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![The Three Battles of Wanat: And Other True Stories by [Mark Bowden]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DVuoxJBQL._SY346_.jpg)
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The Three Battles of Wanat: And Other True Stories Kindle Edition
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Mark Bowden has established himself as one of America’s leading journalists and nonfiction writers. The Three Battles of Wanat collects the best of his long-form articles, including pieces from the Atlantic, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The titular article delves into one of the bloodiest days of the War in Afghanistan and the years-long fallout it generated within the United States military. In “The Killing Machines,” Bowden examines the strategic, legal, and moral issues surrounding armed drones. And in a brilliant piece on Kim Jong-un called “The Bright Sun of Juche,” he recalibrates our understanding of the world’s youngest and most baffling dictator.
Also included are profiles of newspaper scion Arthur Sulzberger; renowned defense attorney and anti-death-penalty activist Judy Clarke; professional gambler Don Johnson, who won six million dollars in a single night playing blackjack; and David Simon, the creator of the legendary HBO series The Wire.
“Mark Bowden marshals his finest for The Three Battles of Wanat.” —Vanity Fair
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAtlantic Monthly Press
- Publication dateJanuary 5, 2016
- File size2142 KB
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Mark Bowden is the author of seven books, including Black Hawk Down, Bringing the Heat, Killing Pablo, and Guests of the Ayatollah. He reported at The Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years and is a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. He lives in the Philadelphia area.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
[Bowden is] one of America’s pre-eminent practitioners of long-form journalism . . . Given the importance of military affairs in Bowden’s oeuvre, it’s no surprise to find a trove of combat-related work in this new collection . . . Beyond the military pieces, Wanat offers excellent profiles . . . The Three Battles of Wanat should please Bowden’s legions of fans. He usually writes with care and empathy, eschewing fashionable snark and take-down drama.”Dallas Morning News
In Mark Bowden's four decades as a reporter, he has been honing his skills going after the second lookthe return to an event or a story once the proverbial dust has settled, to dig deeper and write longer’ in order to understand what really happened. In this process he has become a passionate advocate for long-form journalism and one of its more successful practitioners . . . The story of the three versions of the battle for Wanat is a good place to begin. Bowden is so good at what he does besthighlighting the human angle of battles large and smallthat the reader is led to consider what another round of "boots on the ground" could actually mean.”Minneapolis Star-Tribune
The author of the bestselling Black Hawk Down will please fans and win new ones with this bracing collection of essays. Bowden is in his element charting the familiar and complex territory of American engagement in foreign conflicts . . . But those only familiar with Bowden’s war reportage will be pleasantly surprised to discover the variety of topics he has tackled in this collection . . . With his rigorous and respectful approach to his subjects, multifaceted viewpoint, and wry sense of humor, Bowden proves that American journalism hasn’t kicked the bucket yet.”Publishers Weekly
"A first-rate collection from one of the finest writers in contemporary journalism."Booklist
Mark Bowden marshals his finest for The Three Battles of Wanat.”Vanity Fair
Bowden is consistently curious about the anonymous, often invisible operators who power modern warfaredrone operators, intelligence agents, special forces teams . . . Bowden tells a good story.”Salon
Deeply researched work on war, profiles of prominent, interesting people and sports personalities, and a variety of general interest essays represent fine examples of contemporary journalism, as the author himself looks to his investigative models such as Nellie Bly, Ida Tarbell, and John Hersey . . . Readers of Bowden’s work are assured of honest, straightforward, painstakingly researched essays.”Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Product details
- ASIN : B0163BZ2AM
- Publisher : Atlantic Monthly Press (January 5, 2016)
- Publication date : January 5, 2016
- Language : English
- File size : 2142 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 345 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #731,143 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #123 in Afghan War History
- #485 in Afghan War Military History
- #647 in American Literature Anthologies
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Mark Bowden is the bestselling author of Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, as well as The Best Game Ever, Bringing the Heat, Killing Pablo, and Guests of the Ayatollah. He reported at The Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years and now writes for Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and other magazines. He lives in Oxford, Pennsylvania.
Mark Bowden is the author of Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, Hue 1968, Guests of the Ayatollah, Killing Pablo and other books. He is a longtime contributing writer to The Atlantic and reported at The Philadelphia Inquirer for more than twenty-five years. He lives in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
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Now come the border initiative with the establishment of COP's (combat outpost), first with 10th MTN (L), then with the 173rd ABN BDE..followed by the 4th ID. During the COIN initiative with these three rotations, some 80 fine young Soldiers gave their lives for "nothing"; except to reinforce that the fact Soldiers fight to protect their buddies. As for the mission, few including many at higher really did not really agree with the mission station.
Early on in 2003 with travel virtually all over SE eastern Afghanistan to the Pakistan border include a meeting in Jaji (UBL base of operations during the Soviet time)..NOT one time did I every hear the shura leader want anything from the US. In fact, they wanted to be alone with our assistance on building clinics, schools or other. It was so evident and stark that many of us were alarmed to the point if we would make it back to our base in Gardez.
All these detailed reports, observations, opinions and personal comments were detailed and sent to Kabul..no doubt the entire intel community read these reports...and yet for years after, the continuing quest to change the "hearts and minds" fo these people continued unabated, hence the deployments of Soldiers into the Korengal or Konar Provinces with disastrous results.
With the war in Iraq resources dwindled ( in fact, almost all the 5th Group guys left replaced by SF from 19th Group); This was one of the metrics of "the way" our Soldiers simply did not have the resources required when over 150-200 bad guys attacked Wanat. Regardless if Topside was the correct OP or not remains a question. Having a very young 1LT responsible for the entire unit was not fair to LT B and as such any distainment of this fine and dedicated Soldier is incorrect..
As for the leadership...yes, there were issues..but, if you understand the "Follow Me" .ideology based in part "we can accomplish the mission regardless" resulted in shortages both in personnel, coordinating issues and certainly intl which was the primary reasons for this terrible lost of life.
For most..all of have seen Junger's and Heathington's (RIP, Misrata, Libya)..Korengal and Restrepo. The first thing that comes to mind was the shura meeting with the CPT..it was so obvious based on the tenor of the response and delivery that in the four years since leaving Afghanistan...nothing has changed..the locals still hate us and will take, then on the way down the road fire an RPG.
In closing, we shall never forget the fine and dedicated 11B's who have so much of themselves for a mission few really understood...which reinforces in my mind the tenacity and dedication of the American Soldier, then, now and in the future.
Bowden spares no effort in researching his stories and the end product is invariably balanced and well written
A wildly different story is the adventures of Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong ul. You may think reporters and analysts have examined and thoroughly reported about the No Korea dictator. Well they haven't. First of all,Rodman's inter action with the little fat guy as reported by Bowden it is hilarious. I rarely,rarely laugh out loud because of a story but this one had me in stitches. Bowman writes of one party that got so wild and out of control, including the little rocket man, that Rodman passed the word that everybody should probably cool it. A party-in North Korea-too wild for Dennis Rodman!!! I suppose you had to be there
I had a similar experience in Vietnam where my battalion was ordered to attack an entrenched North Vietnamese Army regiment, three times our size, with air or artillery support. Why? Because our division commanding general believed the NVA would retreat into Laos once they spotted American uniforms. Overall, we had about 100 killed; and the general received a Distinguished Service Cross (next below the Medal of Honor) for his bravery, despite the fact he had a nervous breakdown in the middle of the battle.
The story told by Bowden rings true, stoking my anger that has never been extinguished. The survivors of Wanat must feel the same way. I salute them and the author for telling their story.
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