The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan

· Harper Collins
4.5
66 reviews
Ebook
513
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

"The one book you must read if you have any hope of understanding what our fine American soldiers are up against in Afghanistan.” —Former Congressman Charlie Wilson

From the author of the award-winning THE LAST SEASON, the untold story of the U.S. Army Special Forces team that conquered the Taliban against overwhelming odds while protecting Hamid Karzai, viewed at the time as the country’s best hope for a successful, democratically-elected leader.

On a moonless night just weeks after September 11, 2001, a U.S. Special Forces team of Green Berets known as ODA 574 infiltrated the mountains of southern Afghanistan with a seemingly impossible mission: to foment a tribal revolt and force the Taliban to surrender. Armed solely with the equipment they could carry on their backs, shockingly scant intelligence, and their mastery of guerrilla warfare, Captain Jason Amerine and his ten men had no choice but to trust their only ally, a little-known Pashtun statesman named Hamid Karzai. Having returned from exile, Karzai—on the run from the Taliban—was traveling the countryside to raise a militia.

The Only Thing Worth Dying For chronicles the most important mission in the early days of the Global War on Terror, when the men on the ground knew little about the enemy—and their commanders in Washington knew even less. With unprecedented access to surviving members of ODA 574, key war planners, and Karzai himself, award-winning author Eric Blehm cuts through the noise of politicians and high-level military officials to narrate for the first time a story of uncommon bravery and terrible sacrifice, intimately exposing the realities of unconventional warfare and nation-building in Afghanistan that continue to shape the region today.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
66 reviews
Frantz J
January 1, 2015
This was one of the best true to life books I read in a long time. We all need to read it to put in perspective what's going on in the world. And to appreciate the sacrifice of our brave soldiers that perform in the shadows.
12 people found this review helpful
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Ray Harrington215
April 13, 2017
Another great book by my favorite author. You also gotta find time to read his books ''fearless" & ''legend" because both are absolutely must reads that will stick with you forever after reading them...theirs not one wasted word in any of his books, a true master...
9 people found this review helpful
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Musica de Amar
January 6, 2022
Excellent read. Covers both a personal/anecdotal and historical perspective of unconventional warfare during the early stages of the War.
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About the author

Eric Blehm is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestsellers Fearless (soon to be a major motion picture) and The Only Thing Worth Dying For. His book The Last Season won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award and was named by Outside magazine as one of the "greatest adventure biographies ever written."

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