The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor [Kindle Edition]

Jake Tapper (Author)

Book Description

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 2009, in one of the deadliest battles in Afghanistan, Combat Outpost Keating was attacked by Taliban insurgents and nearly destroyed. A Pentagon investigation concluded that the outpost, a poorly located and protected part of a counterinsurgency strategy, should not have been there in the first place. The 53 U.S. troops stationed there were part of an effort to combat extremist groups that sprouted with U.S. support during the Russian occupation. ABC News war correspondent Tapper spent two years chronicling the mission and lives of the troops and their commanders, making the war more personal as readers get to know the troops’ personality quirks, backstories, family lives, and perspectives on their mission. He notes the consequences of the fact that the Afghan war was fought on the cheap as more attention was focused on Iraq, and chronicles the troops’ encounters with harsh terrain, entrenched conflicts among tribes, and reckless commands. They marched into villages so isolated that villagers weren’t aware that their former nemesis, the USSR, no longer existed. Photographs and maps, as well as letters and e-mails, enhance this incredible account of how this outpost was horribly jeopardized. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Extensive media buzz will make this a highly visible and much-requested title. --Vanessa Bush

Review

"Tapper's sassy style...gives the book a humorous angle that probably won't be found in most mainstream books about Election 2000....For those who are looking for an insider's view and tales, this is the book to buy." (National Journal)

"Tapper, the network's ambitious, telegenic Senior White House Correspondent, has made a name for himself as a tough questioner...ABC's tenacious reporter is already proving to be the new star of the White House press pack." (The Daily Beast)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 3480 KB
• Print Length: 652 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0316185396
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (November 13, 2012)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0076DFC3O
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,981 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #1 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > United States > National
  • #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > United States > Federal Government
  • #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Terrorism

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

199 of 203 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I Highly Recommend The Outpost. November 1, 2012

By JHawes

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Outpost is incredibly well researched. As a soldier who was there, I can say Jake Tapper tells our story well. By focusing on a particular region of Afghanistan, not just a particular unit or person, The Outpost is able to provide a better overall picture of the war in Afghanistan and what the soldiers experienced in the most remote corner of that country. The Outpost, through exhaustive interviews and research, is able to combine the thoughts and decisions of commanders, with the actions of the soldiers in the field, and round it out with the reactions of the family and friends back at home to provide a complete understanding of the war and its effects on everyone involved. I personally enjoyed reading The Outpost and learning the thoughts of many of the officers I served with, who could not be as open about their true thoughts and feelings as they could until after that fact, and also learning of the trials and challenges of the units that replaced mine, and how the war continued to unfold in the remote mountains of Afghanistan that I called home for 16 months. The Outpost, is neither pro-war nor anti-war. It is the cold hard truth documenting a flawed strategy to tame an untamable remote corner of Afghanistan, as told through the story of the many soldiers who personally served there from 2006 through 2009. The Outpost brings to the reader many stories of heroes and leaders the world needs to know about.

121 of 123 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spent a year at Keating/ Frtischie... November 7, 2012

By NN7

Format:Hardcover

I was with 1st ID 6/4 Cav at COP Keating/OP Fritschie. Jake Tapper's book does great justice for my unit, for an amazing man--Captain Robert J. Yllescas, and for the rest of the officers who were in charge. I was very impressed with how in-depth Jake went into his coverage of our story, and with how well it was written. Like the title of the review reads, I spent a year at Keating/Fritschie, and even I was learning new details while reading the book--because Jake took his time and got the real stories. Smiles and cries, that about sums up my experience reading it. Anyone who wants to understand what true sacrifice is should read this book. Jake, thank you for telling our story to the world! I cannot thank you enough man. Thank you all, read our story, share it with your friends and family.

61 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK November 1, 2012

By Purple Heart Pete

Format:Hardcover

Jake Tapper takes the reader to one of the most inhospitable places in the world during America's longest war. Nuristan/Kunar provinces of Afghanistan are located in the northeast corner of the country adjacent to Pakistan and has been the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. The book tells the story of 3 different cavalry units, all trying desperately to hold one small piece of land known as Camp Keating from its conception in 2006 to its untimely death in 2009. Countless bloody battles are chronicled in the nonfiction book, soldiers were killed others were wounded defending a small base high in the Hindu Kush that was ultimately overrun by a large group of insurgents. This book is a true testament to all those brave men who served and died there....... Want to get an unbiased depiction of the war in Afghanistan? READ THIS BOOK!

More About the Author

Jake Tapper began his job as Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent for CNN in January 2013.

Prior to that, Tapper was named ABC News' senior White House correspondent on November 5, 2008 -- the day after the 2008 presidential election. For an unprecedented three years in a row, the White House Correspondents' Association has awarded him the prestigious Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. He was a key part of the ABC News coverage of the inauguration of President Obama that was awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story.

Tapper contributed regularly to "Good Morning America," "Nightline", and "World News with Diane Sawyer." In addition to having anchored for World News and Good Morning America weekend editions and Nightline, Tapper is a frequent substitute host of "This Week" and served as interim host for much of 2010, scoring the first TV interview with CIA director Leon Panetta, as well as exclusives with Vice President Biden, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, retired Gen. Colin Powell, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, in addition to interviews with other newsmakers such as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

As senior White House correspondent, Tapper has interviewed President Obama several times. Prior to his assignment at the White House, Tapper was ABC News' national/senior political correspondent based in the network's Washington, D.C. bureau. He contributed a report to a broadcast of "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" that won the 2005 Edward R. Murrow award for best network newscast. As ABC News' lead reporter covering the 2008 presidential election, he received recognition for both breaking stories and even-handedness. Traveling from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina and beyond, Tapper interviewed both Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as well as other White House hopefuls including former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.