Outlaw Platoon

When U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell's platoon was ordered to root out Pakistani-based insurgents from a mountain valley along the Eastern Afghan Frontier, he and his forty men thought they would be facing a ragtag bunch of armed civilians - an assumption that almost got them killed. On May 7, 2006, what started out as a routine patrol through the lower mountains of the Hindu Kush became a lethal ambush. Barely surviving the attack, Parnell's men realized that they were facing the most professional and seasoned force of light infantry the U.S. Army had encountered since the end of World War II. Well-trained, heavily armed, cunning, and ferociously courageous, the insurgents also displayed consummate tactical skill. They had studied the soldiers' communication patterns and equipment, and knew their capabilities-and severe limitations. What followed was sixteen months of continuous battle in which Parnell's "Outlaw Platoon" killed more than 350 enemy combatants. During countless clashes on the border, the platoon discovered the truth about our Pakistani "allies" and the extent of their military involvement against U.S. forces in Afghanistan. In five of the largest battles along the border since the war began, waves of insurgents attempted to overrun Parnell's platoon with the avowed intent of beheading him and his men. Each time, Parnell's men held them off. But the cost was high: over eighty percent was wounded in action - a rate not seen since Gettysburg. Despite these daunting odds, Parnell's men displayed unparalleled bravery. "Outlaw Platoon" is the story of those sixteen months, a gripping narrative of how close combat reshaped the lives of Parnell and his men, and how the love and faith they found in each other kept them alive.

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