unprecedented cooperation
from the U.S. Army's Special Forces soldiers and Special Operations helicopter
pilots, as well as access to voluminous after-battle reports. In addition, he
interviewed more than one hundred participants and walked every inch of the
climactic battleground.
This exciting story is filled with unforgettable characters: brave Special
Forces soldiers, tough CIA operatives, cunning Afghan warlords, anxious
stateside soldiers' wives who do not know where their husbands have gone, and
humble Afghan boys spying on the Taliban.
Deeply researched and beautifully written, Stanton's account of America's quest
to liberate an oppressed people touches the mythic. The Horse Soldiers combined
ancient strategies of cavalry warfare with twenty-first-century aerial
bombardment technology to perform a seemingly impossible feat. Moreover, their
careful effort to win the hearts of local townspeople and avoid civilian
casualties proved a valuable lesson for America's ongoing efforts in
Afghanistan.
Horse Soldiers is a big-hearted and thrilling read, with an epic story
that reaches not just across the cold mountains of Afghanistan but into the
homes of small-town America, and confirms Doug Stanton as one of our country's
preeminent storytellers.
Starred Review. In this absolutely riveting account, full of horror and raw courage, journalist Stanton (In Harm's Way) recreates the miseries and triumphs of specially trained mounted U.S. soldiers, deployed in the war-ravaged Afghanistan mountains to fight alongside the Northern Alliance." - Publishers Weekly
"Dumbed-down history delivered in purple prose." - Kirkus Reviews
"Horse Soldiers is a great read - a riveting story of the brave and resourceful American warriors who rode into Afghanistan after 9/11 and waged war against Al Qaeda. We're hearing many of these stories for the first time -- and from those who waged a war worthy of Rudyard Kipling, James Bond, and Davy Crockett." - Tom Brokaw
"Not just an epic war story, Horse Soldiers is a beautifully written, intimate portrait of the men and women who lived the battle on the fields of fire -- and at home, too. Their secret mission against the Taliban was intelligent, brave, and undertaken with great care for the good people of Afghanistan. Doug Stanton's superb account is an invaluable insight for policy makers and the public for years to come." - Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea.
This information about Horse Soldiers was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
TRAVERSE Magazine; Brian Confer
Doug Stanton is the author of the New York Times bestseller In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors. A former contributing editor at Esquire, Sports Afield, and Outside, Stanton is now a contributing editor at Men's Journal and has written on travel, entertainment, and adventure, during which time he nearly drowned in Cape Horn waters, played basketball with George Clooney, and took an acting lesson from a gracious Harrison Ford.
Stanton lives in his hometown of Traverse City, Michigan, where he is a member of the advisory board of the Interlochen Center for the Arts' Motion Picture Arts Program and a trustee of the Pathfinder School.
He has taught writing at the college level and worked as a commercial sports fisherman and ...
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