First In

An Insider’s Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan

By: Gary C. Schroen

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

While America held its breath in the days immediately following 9/11, a small but determined group of CIA agents covertly began to change history. This is the riveting first-person account of the treacherous top-secret mission inside Afghanistan to set the stage for the defeat of the Taliban and launch the war on terror.

As thrilling as any novel, First In is a uniquely intimate look at a mission that began the US retaliation against terrorism - and reclaimed the country of Afghanistan for its people.

©2005 Gary C. Schroen (P)2021 Tantor

Courage of CIA

Very interesting analysis of beginning of Afghanistan war following 911. Great book that provides a background of what really occurred in the early days in Afghanistan.

great book!

a great listen and wealth of information. my only regret is finding this book shortly after Gary's passing.

Background to other accounts!

First hand accounts are always the best. Many other stories touch on the CIA involvement. This gives you the back story that is missing in those accounts! Excellent read!

An astonishing account of the initial days of the war in Afghanistan.

Unlike other books on this subject, this book gives a detailed account of the disorganization and total incompetence of the U.S. military and their lack of support for the CIA Jawbreaker team’s incursion into Afghanistan during the early days of the war in the intelligence and planning phase.
Like other books that analyze the war on terror, the weakest link in the chain of command is at the highest levels, where policy makers and out of touch commanders ignore the advice of the men on the ground and pursue political and other actions to ensure failure.
It is remarkable that the CIA’s Jawbreaker team were so successful in their mission given the lack of communication, coordination, and support they received, at times from headquarters, and from the military.
To say that it is disappointing to hear how out of touch and how ineffective our military is at the highest levels is an understatement.
Two examples underscore these points: (1) If not for an officer having the foresight to check in with the Jawbreaker team, the U.S. military was moments away from killing two CIA officers and destroying an airfield they had constructed in Northern Alliance territory with a Predator drone and Hellfire missiles, the military had confirmed with CIA headquarters the absence of friendlies in the area, despite the fact that the Jawbreaker team had reported to headquarters that the team was operating and building the airfield there. The military officer actually believed the drone had Bin Laden in its sights, mistaking a CIA officer for the terrorist; (2) someone thought it was a good idea to drop meals out of a military aircraft at 27,000 feet without parachutes so that the Jawbreaker team heard them exploding on impact, having reached terminal velocity.
Inattention, lack of focus, inappropriate political considerations, poor planning and coordination, and the diversion of resources away from Afghanistan to Iraq doomed the Bush Administration to failure in the war on terror. The victories achieved by the CIA and Special Forces were more in spite of our political and military leaders than because of them.

Favorite narrator yet

Good to hear this side of the beginning in Afghanistan. There was a lot more moving parts early on than I knew about.