The Outpost
By Jake Tapper
- Release Date: 2012-11-13
- Genre: Political Science
Description
The basis of the film starring Orlando Bloom and Scott Eastwood, The Outpost is the heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of America's deadliest battles during the war in Afghanistan, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic.
At 5:58 AM on October 3rd, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating, located in frighteningly vulnerable terrain in Afghanistan just 14 miles from the Pakistani border, was viciously attacked. Though the 53 Americans there prevailed against nearly 400 Taliban fighters, their casualties made it the deadliest fight of the war for the U.S. that year. Four months after the battle, a Pentagon review revealed that there was no reason for the troops at Keating to have been there in the first place.
In The Outpost, Jake Tapper gives us the powerful saga of COP Keating, from its establishment to eventual destruction, introducing us to an unforgettable cast of soldiers and their families, and to a place and war that has remained profoundly distant to most Americans. A runaway bestseller, it makes a savage war real, and American courage manifest.
"The Outpost is a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book." -- Jon Krakauer
Reviews
Lame
1By SertioriLame actors and lame scenesWaste of money
1By hercflyerI NEVER leave comments about movies on iTunes. This needs to be done though. I thought with Eastwood’s kid this would be a good flick. It was not. I spent an entire career in two branches and the Army was one. I’ve never seen such a gross misrepresentation of what outpost life is like. There nowhere near this much bantery smack talk. It’s like they crammed an entire deployments worth of daily life into 2 hrs with no gaps. It’s boring, then scary as f#%!, and then right back to boring again. And what’s with the fireballs with every explosion? There is so much to dissect on this movie. I’m honestly insulted. The only thing this movie did was bring back to life the brave and courageous fallen, for one last moment. To truly tell this story, you should have gotten a bigger budget and brought in more capable actors alongside the guys that were actually there. My $.02Just watch the movie
1By Erk31It’s just a never ending saga of every battle they endured the entire time. Not sure I’ll be able to finish the last 150 pages.Great movie, very moving.
5By Cancerboarder2004This was one of the best movies I’ve seen all year this will go on my regular watch rotationMAJOR, US ARMY (Retired)
5By Larry DanielAs always, our troopers performed their duties in a magnificent manner without regard to their leadership's failures. Jake did an excellent job telling their story!Modern warfare classic....
5By miller74mdExcellent read from beginning to end. I was active duty USMC and a US Army Ranger grad. The stories of these men are like so many who've gone before - and those who will someday walk the path. Brothers one and all. Well done.Amazing
5By Cody ComptonIncredible account of the brave men and women who served in this Afghanistan. Must read, excellently reported onGreat book
5By mpetersonjr7AFAll around one of the best books I have read!Amazing
4By JrhubesThe book was amazing. The author does a great job of describing the hell theses heroes had to endure while everyone knew the position of the base was just plain dumb. It makes me mad that as a taxpayer the money that was wasted in trying to win over the corrupt elders of the village. If the generals and politicians would have used half that money on more assets for the base, there may be more of those brave men around to tell their story. God bless our servicemen and women and their families!Rick Day
5By Rday99Outstanding description of the war in Afghanistan, the incredible bravery of the American soldiers serving there and why Afghanistan cannot be conquered. Very detailed description of the horror of war. I have read a lot of the current books on Iraq and Afghanistan, and this is as good as any of them.Outstanding and Compelling
5By Chili dThe author does a fantastic of collecting facts and telling the story of these true heroes that were put in a bad situation. These warriors endured what most of us couldn't imagine from losing their brothers life's, limbs and a constant level of threat from the enemy.Outstanding
5By Phillip JohnstonThis book is simply amazing. While reading it I was so overcome with the sacrifices made by the men stationed at COP Keating and their families that I often had to put the book down for awhile just to try and wrap my head around what I had just read. This book illustrates the extraordinary skill and professionalism of our men and women at arms, and how they are able to accomplish the mission even when politicians and military brass are unsure of what the mission should be. Thank you to those men that served, fought and died at COP Keating. You are my heroes.The Outpost: great book
5By Golff21As an Army veteran I found this book very moving and at some times extremely emotional. The author paints a very accurate picture of life as a soldier and the bonds of brotherhood.The Outpost
5By 2quick6This was an excellent read, and hard to put down. I'm a Vietnam war veteran, and a student of Military tactics. It was very hard for me to understand how could the Army brass put this outpost in harms way! My thanks to Mr. Tapper for bringing this excellent story of this group of American hero's to print.Great Book!
5By Andre90Having spent time in Afghanistan and the FOBs mentioned, I agree that this is a very riveting and accurate account of the Service Members that served there. It was a very easy read and hard to put down once I started.The Outpost
5By DonnacamExcellent book on the war tactics and strategy. To understand why these brave soldiers were put in this horrendous position , read Tom Riecks "The Generals". Tapper gives one of the best narratives of action of any of the many books on this war.
