Fayetteville (NC) Observer
June 26, 2011
'Lions Of Kandahar': Inside Story Offers Look At Special Forces
By Drew Brooks, Staff writer
The book "Lions of Kandahar" begins with bullets striking the windshield in front of then-Capt. Rusty Bradley at the start of what would be a pivotal battle during the largest NATO-led offensive in history.
But Bradley, now a major in the Army Special Forces, said the book is about more than just the battle for Sperwan Ghar.
The book, he said, gives a first-hand look at how Special Forces teams operate and their cooperation with native forces. It shines light on the heroism that allowed soldiers, despite being outnumbered, to deal a demoralizing blow to the Taliban, he said.
Bradley, who has called Fort Bragg home since his time with the 82nd Airborne Division in 1999, has deployed to Afghanistan five times since 2002, mostly as a Green Beret.
He teamed with former Fayetteville Observer reporter Kevin Maurer to write "Lions of Kandahar," which will be released Tuesday.
The book centers on August and September 2006, with the focal point being the battle for Sperwan Ghar, a large hill that overlooks the Panjwayi Valley near Kandahar.
The hill, Bradley said, was a strategic position for Operation Medusa, a Canadian-led offensive meant to clear the region of insurgents.
The book was four years in the making. Bradley said reliving the emotional highs and lows of the battle was difficult. But, he said, it was important to tell the story "of ordinary men doing something so absolutely extraordinary."
Three Special Forces teams, alongside Afghan soldiers, participated in the battle against more than 1,000 insurgents.
"This is a story about victory," Bradley said.
Maurer agrees. "The battle is the centerpiece, but the book illuminates a lot of what goes on over there," he said. "It's bigger than the battle."
Maurer was embedded with both Special Forces and the 82nd Airborne Division while with the Observer.
Bradley and Maurer, who now works for the Wilmington StarNews, will hold two book signings in the Cape Fear region.
The first is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Country Book Shop in Southern Pines. The second is 7 p.m. July 15 at Barnes & Noble in Fayetteville. |
