The Story of a Fight Against All Odds - Lions of Kandahar

The sacrifices our soldiers made for our country & the Afghanistan people is stunning. The actions that took place in this war cannot be imagined. To hear the truth and relive the battles thru these words brings such pride & respect for these troops, soldiers, pilots, airmen!! I have no words strong enough to describe how this book made me feel.

As an Army veteran that worked with small units in the 70's, I look for books about small unit actions. This account details the exceptional determination and professionalism of a small SF unit. As just a small bit-player in a much larger operation, they quickly discovered a much larger force and engaged them. In short order, a battle reminiscent of Col. Hal Moore's Ia Drang Valley experience was underway. This account is familiar to every veteran that has served in the field. Once started, you won't be able to put it down. If you haven't taken the time to read an account of this conflict, you are doing our veterans a disservice. This book is extremely well written, riveting, and concise. Do yourself a great favor and add this book to your library

Awesome! Firsthand account of an extremely nasty and largely unknown battle in Afghanistan. A lot of people may not understand why there is a need for the SOF community. To those doubters; I challenge them to read this book. Before I became a Soldier, I was also one of the nay-sayers about boots on ground to fight an enemy. I believed any enemy could be defeated with airpower alone. I couldn't have been further from the truth. It's nasty fights like the one mentioned in this book that show exactly why our Soldiers, particularly the elite field of Spec Ops, will always be needed to do the missions conventional Soldiers aren't trained and equipped to do. The Special Forces Soldiers mentioned in this book fought and succeeded against vastly overwhelming odds, few could begin to understand. Thank you for writing this book. It made me not only prouder to be an American, but prouder to serve with the most powerful Army in the world. The United States Army.

Rusty Bradley is a warrior. he is a man motivated by total dedication to mission. politics of the day are of no concern to him. he goes where his country asks him to go. he knows the Taliban and Al Qaeda is the enemy and believes he must with every fiber of his being every bit of his cool under fire, all his physical toughness melded with his training is stop a battle hardened enemy. some might read this brutally honest warrior's recounting of this monumental battle as anacronistic in our "modern" age. mr. Bradley makes us all realize that we will always need warriors to fight the good fight. he grabs us by our intellect and our gut with the realization that we, as a free peaple, must fight against the forces of chaos, and jihad as poor masks barely covering a brutal nihilism that underlies all evil human endeavor. the leaders of the taliban and others of their ilk brutalize their own people and they harbored and gave al qaeda born in saudi arabia a haven to festor their plans to kill as many of us as they can. Bradley takes the evil head on with sweat blood brains and never-flagging personal dedication. he is us. he and other heros offered up their lives, their families peace and their sacred honor as the best of who we are as a nation. all who read this book should take pause to reflect on what it takes, when we are viciously attacked and innocent citizens are cruelly blown into hanks of hair amd bone--vaporized human beings most of whom were so pulverized that their survivig relatives had no remains to bury. the honorable, brilliant and contemplative american warrior embodied in mr. Bradley is who we will always need to kick our enemies back into the hell of their own making. but when their hell reaches out to destroy downtown ny...a hell that magnifies the white hot genesis of nazi-like cruelty to even their own--cutting off the ears and noses of their own children for wearing t shirt or drawing with crayons flowers and suns in a blue sky. evil is evil, and when it hits home, thank god we have "the tip of the spear"--our dedicated soldiers and special forces to take on the forces of darkness. bless you , mr. Bradley and your wonderful Jess and all your family and friends who supported you so you could be america's warriors.

this book is not a literery tome. it is much more profound. it is a book from the heart of a warrior. read it, and it will affect your heart and head.

In a time in America where losers, drug dealers, seedy sport athletes, and your local welfare recipients are glorified as hero's by the media, these brave men go unsung on a daily basis. I having served in the US army instill the values that many uniformed men have died for , to both of my grandsons. To the SF community ... my heart, support and prayers go to you and your family. .enjoy like you, are roll models for future men like my grandsons.

I could knock "Lions of Kandahar": complain about the maps; protest about the petty, condescending digs at Army Rangers (something that seems to be in the DNA of Special Forces); most of all, whine about the many questions that never got answered, not answers I understood.

But those would be cheap shots. Because "Lions" is a rollicking, nail-biting, "OMG!" combat story about a small but crucial slice of one of the Afghan War's pivotal battles. The book lives up to every claim; it makes you give thanks the oft-maligned US Army has soldiers as tough and brave as Capt. Rusty, Bill, Dave, Jude, Brian and the rest of his intrepid "A" Team; and (least we forgot) the highly competent and compassionate American leadership, best represented here by the battalion commander, "Bolduc" (all names are pseudonyms, probably including Bradley's).

Any cheap shots would be unnecessary and misleading. There have been (as I write) 143 the store reviews posted here. No doubt their observations more than suffice. So, rather than repeat the obvious, I'd like to add a postmortem: the word is ugly but necessary. Because, unfortunately for Capt. Rusty Bradley and for all of us, it's almost 2013 - not 2006, when these events occurred. Afghanistan and the Afghan Army have changed. Strong and brave as they are, Bradley and the others might weep upon reading a piece called "Living in a Minefield: Panjwayi after the US Surge," published Oct 24, 2012 by the Afghanistan Analysts Network. The AAN's Borhan Osman "travelled to Panjwayi in late September to look at how the surge changed the situation. He found that it did not help to stabilize the area and, in some parts of the district, even has backfired."

The opening paragraph of this long, depressing analysis concludes:

"A Taleban-imposed night curfew is in place in the [Panjwayi] district just at the gates of Kandahar from 7 pm to 8 am. Those who could afford to have fled their homes, and the remaining ones find themselves caught in a situation they describe by saying, `We live by luck only.' "

It is a (small) comfort to see an commendable mention of Operation Medusa from 2006 in the AAN report. (On a person note, those of us who watched as classmates and company-mates died in the course of multiple tours in what was then "South Vietnam" will know how small and cold that comfort is.) The whole AAN report is at (...).

But the most bitter outcome of 2006-09, especially for the expert, high-quality Afghan Army trainers such as Capt. Bradley has to be the recent "Green-on-Blue" murders. Bradley, please note, felt such affection for "his" Afghan Army soldiers that the very title of the book refers to them - not to the American heroes. But now, Afghan Army soldiers are cravenly murdering their Coalition mentors. This is not only a crime but a betrayal. Despite the setbacks and ultimate frustration of those who served and trained in Vietnam, we never encountered such mendacity: such unalloyed evil (as we would have seen it). Our hearts must go out to those, and to their families, who have suffered at the hands of such traitors.

Yet these Taliban in uniform don't think of themselves as "traitors" but as the real heroes, the martyrs. As knowledgeable as our SOF are - as we think we are - we don't understand this part of the world and its inhabitants. Another book needs to be written. A Bernard Lewis of the Hindu Kush must step forward.

Added: I see the store has helpfully deleted the link I inserted. Suppose there's a reason for that. Nonetheless, I've provided sufficient information for the deteminded reader to find the report. Sorry about the inconvenience.

I'm currently deployed as a public affairs specialist in support of Special Forces in Afghanistan. Let me say I'm not terribly interested in reading military books or watching such movies. I was back and forth about purchasing this book, mostly because I've known military folks to write books, which turn out to be "I'm single-handedly winning the war, all by myself" autobiographies. I finally caved and purchased this book... and finished reading it within two days, at most. This is, hands-down the most non-egotistical military book I've ever read. The author does a magnificant job of describing everything, from the structure of an SF team, to what everyone does and the inner workings of SF command. Buldoc was our commander when I first arrived into country, and I can definitely support the author's description of him. I know I have a better understanding of how SF works because I've been working with 3rd Group for this entire deployment, but I will say the author does a great job of explaining everything in an easily understandable way.

This book isn't written in technical terms and jargon. It's written as if you're sitting with him and he's telling the story, not a report. That's my favorite part of the book. The natural voice. The story-teller's voice.

The book was very captivating and gave great detail to this heroic event. Being a retired Army soldier I wasn't impressed by the audio version. The reader had good inflection, but I was obvious that he had no military background. All acronyms used by the military were pronounced incorrectly. Like the teams on this mission, overall the book itself was a success.

Major Bradley, along with his men (Army and Afghans) were nothing less than heroes in the Operation covered throughout the book. Compared to other recent Non-fiction War books released over the past few years, I thought this book was wonderfully written and told nothing but facts. His opinions and political beliefs were kept to a minimum and did not interfere with the story being told.

Thank you Major Bradley for telling a story that needed to be told!

Great Read! Heard about this book in IG Recons pod cast when he interviewed Major Bradley. Very brave men and well written! I enjoyed every bit. Very detailed and accurate as well as exciting. If you like military history you will love this book.

Everyone should read this book!!! This book will give you a look at what it’s like over there and will make you respect our military more!!!!! Thank you to all that serve!!!!

This book is very well written and very hard to put down once you start reading it!!!!! Terrific job!!!!!!

Excellent book which depicts a singular battle in the War in Afghanistan . The book, which is well written , puts the reader in the middle of a struggle that 3rd group SF soldiers fought for terrain against a numerically superior Taliban force. Overall, if you enjoy reading modern military and or special forces books, this is a must read.

I highly recommend this book. Written by two guys who know, two guys with no spin and no politics. It's a story about a soldier who becomes a leader of warriors from under two different flags. It's a story of a savage fight, and the book is a lens through which one can truly understand the Middle Eastern conflict and appreciate the role of our troops there without the gloss and plastic of propaganda.

Well written and perfectly paced; not too dense but full of story and just enough technical military info to make one feel like they're in the thick of it. I recommend reading this for fun, then with a pencil to study and understand what it means to lead men in battle.

The is an excellent book. It is very well written and makes for a very good read. I read it way into the evening. Could not put it down. Thank God for air support. The Navy and Air Force saved many lives. Our ground troops would have been hamburger meat. They were fighting against all odds, so outnumbered. They were definitely the Lions of Kandahar. It brought to mind that many of us say thank you for our service. However, how many of us know what we are saying thank you for?. This was a horrible battle!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Zack. He taught several of us (financial advisors/planners) how to properly shoot at the firing range before teaching us how to experience clearing rooms as he had to in combat situations. It was only after meeting Zack was I informed that he took part in this significant battle. I read the book and found it to be an amazing story especially being a Navy veteran. It's an excellent book and as a civilian now I can express my gratitude enough for men and women in our Armed Forces like Zack and his entire team. I highly recommend this book as part of anyone and everyone's reading list. God Bless our troops!

A gritty, real-life military adventure. I never realized the dual nature of our special forces. These guys are about understanding the culture of the people they are fighting, and fighting to protect so they can catalyze real change. Some very interesting perspective on the modern War in Afghanistan, and the nature of our elite forces.

I was serving in Afghanistan when this battle occurred, and never heard a thing about it until years later. This book gives a very accurate and visceral account of this particular mission. It is an easy read, though the maps in the book do little justice showing what the valley really looks like. I would pull up Google Earth while you are reading, as it helps give a much better idea of where the action is taking place.

All in all, an incredible account of this battle.

Having men like the ones in this book represent our country makes me very proud to be an American. I can not comprehend the mental toughness of our special forces. You have got to read this book! This book really gives a glimpse into combat with the Taliban and showed just what or troops are up against. What an honor it was to read the stories of bravery direct from a hero Rusty Bradley! Thanks for a peek into what you all do to protect us. Great book!

Wall-to-wall, action-packed masterpiece of great storytelling! No slow developing plot here. When you open this book be ready for the thrill of being in contact as you will be swept up with the Green Berets into non-stop action in a desperate fight in Afghanistan. Awesome read!!

As an Retired Combat Marine I have a keen interest in reading books relating to the armed conflicts our country has been engaged in. This book is head and shoulders above almost all the others I've read. It's completely devoid of politics; there are no hidden agendas at all The author merely desires to just tell the story of the heroic men he lead and fought with, in desperate circumstances. He provides exactly the right amount of detail, with enough historical oversight, that brings a balanced approach to his writings. His understanding of the different personalities he encounters and how to effectively build relationships with fellow soldiers (both American and Afghan} is exceptional. He manages to convey his own personal faith in God without ever
becoming preachy or judgmental. I also appreciated, as a fellow believer, that the Lord's name was never profaned anywhere in the book. Everything that is best about our Armed Services was vividly portrayed in this book-I would highly recommend this excellent book to all.

Well written account of the fight for Kandahar. First few chapters which provide a history and sets up the story were a bit slow to read but then the story exploded and I couldn't put it down. I have a deep respect and appreciation for our warriors and this factual and emotional account only served to strengthen my respect for them.

Just an absolute, breathless story. Having been to Afghanistan myself, I could honestly visualize everything clearly, though the feelings and what they had been through could never be recreated. An amazing recount of perseverance and courage, this is what Americans are truly all about: defying all odds, and standing up to protect our freedom.

Would not hesitate to read this all over again, and most likely will.

A great story about special operators and afghans working together. The bravery, discipline, description of tactics, brotherhood, and other elements of the story kept me from putting it down. I would love to meet the author. Interesting how similar the fighting and respect for afghans here is to the stories of Vietnam special operators working with indigenous teams (Blackjack 34, etc).

Fast read if you are interested in foreign advisory work. I couldn't put it down! Oddly enough I read it during my second tour to AFG. The author pay specific attention to describing the environment so that even someone who has never been there before has a distinct picture of the area they were working in!! If you like military history, you will love this!!

Semper Fi

The Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds. This is a captivating read that is so well written that I am reading it all over again. I recommend this to anyone who is a special forces junkie. What these guys did during this operation brings reassurance that our leadership and training will help us triumph over evil.

Every freedom loving American needs to read this book that affords you the opportunity to ride shot gun with some of the baddest dudes we as a nation have to offer...The Special Forces of the United States Military!

Such an amazing story, the type of classic story told throughout history, a small band of highly trained soldiers takes on hordes of enemies and they prevail. My favorite part is when the attached Air Force Combat Controller calls in the airstrikes.

"Lions of Kandahar" recounts the battle of Sperwan Ghar and Kandahar City. It is a heroic account of men up against what seems to be insurmountable odds, an epic tale of patriotism, faith, heroic fortitude, and brotherhood. The author(s) do amazing jobs of describing the events, you feel as though you are part of the action or watching live feed from an overhead drone. I have always considered myself a patriot however this book gave me a new appreciation and perspective on the price of freedom, love and loss.

Just finished reading this book,very well written,makes you proud of our people on the ground,knowing how to deal with the problems as they come up.To bad all leaders don't spend this kind of time on the ground before they start making decisions.

Excellent read. Couldn't put this book down. This war has been depicted on numerous tv specials such as American Heros channel. & National Geo channel. These soldiers fought without fear & are truly Heros!!

This provided a true understanding of what goes into any military objective and what each man faces in turmoil. Unless you were there I am sure that none of us will really never know what it takes to be in this situation. God bless the US military.

This book gave me a very definitive picture of what our troops are experiencing in Afghanistan. As I have a young friend who is currently deployed there it gives me pause to pray often for his safe return. I think this should be required reading for all high school students so they can appreciate the price of our freedom.