Book Review- Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commanders Account of the hunt for the world's most wanted man by Dalton Fury

This is another book which has been out for a while but is relevant for review because of the recent death of bin Laden.  Like Lone Survivor, this is an eye witness account of events in Afghanistan from the perspective of a member of the Special Forces, this time Delta Force.  It is about the initial hunt for bin Laden and the battle of Tora Bora, nearly a decade ago in the wake of 9/11.  I read this while bin Laden was still alive and now that he is dead there is a happier ending to the story, though it exists outside of the book.  Apparently this book is being made into a movie soon.  It will be interesting to see the film now that bin Laden is dead, since he was still alive when the book was written.

Again, like Lone Survivor this book is insightful concerning Special Forces and this time it is from an officer’s point of view.  You get a real sense of camaraderie between he and his men and the patriotism that existed in the US military immediately following 9/11.  The main idea I captured from this book is that US military with the help of Afghan freedom fighters came very close to killing Bin Laden during this battle, but due to politics, the fog of war and other factors he slipped through their fingers for almost the entire next decade until his recent death in Pakistan.  

Delta Force is one of the most mysterious military units in the world, but this book is insightful about it without being transparent.   It is also insightful about the roots of the war in Afghanistan which has since become a complicated, drawn-out conflict with no real end in sight.  In December 2001, there was no Iraq war, no large scale military buildup or surge in Afghanistan, but there was the fresh memory of the twin towers and a small elite force with boots on the ground in the country that was harboring the perpetrator of the crimes of 9/11 with their sites zeroed in on his hiding place.  It is incredible to read about these events with the knowledge of what came after.  I can’t help but wonder if things had turned out differently in Tora Bora if the past decade of US military action would have been very different as well.  We will never know.  We do know however that the story in Kill Bin Laden has finally found it’s real climax in 2011.    

Buy Kill Bin Laden at Amazon.com:

Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man

Book Review- Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell & Patrick Robinson

This book has been out since 2008, but because of the recent death of Osama Bin Laden, I thought it would be an appropriate title to review, since it is the true story of a Navy SEAL team’s experience in Afghanistan.  As the subtitle says, this is an eyewitness account and as I read it I couldn’t help but feel like I was there witnessing these events.  Along with help from British author Patrick Robinson, Marcus Luttrell has written vivid descriptions of the events that he witnessed when his team was ambushed by an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan.  You can tell that his experiences have had a profound effect on him.

Besides the account of intense combat, the book also talks a lot about SEAL training as well, which many people will find interesting after the recent raid on the bin Laden compound by Navy SEALs.  It is difficult to imagine the physical and mental challenges these men experience during their training and specifically during “Hell Week”.  While reading this book you will learn just what these elite warriors have to go through to earn the title of SEAL and what they go through while deployed to Afghanistan.    

I’ve read a lot of books over the past few year’s concerning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and this one is among the best of them.    If you are interested in military history and specifically the Global War on Terror or if you just want to read something action packed, I recommend this book to you.  After reading it I have a better appreciation for Special Forces and specifically Navy SEALS and the hard work and sacrifice that is required of them.  They truly are the elite of America’s armed forces. 

Buy Lone Survivor at Amazon.com:
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10