Gentlemen Bastards: On the Ground in Afghanistan with America's Elite Special Forces

Kevin Maurer

Sep 2012 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

From the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of No Easy Day comes an insightful, inside look at the Green Berets—a legendary corps of soldiers whose exploits made military history. But now, its very identity and role as a fighting force may be forever changed. 

Until the war in Iraq, Special Forces were the military’s counterinsurgency experts. Their specialty was going behind enemy lines and training insurgent forces. In Afghanistan, they toppled the Taliban by transforming Northern Alliance fighters into cohesive units. But since that time, Special Forces units have focused on offensive raids.

With time running short, the Green Berets have now gone back to their roots.

Award-winning journalist Kevin Maurer traveled with a Special Forces team in Afghanistan, finding out firsthand the inside story of the lives of this elite group of highly trained soldiers. He witnessed the intense brotherhood, the rigorous selection process, and the arduous training that makes them the best on the battlefield. Here, Maurer delivers a compelling account of modern warfare and of a fighting force that is doing everything in its power to achieve victory.

Ratings and reviews

Certainly wasn't one of the better books I've read regarding OEF. The best thing I can say is, it gives decent perspective on the Green Berets.

Less of the "shoot and then shoot some more"... And more of the realism of the daily grind that underpins the more "sexy" roles that some books concentrate on. A great read by someone who knows his trade

As a former socom soldier, I can say that this book is truly boring. It does however, point out how socom assets are being misused.

About the author

Kevin Maurer is an award-winning reporter who has covered special operations forces for seven years. He has been embedded with the U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan six times in the last five years and spent a month with special operations units in Africa in 2006. Maurer covered the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan’s first parliamentary election. Most recently, he covered the Bush Administration’s surge into Baghdad, and wrote the definitive piece about the transformation of Khost from a terrorist haven to a working province in Afghanistan.