First published 2014
Michael Golembesky leads U.S. Marine Special Operations Team 8222 into the remote Taliban stronghold of Bala Murghab Valley. Their routine mission transforms into something far more urgent when two 82nd Airborne Paratroopers drown in the Bala Murghab River during a failed supply drop recovery. The tragedy shifts the entire operation at Forward Operating Base Todd. What began as standard special operations becomes a massive clearing mission to break Taliban control over the valley and recover the fallen soldiers' bodies. Golembesky and his team face close-quarters combat in Afghan villages and fight to capture key terrain during the brutal Afghan winter. Enemy gunfire pins them down while 2000-pound guided bombs shake the earth around fortified Taliban positions. This account follows the Marine Operators as they execute their mission in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous regions, showing the brotherhood forged between warriors fighting side by side in an unforgiving war.
Genres: military-fiction, adventure, action, military-history
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: brotherhood, found-family
Setting: Bala Murghab Valley, Forward Operating Base Todd
Period: Afghan Winter
320 pages · Kindle Edition · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: graphic-violence, war