Jessica Donati - Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and US Special Forces are one of the most secretive groups in Americas military. That Jessica Donati managed to crack both and write a book that is both brutally honest and deeply compassionate about this elite group is a journalistic triumph. It is beautifully written, impossible to put down, and deeply terrifying for anyone who has worked in that country. Shes one of those writers who makes me deeply proud of my profession.

Sebastian Junger, New York Timesbestselling author

Eagle Down is a powerful, important, and searingand at times uncomfortableaccount of the extraordinary missions our special operations forces have undertaken in Afghanistan in recent years. It captures vividly the challenges, accomplishments, and issues faced by those on the bleeding edge of the latest campaigns.

General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former commander of the surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and US and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and former director of the CIA

In this courageous, moving account, Jessica Donati shows us that the war in Afghanistan never really endedand may keep going. She brings us an unprecedented look into the world of secretive US special operations forces, who continue to fight and die in a war that the American public knows little about. The stories are heartrending and hard to put down. This is the most important book Ive read on this latest phase of our never-ending war and Afghanistans never-ending tragedy.

Anand Gopal, author of No Good Men Among the Living

Eagle Down is a must-read for anyone interested in American foreign policy. Donati shows how US Special Forces ended up fighting the past few years of the endless forgotten war in Afghanistan with little leadership, muddled orders, and few resourcesin other words, with no real hope of success, however thats now defined in the war-torn country. Along the way, Donati catalogs the human toll of a conflict that barely registers on Americans, from those killed in action to those seemingly betrayed by their own government.

Kim Barker, author of the bestselling Taliban Shuffle

This book takes you from the Special Forces soldiers on the front lines in Afghanistan to the corridors of power in Washington, DC, where politicians and military leaders far removed from the battlefield make decisions impacting the fate of a nation and the lives of those who step up to wear the uniform. In a powerful book that is equally inspiring and tragic, Eagle Down reminds us that the true cost of war is always paid, not just by those who raise their right hands to defend the nation, but by their families whose resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity is a true testament to the American spirit.

Jack Carr, former Navy Seal and New York Timesbestselling author of The Terminal List and Savage Son

Fighting long after the fires of / had cooled, and most of their nation had lost focus on their fight, these Special Forces soldiers reflect both the courage and cost of combat. An important read to understand that wars dont always end just because we stop watching.

General Stan McChrystal, US Army (Ret.), author of Team of Teams

A sobering story about what was happening behind the scenes as groups of American warriors attempted to carry out their duties in Afghanistan during the waning days of the Obama administration while dealing with an undefined mission, the fog of war, a belief their military leaders didnt support them, and Washington politics. Their courage and strength are remarkable to this day.

Cami McCormick, CBS News correspondent

Donatis on-the-ground accountand its clear that she put herself in constant danger to tell the soldiers stories even as American officials dithered about how to deploy those troopsis sometimes as hallucinatory as Dispatches and as taut and well-written as Mark Bowdens now-classic book. Exemplary journalism and a powerful argument for not putting soldiers in harms way unless were sure we know why.

Kirkus (starred review)

Skillfully interweaving big-picture policy analysis with frontline reporting, Donati shines a stark light on this shadowy conflict. The result is a distressing yet vital update on Americas longest war.

Publishers Weekly

Copyright 2021 by Jessica Donati

Cover design by Pete Garceau

Cover image copyright XM Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

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First Edition: January 2021

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Donati, Jessica, author.

Title: Eagle down : the last special forces fighting the forever war / Jessica Donati.

Description: First edition. | New York, NY: PublicAffairs, Hachette Book Group, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020036573 | ISBN 9781541762558 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781541762572 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: United States. Army. Special ForcesHistory21st century. | Afghan War, 2001 | Special forces (Military science)United States.

Classification: LCC DS371.412 .D66 2021 | DDC 958.104/78dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020036573

ISBNs: 978-1-5417-6255-8 (hardcover); 978-1-5417-6257-2 (ebook)

E3-20201209-JV-NF-ORI