Afgan Stalemate

[FlyinSpy]

If you find any civilian-accessible work, post it please! I'm sure the rest of the board would like a rundown as well. Best wishes for your son(s).

Also, are there any other noteworthy books on the Russian invasion of Afghanistan?

A PDF of Grau's first book (The Bear Went Over the Mountain) can be found here: it's from National Defense University, so there are no copyright issues.

I met Grau once; to say "he's a large man" is a bit of an understatement. The whole FMSO (Foreign Military Studies Office) out at Leavenworth drew an odd bunch of guys...

 

[Clux4]

^Titled, "The Other Side of the Mountain," for those who are looking for it.

Good book

 

[HackerF15E]

We probably spent 50% of our time up in Now Zad while we were supporting 2/7 and 3/8. I would wager that it is one of the few places in modern warfare that has a forward line of enemy troops. The "Pakistani Alley" was a recipient of 18 JDAMS courtesy of the USAF one morning while we were flying up there. I'll never forget getting a JTAR telling us not to go down east of a certain point, as friendlies wouldn't be coming out to get us if we did.

Are you talking about two different places? Now Zad is in Helmand, down near Sangin...nowhere near Pakistan.

Do they still call it "ANP Hill" there on the south side of the town?

 

[teabag53]

He is talking about Helmand and they still call it ANP hill...or at least did last fall.

 

[gaijin6423]

I'm going shooting tomorrow with the afore-mentioned Fine American, so I'll ask him if he can get me approved and UNCLASS copies of his work. I do remember him saying that his 140 or so pages were chopped down to around 100, and that his former CO was going to sign off on it. I'm not sure what the distribution limitations would be for something like that, so I'll have to do some research first.

 

[gaijin6423]

Okay, so here's the deal: I have a draft copy of the aforementioned work. In some places, it's quite rough, but it reads very well. While it is technically UNCLASS, there are quite a lot of names within the text, and I'm not comfortable just blasting it out there. That said, it was given to me with the understanding that it would be used to further the military education of others, so I will entertain requests for it along the following guidelines:
1. PM me if you're interested. I will reply with my .mil address.
2. Send me an email--signed with your PKI certs if you have that option, please--from your .mil account, and I will reply with the text.

I know it seems like a bit of needless pain, but there are just too many names and TTPs involved. For those without .mil access, I'm sorry. FWIW, it really is a great read, with quite a bit of information on how we (the MEU) operated over there.

 

[AllAmerican75]

Okay, so here's the deal: I have a draft copy of the aforementioned work. In some places, it's quite rough, but it reads very well. While it is technically UNCLASS, there are quite a lot of names within the text, and I'm not comfortable just blasting it out there. That said, it was given to me with the understanding that it would be used to further the military education of others, so I will entertain requests for it along the following guidelines:
1. PM me if you're interested. I will reply with my .mil address.
2. Send me an email--signed with your PKI certs if you have that option, please--from your .mil account, and I will reply with the text.

I know it seems like a bit of needless pain, but there are just too many names and TTPs involved. For those without .mil access, I'm sorry. FWIW, it really is a great read, with quite a bit of information on how we (the MEU) operated over there.

Is there any way to get a summary or something similar along those lines for those of us without .mil accounts? I'm curious to how MEUs are operating if not for my own personal edification but also for the fact that I'll have to work with Marines as a Naval Officer.

 

[sodajones]

Marine Reservists don't have .mil addresses.

Can you hook a brotha up?

 

[Swanee]

Marine Reservists don't have .mil addresses.

Can you hook a brotha up?

TBS Studs don't either...

 

[Clux4]

Marine Reservists don't have .mil addresses.

Can you hook a brotha up?

Are you sure about this?

 

[gtxc2001]

Are you talking about two different places? Now Zad is in Helmand, down near Sangin...nowhere near Pakistan.

Do they still call it "ANP Hill" there on the south side of the town?

WRT "Pakistani Alley", that was an unofficial name given to a Wadi IVO Now Zad that was suspected to be a major thoroughfare for the Taliban transiting down to Now Zad. I suppose naming it "Pakistani" was a bit presumptuous as to the origin of the folks we were smoking there...