Bing west is an american author, marine combat veteran and former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs during the reagan administration. We didnt have a warfighting doctrine for defeating the taliban, writes the author. A firsthand account of the most extraordinary battle in the afghan war. Call sign chaos by jim mattis, bing west book summary. Skip the muddled counterinsurgency critique and bing wests sentimental reminiscences. As a journalist, bing was on many battlefields with general mattis. His 2019 collaboration with marine general jim mattis, entitled call sign chaos. Grit, strategy, and the way out of afghanistan argues that the u. Marine veteran, atlantic correspondent and assistant secretary of defense in the reagan administration, west the strongest tribe. The wrong war amounts to a crushing and seemingly irrefutable critique of the american plan. By bing west january 6, 2017 for years to come, afghanistan will need u.
Bing west america cannot afford to lose the war in afghanistan, and yet americans cannot win it. Jim mattis tells his life story the new york times. Bing wests book is a pageturner about brave men and cunning enemies that examines our realistic choices as a. Instead, we had a counterinsurgency doctrine for nation building, much. Join facebook to connect with bing west and others you may know. Bing helps you turn information into action, making it faster and easier to go from searching to doing.
In the book, subtitled grit, strategy and the way out of afghanistan. A firsthand account of the most extraordinary battle in. A graduate of princeton and georgetown universities, he is a member of the council on foreign relations and the infantry order of st. He has been on hundreds of patrols in iraq and afghanistan, including many operations with general mattis. A graduate of georgetown and princeton universities, he fought as a marine grunt in vietnam. The first half of the book involves describing the efforts of army units in eastern afghanistan. Also see small wars journal editor mike fews the wrong war. Grit, strategy, and the way out of afghanistan bing west april 5, 2011 bing west, a marine combat veteran, served as an assistant secretary of defense in the. Bing west boston, massachusetts, may 2, 1940 is an american author and former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs during the reagan administration. Every presidential candidate should read it and then meet with bing west. This crushing critique of the war in afghanistan goes a long way toward explaining why americas embrace of counterinsurgency strategy has. As our 2020 evening speaker series opening speaker, bing west will discuss both leadership in national security and the process of writing about combat. In the vietnam war, he fought in major operations and conducted over a hundred combat patrols in 19661968. Feb 21, 2012 his conclusion is sure to provoke debate.
Bing west s book is a pageturner about brave men and cunning enemies that examines our realistic choices as a nation. A conversation with bing west, author of the wrong war. Written with bing west, an author and former marine, the book provides a tour through mattiss four decades of service in the marine corps. In his latest book, one million steps, bing west describes the daily battles of a platoon of u.
Smith and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The wrong war is an odd book to come out of our conflict in afghanistan in that it was neither written by a combatant nor was it written by a simple journalist telling a story. The single most important book to come out of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. In the vietnam war, he fought in major operations and. Bing west on fighting the forgotten war in afghanistan. One million steps is the story of the fifty brave men who faced these grim odds and refused to back down. Afghanistan bing west april 5, 2011 bing west, a marine combat. I enjoyed how bing balanced his writing when he talked about the overall strategy in afghanistan and compared it with 3rd platoon, kilo companys 35 marines actual fight on the ground. Bing wests book is a pageturner about brave men and cunning enemies that examines our realistic choices as a nation. For the united states marine corps, he wrote the training manual small unit action in vietnam, describing how to fight in close combat. Bing west has authored a book that is beginning to get quite a bit of attention. A uw classic march 11, 2018 by support cmshelplive in afghanistan, air force, army, cia, counterinsurgency, department of defense, dia, hybrid war, intelligence community, iraq, isis in iraq, marines, military history, national security, navy, special operations, syria, terrorism. One million steps by bing west during six months of fighting in sangin, the 3rd battalion, 5th regiment suffered the most casualties of any battalion in afghanistan. West does a fantastic job here describing the efforts of companies and even platoons in places like kunar and the korengal and using them extremely effectively as an allegory for the war as a whole.
About the wrong war the wrong war enhanced ebook takes you inside the front lines with exclusive video shot by the author while embedded with u. He has written ten book about his combat experiences and observations on the wars in vietnam, iraq and afghanistan. Feb 27, 2011 in his remarkable book, the wrong war, bing west goes a long way to answering that question. He has been on hundreds of patrols in vietnam, iraq, and afghanistan. Mar 03, 2011 as the title of bing wests new book suggests, the wrong war.
He is the coauthor of general jim mattiss memoir, callsign chaos. Bing wests the wrong war, on afghanistan strategy small. Feb 09, 2011 the wrong war is an odd book to come out of our conflict in afghanistan in that it was neither written by a combatant nor was it written by a simple journalist telling a story. A nationally acclaimed war correspondent, he is the author of the village.
Bing wests book is a pageturner about brave men and cunning enemies that examines our realistic choices as. Account of brutal marine battle riveting, flawed the san. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read into the fire. It is a stunning, sobering, and brilliantly written book. Most important, though, west argues for afghans to assume the lead in securing afghanistan. Taking baghdad with the united states marines by bing west, ray l. We are not going to triumph in afghanistan using current. Grit, strategy, and the way out of afghanistan bing west april 5, 2011 bing west, a marine combat veteran. This book is a mustread for anyone who wants to know how much we ask of the young men and women who fight on our behalf. Bing west s book is a pageturner about brave men and. The wrong war by bing west overdrive rakuten overdrive. Bing west is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. In this evening lecture, he talks about his latest book, the wrong war.
In the fall of 2009, taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of afghan soldiers and marine advisors in a mountain. As the title of bing wests new book suggests, the wrong war. Sep 09, 2014 one million steps is the story of the fifty brave men who faced these grim odds and refused to back down. Bing west jr a conversation with bing west, author of the wrong war what is this book about. Apr 06, 2014 bing west has written or cowritten seven non. Based on bing wests embeds with 3rd platoon, as well as on their handwritten log, this is a gripping gruntseye view of life on the front lines of americas longest war. Mattis coauthor bing west says us efforts to transform iraq and afghanistan were doomed washington examiner by russ read september 15, 2019 12. Bing west boston, massachusetts, may 2, 1940 is an american author, marine combat veteran and former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs during the reagan administration. Feb 04, 2011 the wrong war by bing west random house.
Aug 30, 2019 written with bing west, an author and former marine, the book provides a tour through mattiss four decades of service in the marine corps. Bing west, critic of afghan war, takes issue with pentagon the. America cannot afford to lose the war in afghanistan, and yet americans cannot win it. The time has surely come to take that suggestion and the book in which it appears seriously. He served as a marine grunt in vietnam and later as an assistant secretary of defense in the reagan administration. West writes about the military, warfighting, and counterinsurgency. A new book by bing west depicts the 2010 tour in sangin, afghanistan of 3rd battalion, 5th marine regiment. Cspan only receives this revenue if your book purchase is made using the links on.
A firsthand account of the most extraordinary battle in the afghan war ebook written by dakota meyer, bing west. Taking baghdad with the first marine division, written with united states marine corps general ray l. Bing west, a marine combat veteran, served as an assistant secretary of defense in the reagan administration. Bing west is a retired marine officer who served in a combined action platoon for over in a year in south vietnam. Marines he embedded with as they engaged in one of the mostly desperate and deadly engagements with the taliban in afghanistans sangin province, a fight in which half of them would be killed or injured. Grit, strategy, and the way out of afghanistan is one of the best books yet written on the war in afghanistan. Bing wests book is a page turner about brave men and cunning enemies that examines our realistic choices as. A conversation with bing west, author of the wrong war what is this book about. Bing west jr in black hawk down, the fight went on for a day. Robert putnam and david campbell look at american religion, ron rosenbaum warns of the potential for nuclear war, and bing west evaluates military failures in afghanistan. Some critics disagreed with his arguments, noting recent military assessments of progress against the taliban, but all admired his courage and takenoprisoners authorial style. I bring the reader onto the toughest battlefields in order to show what the war really is a series of short, sharp clashes between our soldiers and the taliban. First, you were once a young marine in vietnam yourself. Bing is a combat marine grunt, a former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and bestselling author of ten books about our wars in vietnam, iraq, and afghanistan.
He is working on his sixth book, about an embattled marine. In his remarkable book, the wrong war, bing west goes a long way to answering that question. Bing is currently finishing a novel about a marine platoon and a cia hit team locked in a death struggle with the taliban and drug lords in afghanistan. In this definitive account of the conflict, acclaimed war correspondent and bestselling author bing west provides a practical way out of afghanistan. Bing west has strong words about the handling of the current afghan. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. The us military didnt want the same mistake that the soviet union made in afghanistan during the 1980s to happen again, being trapped in an unending. In this definitive account of the conflict, acclaimed war correspondent and bestselling author bing west provides a practical way out. The narrative details his experiences fighting wars in. Bing west generally travels from and can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or. Jan 01, 2014 this is the second book i have read written by bing west. This is the second book i have read written by bing west. Reviewers tended to regard bing wests negative appraisal of the afghanistan war as newsworthy in itselfconsidering that he is the author of the village 1972, a classic book about counterinsurgency in vietnam that is currently assigned to soldiers shipping out to afghanistan. I bring the reader onto the toughest battlefields in order to show what the war.
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