Doug Stanton

A story of the initial involvement of US special forces and CIA agents in the attack of Afghan warlords against the Taliban and Al qaeda in 2001. Written in what some might call a “workman-like” fashion, the plot (anyway) commands our interest, as a novel story of the at least somewhat successful use of US advisors guiding sophisticated air power against enemies armed with AK47’s and RPG’s. I found the accounts of the warlords themselves, the Afghan Northern Alliance soldiers, and their relationship with the Taliban to be most interesting. I’ve read enough war stories to know that it is difficult to accurately describe a battle, and I was sometimes confused. The number of US characters is large. Some are with one warlord and some are with another. Some are called by their first names, and some are almost always called by their whole name and rank, including my namesake. The author also mentions and names the wives and children of several of them. Overall, a somewhat chaotic game plan.

After looking at the size of the book’s bibliography, I think this book could have been considerably more than it was. The story is essentially an account of a single unfortunate event in 2001, the fight at Qala-i-Janghi Fortess, due to the mistaken or ill-advised imprisonment of 400 Taliban soldiers in an area containing weapons bunkers; sadly, I am reading it in 2014 and we are still in Afghanistan. In the meantime, the US invaded Iraq, and several of the men who survived the fight described in this book, later died in Iraq. Until the whole sorry business is over, it is difficult to say what a story like this means. We have seen the same thing happen with books about Vietnam. Earlier ones written closer to the conflict seem to have less focus than those that look back from 20 or 30 years (and, although I see many similarities between the wars, the president has spent a fair amount of time trying to sell the differences between them, http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/01/afghanistan.vietnam/index.html?iref=24hou....… (mais)

True story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis torpedoed and sunk near the end of WWII by a Japanese submarine. Based on interviews with survivors, extensive research, and review of declassified information, the author sheds light on what really happened to the ship and its crew. It starts with an ending, then traces the ship’s last journey from San Francisco to Tinian to deliver an important cargo to its final resting place at the bottom of the Philippine Sea. It brings to light the series of miscommunications, misguided naval directives, and errors in judgment that led to the survivors spending an inordinate amount of time awaiting rescue, resulting in unnecessary deaths at sea. The captain became a scapegoat for an act of war to divert attention from this series of fiascos. In addition to the riveting human saga, it includes scientific explanations for the miseries endured by the survivors. This book comprises a crisp, well-told, powerful piece of history. Recommended to those interested in the history of WWII, survival stories, or rectification of injustice. An impressive work that made a difference.… (mais)