Horse Soldiers Book Review

July 23rd, 2009

by John R. Sedivy

Horse Soldiers Book Cover It has been said that real life can sometimes be more exciting and intriguing than some of the most action-packed fiction novels. “Horse Soldiers” by Doug Stanton portrays such a story.

“Horse Soldiers” starts just prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and tells the tale of the Army Special Forces and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) invasion of Afghanistan following that attack. It ties together loose ends from this time and fills in some gaps, such as the stories of Mike Spann, John Walker Lindh, and what exactly happened in Afghanistan. For those who have lost track of the Afghan war, “Horse Soldiers” also provides a nice recap and summary of where things currently stand.

The name “Horse Soldiers” comes from the necessity of the special ops and CIA to fight a good part of the opening days of the war on horseback. This is one of the most interesting aspects of this book – the differences between the American and Taliban technologies. The phrase “Flintstones Vs. Jetsons” is provided – and this story reinforces this comparison.

Shocking Details
I had learned quite a bit from this book about special ops, the CIA field operations in Afghanistan, and the types (and effectiveness) of weapons employed in battle for this campaign. Especially cool are the roles of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and C-130 Spectre Gunships – amazing weapons in and of themselves, however, the descriptions and uses of these weapons described in this book are breathtaking.

In addition to the normal documenting of wartime activities there were quite a few surprises that I had come across. Once such occurrence was a retelling of an encounter prior to deploying troops to Afghanistan that one Army commander had literally promised the head of Osama Bin Laden delivered in a box of dry ice to be shipped to President George W. Bush just after the 9-11 attacks. This was to be accomplished after the photo was taken of the head on a pike. Although I consider our nation to be one of the most civilized in the world – it made me think about how medieval human beings can become given a certain set of circumstances – sort of in line with “Lord Of The Flies.”

Another interesting aspect of this story is that of the two individuals that were household names during this time – Mike Spann and John Walker Lindh. Mike Spann was the CIA field agent who was killed in action during a Taliban prison break in Afghanistan – an event where John Walker Lindh was present. John Walker Lindh was the American who had gone to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban. Prior to this book I had thought that John Walker Lindh’s involvement was cut and dry – however as with most situations there is a gray area – his involvement and appearance in the prison break is bizarre, and not everything is as it would seem. This is but one of many intriguing aspects that left me amazed at not only the intricacy of the war, but the tangled web of events that led up to it.

Overall Impressions
Doug Stanton does a fine job of telling the story of the brave soldiers and agents who fought in the opening days of the war in Afghanistan. His method of describing the environment is superb. I had listened to the audiobook and for the most part I could picture the surrounding environment based on the descriptions provided.

One memorable scene was the initial launch of a JDAM from a B-52 bomber. This is provided in vivid detail from the agent calling in the coordinates from the ground, the pilot confirming, pressing the button, and a detailed description of the command signals and dropping of the guided munition – simply amazing. Based on the descriptions of the environment it is easy to forget you are listening (or reading) a book and not watching a fictional movie. I had read on Wikipedia that they are planning a Horse Soldiers movie – based on the book this is something I would definitely be interested in seeing!

One aspect that made “Horse Soldiers” difficult at times were the many characters and the fast pace. The core group of characters are treated in great detail, but there are many more who are not given as much treatment. When the action kicks into full gear it is sometimes difficult to remember who’s who and what’s going on. In all fairness this is likely not the author’s fault – it is strictly the nature of the beast – fast past and confusion. If nothing else this gave me an appreciation of how difficult the special ops and CIA had it over there – not only do they have to worry about combat – but they have to keep a large and diverse cast of characters straight, each with their own interests and agendas!

In many ways this felt like a sequel to “Charlie Wilson’s War” and in many ways it is. If you like military action, spy thrillers, or just want an overview and update on the war in Afghanistan, then I highly recommend “Horse Soldiers.”

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding