Outlaw Platoon Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan Sean Parnell J R. B WITH OHN RUNING Dedication To the men of Third Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, “The Outlaws,” whose extraordinary courage in the face of great adversity inspired me to write this book Epigraph Many heroes lived . . . but all are unknown and unwept, extinguished in everlasting night, because they have no spirited chronicler. —QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS (HORACE) Contents Dedication Epigraph Author’s Note Map Prologue Part I: Outlaw Country One: Game Faces Two: Prisoner of the Divide Three: The Long, Dark Reach Part II: The Spring Offensive Four: Only Do, or Do Not Five: Gauntlet Six: Welcome to the Family Seven: The Becoming Eight: Bring Out Your Dead Nine: The Moral High Ground Photos Part III: The Summer of Discontent Ten: The Gates of Mordor Eleven: Morning on the Mountain Twelve: The Zombie Apocalypse Thirteen: Desolation Walk Fourteen: Blood Brothers Fifteen: The Place Beyond Devotion Sixteen: Chickenshit Squared Seventeen: Skeleton Crew Eighteen: Arrival Moment Nineteen: Rocket’s Red Glare Twenty: Last Fair Deal Gone Down Twenty-one: Village of the Damned Twenty-two: Shake and Bake Twenty-three: The Far Side of the Sky Twenty-four: We Stumble Through Part IV: Indomitable Moments Twenty-five: Crosses to Bear Twenty-six: The Place Where Mettle Grows Twenty-seven: The Last Last Stand Twenty-eight: Homeward Bound Epilogue Platoon Members Acknowledgments Glossary About the Authors Credits Copyright About the Publisher Author’s Note O ne important purpose of this book has been to chronicle my soldiers’ incredible journey in one of the most dangerous places on the face of the planet. These remarkable men spent sixteen months on a small Forward Operating Base in the Bermel Valley, roughly twelve kilometers from Pakistan. Throughout the course of their deployment, these soldiers endured continuous close, direct-fire contact with a combat-hardened, tactically proficient enemy on its home terrain. I was both blessed and cursed to have led one of the most valorously decorated conventional combat units in the history of Operation Enduring Freedom. When the haze of combat dissipated, the Outlaws were awarded seven Bronze Stars, including five for Valor, twelve Army Commendations for Valor, and thirty-two Purple Hearts. I am writing this book to tell the world of their amazing accomplishments and to secure their place in American military history. It’s also worth noting that this book displays no political agenda nor is it a review of U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan. This story is not intended to hurt anyone’s feelings but rather to provide an honest assessment of what combat was like for these young warriors. Regrettably, it was impossible to mention every member of the platoon in this book. The men portrayed herein are representative of the unit as a whole. My goal was to show the world their sacrifices and, in doing so, provide readers with a much-needed window into the heart of American infantry soldiers everywhere. Also, I have no desire to expose any soldiers who did not live up to this standard, so I have changed the names and identifying characteristics of some soldiers. Finally, this book is a work of nonfiction. Every event in this book took place. Actions and experiences have been retold using both my own memory and interviews with my men. Dialogue is presented here from my own recollection and is not intended to be a word-for-word documentation; rather, it is intended to capture the essence of the moment. Any errors made in the story were not intentional and likely can be attributed to the intense pace and chaotic nature of combat.