What are you reading?

[samb]

Pale Horse

A friend of mine is in the book so of course I read it.

"Pale Horse is the remarkable never-before-told true story of an army aviation task force during combat in the Afghan War, told by the commanding officer who was there. Set in the very valleys where the attacks of 9/11 were conceived, and where ten Medals of Honor have been earned since that fateful day the war began, the narrative races from ferocious firefights and bravery in battle to the quiet moments where the courageous men and women of Task Force Pale Horse catch their breath before they take to the skies again."

http://www.amazon.com/Pale-Horse-Terrorists-Commanding-Airborne/dp/1250072719

 

[Woodsman]

I've recently finished One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick, Fearless by Eric Blehm, and Tender Warrior by Stu Weber. Three excellent books, I recommend them for officer candidates as well as commissioned officers.

 

[robav8r]

"Data and Goliath"

Great read about the perils of big data and how society needs to be more aware of what information is floating around the internet . . .

 

[CellShock]

I've recently finished One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick, Fearless by Eric Blehm, and Tender Warrior by Stu Weber. Three excellent books, I recommend them for officer candidates as well as commissioned officers.

If you liked Blehm's book, I'd recommend two of his others: The Only Thing Worth Dying For and The Last Season. The former is similar to Fearless but with anecdotes about the Green Berets and the latter is a compelling account of Randy Morgenson, a backcountry ranger who disappeared while on patrol in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.

 

[egiv]

I just finished "Relentless Strike" by Sean Naylor. It's a disturbingly detailed history of JSOC operations and structure. A great read for sure, but it really makes you wonder what the hell some of those guys were thinking when they went on the record in interviews.

Next up is Steve Coll's "Private Empire: Exxon Mobile and American Power." I've been meaning to check it out for a while, looks interesting.

 

[danpass]

I just finished "Relentless Strike" by Sean Naylor. It's a disturbingly detailed history of JSOC operations and structure. A great read for sure, but it really makes you wonder what the hell some of those guys were thinking when they went on the record in interviews.
...................

A podcast interview with the author who talks about that very subject.

http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/a-relentless-conversation-about-jsoc/



.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Sebastian Junger's latest - Tribe, On Homecoming and Belonging A fascinating (and very quick) read.

 

[wink]

Read a very long article by him that amounted to much of the book. Recently, read an interview of him regarding this subject. Agree. Recommend.

 

[jmcquate]

Ted Talks on the subject https://www.ted.com/talks?sort=newest&q=Sebastian+Junger

 

[zippy]

I just finished "Relentless Strike" by Sean Naylor. It's a disturbingly detailed history of JSOC operations and structure. A great read for sure, but it really makes you wonder what the hell some of those guys were thinking when they went on the record in interviews.

Next up is Steve Coll's "Private Empire: Exxon Mobile and American Power." I've been meaning to check it out for a while, looks interesting.

Along those lines... Dirty Wars by Jeremy Scahill

 

[Randy Daytona]

Friend of mine loaned me one of his favorites: "Lawrence in Arabia" by Scott Anderson. Put it off, put it off, put it off - at the car repair shop, picked it up and now can't put it down. Great read.

 

[egiv]

Along those lines... Dirty Wars by Jeremy Scahill

I think he raises many legitimate points, especially when it comes to making more enemies than we are killing with drone strikes, but I have a hard time accepting his version of history when he's got such a clearly anti-US agenda.

 

[zippy]

I think he raises many legitimate points, especially when it comes to making more enemies than we are killing with drone strikes, but I have a hard time accepting his version of history when he's got such a clearly anti-US agenda.

Yeah it's a pretty unpopular book in certain circles, which is part of why I'm reading it.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Much like with Tin Can Sailors, I'm a bit embarrassed that I'd never read Matterhorn by Karl Maralantes. I read his non-fiction What It's Like to go to War, but never this. Wow. Some of the best writing I've ever come across. Crushed it (~600 pages) in three sittings; it's engaging enough that you can read it at night without fear of waking up with it on the floor...



Next up, Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East. It's been on my shelf for a few years, time to actually read it.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Around the World in 40 Books, from Foreign Policy magazine.