12 Strong

The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers

By: Doug Stanton

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

The inspiration for the major motion picture 12 Strong from Jerry Bruckheimer, starring Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon.

From the New York Times bestselling author of In Harm’s Way comes a true-life story of US Army Special Forces soldiers overcoming great odds to achieve a stunning military victory in the Afghanistan War.

Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following September 11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty-to-one, they pursued the enemy army across the mountainous Afghanistan terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential to defeat their opponent throughout the country.

The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators as they rode into the city, and the streets thronged with Afghans overjoyed that the Taliban regime had been overthrown.

Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed by the would-be POWs. Dangerously overpowered, they fought for their lives in the city’s immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the entire effort to outmaneuver the Taliban was likely doomed.

Deeply researched and beautifully written, Stanton’s account of the Americans’ quest to liberate an oppressed people touches the mythic. The soldiers on horses combined ancient strategies of cavalry warfare with twenty-first-century aerial bombardment technology to perform a seemingly impossible feat. Moreover, their careful effort to win the hearts of local townspeople proved a valuable lesson for America’s ongoing efforts in Afghanistan.

Critic reviews

"Doug Stanton's Horse Soldiers is as gripping as the most intricately plotted thriller. It is a masterwork of stunning military action, brilliant in-depth journalism, and powerful storytelling. Finally Americans can know how just a few dozen courageous U.S. soldiers beat the Taliban under the most extreme and dangerous conditions imaginable. I could not put this book down." -- Vince Flynn

"Horse Soldiers is a great read -- a riveting story of the brave and resourceful American warriors who rode into Afghanistan after 9/11 and waged war against Al Qaeda. We're hearing many of these stories for the first time -- and from those who waged a war worthy of Rudyard Kipling, James Bond, and Davy Crockett." -- Tom Brokaw

"Doug Stanton's Horse Soldiers is the story of the first large American unconventional warfare operation since World War II. My Green Berets were launched deep into enemy territory to befriend, recruit, equip, advise, and lead their Afghan counterparts to attack the Taliban. The Horse Soldiers succeeded brilliantly with a highly decentralized campaign, reinforced with modern airpower's precision weapons, forcing the Taliban government's collapse in a few months. Doug Stanton captures the gritty realities of the campaign as no other can." -- Geoffrey C. Lambert, major general (retired), U.S. Army, and commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne), 2001-2003

"Not just an epic war story, Horse Soldiers is a beautifully written, intimate portrait of the men and women who lived the battle on the fields of fire -- and at home, too. Their secret mission against the Taliban was intelligent, brave, and undertaken with great care for the good people of Afghanistan. Doug Stanton's superb account is an invaluable insight for policy makers and the public for years to come." -- Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea

"In the spirit of Black Hawk Down and Flags of Our Fathers, Doug Stanton plunges into the heart of a single mission and returns with a stark understanding not only of what happened but what was truly at stake. Through precise reportage and hauntingly rendered battle scenes, Stanton shows that we may ignore this 'forgotten' theater only at our own peril." -- Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and Blood and Thunder

great story

enthralling story of the conflict. captures the complexities of politics in the region. the story is also well narrated.

The Ultimate Reality Adventure

Would you consider the audio edition of Horse Soldiers to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version but the audio retelling is spectacular. One can only imagine that this is the adventure of a lifetime for the soldiers in the story--those that survive. What else in their lives will ever give them a rush like this experience. You want to hear more adventures but are chasened by the knowledge that these adventures are truely real and cost lives.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was true to news accounts during that time thus we have more agreement with history than disagreement. That validates the story as told.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Horse Soldiers of 9/11

Any additional comments?

Most of us have adventures of our youth to remember but Horse Soldiers is certainly at a new level, a level most of us never get to These soldiers brought training, skills, heart, pain and perseverance to bear for their country--for us. This, is the real thing! Young people in search of advenure should read this book and think about whether they could, or even want to, perform at that level. That could help them with the decision, "what do I want to do when I grow up."

Respect

I have the deepest respect for the people who serve The book gave me a new perspective of how the war Afghanistan started

What an Abridgement Should Be

This is absolutely a keen account of what happens when US soldiers find themselves deployed in a unit dependent upon horse power (no pun intended). Journalist Doug Stanton tells the story of the first forces into Afghanistan, how they adapted, and their day-to-day sacrifice. It is a tale of those who laid-it-all-on-the-line to complete their mission. The writing, well it could be better. The story, however, will hit the listener between the eyes. This is not literature - so read it as a journalist's report and you will receive great benefit. Now about the format --- This is an abridged version of the book. Frankly, I find the abridgements available disjointed at best and cut-and-paste at worst. The abridgement of Horse Soldiers, however, was easy to listen to. The abridgement did not distract from the story. Enjoy.

Extremely interesting

Not a lot of new facts or anything, but very interesting and well written.