Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor

by Clinton Romesha

Overview

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The only comprehensive, firsthand account of the fourteen-hour firefight at the Battle of Keating by Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha, for readers of Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden and Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.
 
“‘It doesn't get better.’ To us, that phrase nailed one of the essential truths, maybe even the essential truth, about being stuck at an outpost whose strategic and tactical vulnerabilities were so glaringly obvious to every soldier who had ever set foot in that place that the name itself—Keating—had become a kind of backhanded joke.”
 
In 2009, Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost (COP) Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after its construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known immediately: it was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend. 
 
On October 3, 2009, after years of constant smaller attacks, the Taliban finally decided to throw everything they had at Keating. The ensuing fourteen-hour battle—and eventual victory—cost eight men their lives. 
 
Red Platoon is the riveting firsthand account of the Battle of Keating, told by Romesha, who spearheaded both the defense of the outpost and the counterattack that drove the Taliban back beyond the wire and received the Medal of Honor for his actions. 

“A vitally important story that needs to be understood by the public, and I cannot imagine an account that does it better justice that Romesha’s.”—Sebastian Junger, journalist and author of The Perfect Storm

“Red Platoon is sure to become a classic of the genre.”—Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525955054
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/03/2016
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	248,227
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Former Staff Sergeant Clinton L. Romesha enlisted in the Army in 1999. He deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and once to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. At the time of the deadly attack on Combat Outpost (COP) Keating on October 3, 2009, Staff Sergeant Romesha was assigned as a section leader for Bravo Troop, 3-61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including the Medal of Honor, which has been received by only twelve others for the heroism they displayed while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Romesha separated from the Army in 2011. He lives with his family in North Dakota.

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Chapter One
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Excerpted from "Red Platoon"
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Copyright © 2016 Clinton Romesha.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
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Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction: It Doesn't Get Better 1

Part I The Road to Nuristan

Chapter 1 Loss 17

Chapter 2 Stacked 29

Chapter 3 Keating 51

Chapter 4 Inside the Fishbowl 72

Chapter 5 Everybody Dies 87

Part II Going Cyclic

Chapter 6 "Let's Go Kill Some People" 105

Chapter 7 Heavy Contact 118

Chapter 8 Combat Kirk 130

Chapter 9 Luck 145

Chapter 10 Tunnel Vision 156

Part III Overrun

Chapter 11 The Only Gun Left in the Fight 175

Chapter 12 "Charlie in the Wire" 188

Chapter 13 The Alamo Position 201

Chapter 14 Light 'Em Up 211

Part IV Taking the Bitch Back

Chapter 15 Launch Out 229

Chapter 16 Not Gonna Make It 247

Chapter 17 Ox and Finch 261

Chapter 18 Alive! 272

Chapter 19 The Bone 283

Part V Saving Stephan Mace

Chapter 20 "Go Get It Done" 297

Chapter 21 Mustering the Dead 312

Chapter 22 Conflagration 327

Chapter 23 Farewell to Keating 344

Chapter 24 Trailing Fires 361

Epilogue 370

In Memoriam 373

Notes on Sources 375

Acknowledgments 377

About the Author 379

What People are Saying About This

Sebastian Junger

I read the first half of Red Platoon in one sitting and that night had such intense combat dreams that I actually thought twice about picking the book up again. In addition to being a superb soldier, Romesha is an utterly irresistible writer. I'm completely overwhelmed by what he has done with this book. The assault on Camp Keating is a vitally important story that needs to be understood by the public, and I cannot imagine an account that does it better justice that Romesha's. --Sebastian Junger, journalist and author of The Perfect Storm

Kevin Maurer

The men of Red Platoon and their actions at COP Keating deserve to be known. Clint Romesha's story takes hold from page one and makes you feel every inch of the battle, but it is the bond between soldiers that will stick with you. Red Platoon is on my list of the best books about the Afghan war. --Kevin Maurer, bestselling co-author of No Easy Day

Mark Owen

Red Platoon celebrates the most crucial aspect of military operations: the team. Clinton Romesha and the men of Black Knight Troop faced harrowing conditions and a determined enemy during the Battle for COP Keating, and in the process discovered exactly who they are. This account is an important tribute to everyone who fought, and especially to the eight Americans who on that day made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. --Mark Owen, author of No Easy Day

Scott Anderson

A visceral, heart-pounding account of men in close-quarter combat that is simply impossible to put down. Astonishingly intimate and beautifully written. A word of advice: don't start this book if you're planning on doing anything else for the next few hours. --Scott Anderson, author of Lawrence in Arabia

Dakota Meyer

Red Platoon exemplifies the courage and resiliency our country was founded on. Clint is a true brother and a man that I look up to. --Dakota Meyer, Medal of Honor Recipient and author of Into the Fire

Hampton Sides

Rendered hour by hour and sometimes second by second, here is battle narrative the way it's supposed to be written. Gritty, plangent, and unflinching, Red Platoon is sure to become a classic of the genre. Through his courageous and no doubt painful act of remembrance, Romesha has done his comrades, indeed all of us, a great service—leaving an epitaph that will live through the ages. --Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice

General Stanley McChrystal

Red Platoon is riveting. Like many who were in either Iraq, Afghanistan, or both, I often read books about the wars reluctantly, because it is hard to capture the essence of the experience. In my view Red Platoon is a brilliant book. Had Clint Romesha depicted the soldiers at Keating as a collection of steely-eyed warriors, their feat would have been impressive. Because he captures the reality of a collection of personalities as diverse as America itself, their courage is truly inspiring. --General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army, Retired

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/04/2016
Former SSG Romesha, a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the 2009 battle for Outpost Keating in Afghanistan, viscerally describes the dirt, danger, and chaos of that battle. This ranks among the best combat narratives written in recent decades, revealing Romesha as a brave and skilled soldier as well as a gifted writer. He supports his own memories with hours of interviews and official reports to describe the battle and its context. Romesha offers some personal history and a rundown of the precarious nature of life at the remote American outpost before launching into his minute-by-minute account of its defense, from the moments prior to the attack at 5:58 a.m. until the first medevac helicopter arrived to remove the wounded and dead at 8:11 p.m. At the end of the battle, of the 50 soldiers at Keating, eight were dead and 27 were wounded. The soldiers were not hardened Special Forces operators, but rather ordinary young Americans “cut from a more ragged grade of cloth.” Romesha remains humble and self-effacing throughout, in a contrast with many other first-person battle accounts, and his powerful, action-packed book is likely to stand as a classic of the genre. Photos. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM. (May)

Publishers Weekly

This ranks among the best combat narratives written in recent decades, revealing Romesha as a brave and skilled soldier as well as a gifted writer....Romesha remains humble and self-effacing throughout, in a contrast with many other first-person battle accounts, and his powerful, action-packed book is likely to stand as a classic of the genre.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The book is riveting in its authentic detail....Romesha ably captures the daily dangers faced by these courageous American soldiers in Afghanistan.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[Romesha’s] account displays all the hallmarks of superlative wartime reporting: unflinching honesty; vivid, in-the-trenches description; and deeper reflections on the pathos of battle.”—Booklist

“[A] clear and expertly crafted account of an iconic fight during the Afghan War.”—Library Journal 

“[Red Platoon is] compelling and rich with detail into a world most of us will not experience. It will make readers really think about what soldiers go through for their country. Romesha is a great storyteller, knowing how to draw you in and leave you breathless.”—News and Sentinel

“I couldn’t recommend [this] book, Red Platoon, any higher.”—Bill O'Reilly

“An amazing read....A gripping account of men in desperate combat against an overwhelming enemy.”—The Tampa Bay Tribune

“[Romesha’s] experiences blaze the pages of his new memoir.”—Investor’s Business Daily

“The battle, from start to finish, is riveting....I’m confident in saying that anyone who reads the full account—from the initial assault to the end of the attack—will be sucked into the action.”—Conservative Book Club

“Red Platoon is an exceptional book....[A] meticulous and powerful telling of the 2009 battle at COP Keating in Afghanistan.”—Military.com

“It is a gripping read. It's something that will have you gasping as you hold your breath, rooting for Romesha and his comrades to prevail. More important, it is something that rises to the level of literature in its portrayal of a battle most Americans probably know nothing about, as a part of a war our country still seems to be struggling to understand.”—Grand Forks Herald

“What sets Red Platoon apart is Romesha’s thoroughness in recounting the frantic scramble of events.”—Herald and News

“It is so well written you're likely to feel you're in the middle of the action....Red Platoon will make you marvel at the courage of our young men in the face of a much larger force and the stupidity of the generals who put them there.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“This compellingly candid detail written by Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha tells of the grisly tumult of the Battle of Keating through the rawest of lenses—his own.”—Parade

“Red Platoon by Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha will probably prove to be the definitive literary contribution of the war in Afghanistan.”—Lincoln Journal Star

"I read the first half of Red Platoon in one sitting and that night had such intense combat dreams that I actually thought twice about picking the book up again. In addition to being a superb soldier, Romesha is an utterly irresistible writer. I'm completely overwhelmed by what he has done with this book. The assault on Camp Keating is a vitally important story that needs to be understood by the public, and I cannot imagine an account that does it better justice that Romesha's.”—Sebastian Junger, journalist and author of The Perfect Storm

“Rendered hour by hour and sometimes second by second, here is battle narrative the way it's supposed to be written. Gritty, plangent, and unflinching, Red Platoon is sure to become a classic of the genre. Through his courageous and no doubt painful act of remembrance, Romesha has done his comrades, indeed all of us, a great service—leaving an epitaph that will live through the ages.”—Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice

“Red Platoon is riveting. Like many who were in either Iraq, Afghanistan, or both, I often read books about the wars reluctantly, because it is hard to capture the essence of the experience. In my view Red Platoon is a brilliant book. Had Clint Romesha depicted the soldiers at Keating as a collection of steely-eyed warriors, their feat would have been impressive. Because he captures the reality of a collection of personalities as diverse as America itself, their courage is truly inspiring.”—General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army, Retired

“Red Platoon celebrates the most crucial aspect of military operations: the team. Clinton Romesha and the men of Black Knight Troop faced harrowing conditions and a determined enemy during the Battle for COP Keating, and in the process discovered exactly who they are. This account is an important tribute to everyone who fought, and especially to the eight Americans who on that day made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”—Mark Owen, author of No Easy Day and No Hero

“Red Platoon exemplifies the courage and resiliency our country was founded on. Clint is a true brother and a man that I look up to.”—Dakota Meyer, Medal of Honor recipient and author of Into the Fire
 
“The men of Red Platoon and their actions at COP Keating deserve to be known. Clint Romesha's story takes hold from page one and makes you feel every inch of the battle, but it is the bond between soldiers that will stick with you. Red Platoon is on my list of the best books about the Afghan war.”—Kevin Maurer, bestselling coauthor of No Easy Day

“A visceral, heart-pounding account of men in close-quarter combat that is simply impossible to put down. Astonishingly intimate and beautifully written. A word of advice: don't start this book if you're planning on doing anything else for the next few hours.”—Scott Anderson, author of Lawrence in Arabia

“Danger and death accompany combat. When unexpectedly surrounded and outnumbered by a Taliban enemy force, the stakes soared. Responses by the men of Keating were courageous. Led by Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha, this band of brothers countered with supreme valor. This true story will make you proud of the American soldier. You will not want to put Red Platoon down.”—Colonel Bill Smullen, U.S. Army, Retired

From the Publisher

04/15/2016
On an early October morning in 2009, an army platoon in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border, came under attack from Taliban forces. Outpost Keating was intended to be a temporary settlement to be abandoned a few days later. Fifty U.S. soldiers resisted a well-armed and well-informed assault by at least 300 Taliban. This firsthand account by former U.S. Army staff sergeant Romesha, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during this battle, expertly disentangles the complicated threads of the effort, accounting for the actions (and deaths) of every participant, including the massive air support, medical care, and command decisions related to the action. Romesha's personal narrative of the Battle of Kamdesh is a companion to the much broader story told in Jake Tapper's The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, which adds geopolitical context. VERDICT A clear and expertly crafted account of an iconic fight during the Afghan War, this work is sure to be popular with readers of military history. [See Prepub Alert, 11/2/15.].—Edwin Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS

Library Journal

2016-03-14
An account of the horrendous October 2009 attack on the American Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan, told in a frank, engaging vernacular by the staff sergeant and Medal of Honor winner. The attack by the Taliban on Keating took the lives of eight Americans and countless Afghans, and it rendered numerous wounded. However, as Romesha notes in his character-driven narrative, it was hardly a surprise enemy move. Having joined the Army from his graduating class in Lake City, California, in 1999, following his two older brothers, Romesha became a commander of the Black Knight Troop's Red Platoon, which was eventually sent to the most remote and dangerous outpost in Nuristan, less than 20 miles from the Pakistan border. The location of the fort defied tactical logic: rather than firing down at the enemy from the top of the hill, Keating was a target at the base of steep mountains whose ridgelines concealed attack points behind thick trees and boulders. It was the spectacularly ill-planned layout of the fort—"so breathtakingly open to plunging fire that massive amounts of artillery and airpower would be required to defend it"—that allowed the Taliban to observe in detail the movements and patterns of the American scouts, young men who were trained in reconnaissance, countersurveillance, and navigation. Romesha lovingly describes this cohort as "exceptionally ordinary men who were put to an extraordinary test." The author devotes the narrative to building character studies of his troop, which he carefully "stacked" with the most determined, steely, physically fit, and battle-tested soldiers, headed by the very capable Lt. Andrew Bundermann. When the assault came at dawn, the soldiers took up their weapons and positions dutifully and with fervor, though they were stunningly outnumbered and nearly overrun until air support arrived hours later. The book is riveting in its authentic detail, right down to the determined attempts to recover American bodies before the Taliban could. Romesha ably captures the daily dangers faced by these courageous American soldiers in Afghanistan.

Kirkus Reviews

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