"Vivid, fast-paced . . . [An] account of the actions by US Army Rangers on the ground in Afghanistan that best illustrated the commitment in the Ranger creed." —General David Petraeus
On June 28, 2005, a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team under Operation Red Wings was ambushed in northeastern Afghanistan—as depicted in the book and film Lone Survivor. A quick reaction force was dispatched. Turbine 33, carrying eight Navy SEALs and eight members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, was struck by a rocket propelled grenade—careening the dual rotor Chinook toward the rugged peak of Sawtalo Sar.
The result was the single deadliest incident in Special Operations history at the time.
Commanders called on the largest element of US Special Forces, the 75th Ranger Regiment. The rescue mission: Operation Red Wings II.
Author Tony Brooks gives a first-hand account of the daring recovery of Turbine 33 and the subsequent search for the remaining compromised Navy SEAL recon team—one of whom was Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor.
Tony Brooks lived—and many of his fellow Rangers died—by the axiom, "Leave No Man Behind." He is the first to tell the story other books and films have omitted, one of overcoming overwhelming odds to accomplish a mission: to bring every American soldier home.
"A heart-wrenching story of one of the most important military missions of our generation." —John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, United States Military Academy, author of Connected Brothers"
"In the spirit of Stephen E. Ambrose’s Band of Brothers, Tony Brooks writes with a humble, authentic voice that speaks to all Americans." —Jeffrey Layton, author of The Vigilant Spy