Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force

This was a very compelling read about some of the earliest events in the Afghan war. It traces the development of Air Force Combat Controllers over the decades, as well as the lives and upbringings of some of the key players in the events that lead up to a very bad day on Takur Ghar, a massive 10,000+ foot peak in the Afghan mountains. Overall there are a number of storylines to follow as well as much of the military jargon that necessarily finds its way into such a book. I’m terribly thankful to the authors for all their detailed and dedicated effort to “get this right”. They did. For those who simply wish to whine about the fact it was too complicated to follow I’d only add that you can read a book more than once, or for that matter you can take detailed notes as you read it (digitally or on paper). Short of that, perhaps try growing a brain. What some of the special ops forces have endured since 9/11 is simply beyond the pale. For someone to complain about the pain of actually having to “think” while reading about it is disheartening. It has been my painful experience to have to listen to the pain of so many friends who have had loved ones serving in these roles, for now these many years, and to understand the pain of what it has done to these wonderful warriors. John Chapman left a tremendous legacy of dedication and love and it really shined through at the end of the book. It was sad to learn of some of the military game playing that some of his supporters encountered (I’m sure that’s an understatement) in getting his valor recognized. Unfortunately military institutions from top to bottom have pretty much unfailingly produced some of the best and some of the worst in human behavior. Thins always go wrong in war. Some face up to it, some don’t. A theme does run through this book that is unfortunately not very favorable to some of the Navy Seals involved (and in fact team Six). But given the proclivity for this thing to happen in pretty much all wars, it rings true that some of the players made big mistakes and later tried to cover them up. In reading about military history, and especially US Military history I have found that as enough time passes certain valiant actors eventually get their due. But usually it’s only after significant classified information becomes de-classified. You will find much of that here with some seriously dedicated Air Force Sr. personnel. It reminds me of another GREAT example of the same behavior that was the experience of John Waldren from Torpedo Squadron 8 at the battle of Midway during WWII. He lost his life but his actions & those of his fellow aviators changed world history in mere minutes. Read Richard Mrazek’s wonderful tome on this episode for a gleaming example of military facts being covered up to protect the guilty. Sadly this wonderful story is tarnished by some of the same, but the authors have done their work and provided a compelling and worthwhile read. Personally I think the world of all of our incredibly brave US military people. They “write out a blank check” for an amount up to and including their lives, and sign on the line to serve. You will NOT be disappointed with this story about some very incredible US citizens going above and beyond the call of duty so that we can sleep at night. Special thanks to Dan Schilling & “Chappy’s” Sister Lori for putting in all this effort so that some truth can begin breath again for those who have fallen.

Alone at Dawn is so complete and informative, it’s difficult to stop reading. The detailed accounts of those terribly rough early days of the Afghan war were harsh. Extremely well written. A true American Hero finally got his due. MSGT Chapman’s courage, dedication and fortitude were well deserving of the Medal of Honor.

Great story and good read , good presentation of what a Combat Controller is and what he does. I didn’t know these people existed until I read this book . The bravery of Chappie is unbelievable, everyone will enjoy this book

Initially challenging due to its dense technical language, the book gradually captivated me as the narrative of Operation Anaconda unfolded, revealing the extraordinary courage and resilience of our warriors through gripping, detailed accounts of their heroic actions.

Heard a lot of positive about this book and it did not disappoint. I shared with my teenage son and he loved it.

First, this is an important story that needed to be told. The motto for USSOCOM is "The Quiet Professionals." They work at the edge of foreign policy, where journalists don't venture, so what they do often goes unreported. And while it seems to me that so many books have been written lately, usually by SEALs, to turn the motto into a bit of irony, this story is different. Chapman is the first Combat Controller to receive the Medal of Honor. Yet most Americans have never heard Combat Control, Air Force Special Tactics or AFSOC. This book provides the means to highlight not only Chapman's heroic actions but also the history and work of a truly quiet community. Second, the book is well written. A great story poorly written is a story that goes unnoticed. Thankfully, I found this book to be incredibly well written and engaging. If you’re not familiar with the battle, it may help to read Not A Good Day to Die beforehand, but I thought this was an easy read. I was pulled into the story and I found it difficult to put down, which says a lot because we all know those books are really hard to find. I also thought it was smart how the author wove Chapman's story into the history of CCT because otherwise I believe the book would've come across as unfocused. Yes, as some of the more critical reviews have pointed out, the author tells us time and again how much heavier the CCTs ruck sacks are, which almost comes across as some kind of underlying insecurity of CCT vs SF and SEALs, however there’s no denying the outsized impact CCTs have on the battlefield. In all, the writing does the story justice. After reading it, I've purchased additional copies to give to friends and family. The only other book I've done that for was With The Old Breed. That alone should tell you how highly I regard this book.

Finally the heroic accomplishments of solders fighting in Afghanistan is being published. This is a great book that goes into great detail to tell the factual story, using forensic pathology, eyewitness accounts from both sides of the battle, and various communications and imagery to piece together how this heroic FAC performed and rightfully earned the MOH, losing his life in so doing. It’s worth the read.

Dieses Buch ist eine herausragende und unglaublich spannend zu lesende Rekonstruktion und Analyse der Rolle von Combat Controllern im Allgemeinen und der heroischen Rolle von John Chapman während eines Einsatzes im März 2002 auf dem Gipfel des Takur Ghar im Rahmen der Operation Anaconda. Das Buch basiert auf intensiver und umfangreicher Recherche und Analyse von zahllosen Originaldokumenten, Videoaufnahmen von Aufklärungsdrohnen sowie den Aussagen von Zeitzeugen und Kameraden und dadurch entsteht ein unglaublich realistisches und intensives Bild von den dramatischen Ereignissen in den Bergen Afghanistans. Der Autor erklärt im Laufe des Buches zunächst, welche Rollen Combat Controllern auf dem Schlachtfeld zukommen und zeigt dies anhand zeitgeschichlter Fallbeispiele wie Vietnam, Grenada, Panama oder dem Golfkrieg von 1991 auf. Anhand der Lebensgeschichte von John Chapman erfährt man zudem, wie umfangreich, intensiv und knüppelhart die Ausbildung dazu ist und das diese Soldaten zur absoluten Elite gehören und beim US-Militär auf einer Stufe mit Delta, SEALS und den Pararescue Jumpern stehen. Anhand von zwei konkreten Fallbeispielen zu Beginn des Afghanistan-Einsatzes (Einnahme von Kabul und Schlacht von Tora Bora) zeigt Dan Schillung auch, welch unglaubliches Zerstörungspotential ein einzelner Combat Controller für den Feind haben kann. Hauptgegenstand des Buches ist aber die Operation Anaconda im Shahi-Kot-Tal im Winter 2002. Die Rekonstruktion und Analyse umfasst dabei die Planung und Zielsetzung der Operation, die Infiltration der einzelnen Trupps von Spezialeinheiten sowie den Ablauf der Kampfhandlungen im gesamten Tal und natürlich auch die Ereignisse auf dem Gipfel des Takur Ghar. Ebenso wird thematsiert, was und wer aus amerikanischer Sicht für das Debakel am Tkaur Ghar und den Tod von 7 Elitesoldaten verantwortlich war und welche Schlüsselrolle John Chapman bei den dramatischen Kämpfen gespielt hat, für die ihm posthum die Medal of Honor verliehen wurde. Dieses Buch befasst sich zu keiner Zeit mit den politischen Fragen nach Zielsetzung und Sinn und Unsinn des Afghanistan-Einsatzes, sondern legt den Fokus rein auf die militärische Perspektive der Ereignisse und die spezielle Rolle, die den Combat Controllern darin zukam. Jeder, der sich dafür interessiert, wird in diesem Buch voll und ganz auf seine Kosten kommen und in der Tat ist es sehr spannend und auch faszinierend zu lesen, mit welchem Mut und Kameradschaft die Soldaten dort gekämpft haben. Von meiner Seite klare Empfehlung und 5 Sterne.

最近の戦争がどんなかんじか知るきっかけになる。 海外レビューにも書かれていることなんだけど、軍事用の頭字語がめちゃくちゃ多いCCTとかHLZとかAFOとかいろいろあってわかりずらいのがよくない。

So we’ve probably all see the video footage on YouTube, but after reading this and then re-watching, it puts things into a completely different light. I knew these combat controllers existed, but I never in a million years realised the scope of what they do and what they have to attain to get there. As with all books of this nature, a good chunk of the start is building up, giving an insight into the roll of CCT and the people involved, but it’s worth it because when you get to the operation itself you have such an investment in the guys going into the thick of it. All of those guys were hero’s, but when you read about what John actually did, and try and understand what must have been going through his mind at the time, it is truly mind blowing. I can honestly say I have never had chills and a lump in my throat from reading a book before. Chapter 21 will leave you in utter disbelief and chalet 24 will have you welling up, guaranteed. You absolute have to read this book!!

Tutto ok