First published 2019
John Chapman opens his story with the predawn assault on March 4, 2002, as he and a Navy SEAL team climb toward a 10,469-foot peak in eastern Afghanistan. They hunt for a missing teammate while Al Qaeda fighters control the summit. Chapman leads the charge up the mountain but takes severe wounds in the first attack. His SEAL commander believes he died and orders the team to retreat. Chapman wakes up surrounded by enemies on three sides. He faces a choice between hiding and fighting. He chooses to engage two dozen hardened fighters alone to protect both his retreating teammates and an incoming rescue squad. Dan Schilling reconstructs Chapman's final hours using classified documents, video footage, and interviews with survivors. The book reveals how Air Force Combat Controllers train to exceed Navy SEAL and Delta Force standards while making split-second decisions under fire. Chapman became the first airman in nearly fifty years to receive the Medal of Honor. His sacrifice saved twenty-three lives during one of the fiercest battles of the Afghan War.
Genres: military-fiction, adventure, action, military-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: against-all-odds, heroic-sacrifice
Setting: Afghanistan, United States
Period: 2002, 21st-century
321 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence