Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force Hardcover – Illustrated, June 25, 2019

This book is extremely well written and researched and brings an incredibly clear perspective to the story of John Chapman. In true Dan Shilling fashion, this book delivers the best account of the battle of Takur Ghar and the aftermath. I would absolutely recommend everyone add this book to their collection.

This was a very compelling read about some of the earliest events in the Afghan war. It traces the development of Air Force Combat Controllers over the decades, as well as the lives and upbringings of some of the key players in the events that lead up to a very bad day on Takur Ghar, a massive 10,000+ foot peak in the Afghan mountains.Overall there are a number of storylines to follow as well as much of the military jargon that necessarily finds its way into such a book. I’m terribly thankful to the authors for all their detailed and dedicated effort to “get this right”. They did.For those who simply wish to whine about the fact it was too complicated to follow I’d only add that you can read a book more than once, or for that matter you can take detailed notes as you read it (digitally or on paper). Short of that, perhaps try growing a brain.What some of the special ops forces have endured since 9/11 is simply beyond the pale. For someone to complain about the pain of actually having to “think” while reading about it is disheartening. It has been my painful experience to have to listen to the pain of so many friends who have had loved ones serving in these roles, for now these many years, and to understand the pain of what it has done to these wonderful warriors.John Chapman left a tremendous legacy of dedication and love and it really shined through at the end of the book. It was sad to learn of some of the military game playing that some of his supporters encountered (I’m sure that’s an understatement) in getting his valor recognized. Unfortunately military institutions from top to bottom have pretty much unfailingly produced some of the best and some of the worst in human behavior. Thins always go wrong in war. Some face up to it, some don’t. A theme does run through this book that is unfortunately not very favorable to some of the Navy Seals involved (and in fact team Six). But given the proclivity for this thing to happen in pretty much all wars, it rings true that some of the players made big mistakes and later tried to cover them up.In reading about military history, and especially US Military history I have found that as enough time passes certain valiant actors eventually get their due. But usually it’s only after significant classified information becomes de-classified. You will find much of that here with some seriously dedicated Air Force Sr. personnel. It reminds me of another GREAT example of the same behavior that was the experience of John Waldren from Torpedo Squadron 8 at the battle of Midway during WWII. He lost his life but his actions & those of his fellow aviators changed world history in mere minutes. Read Richard Mrazek’s wonderful tome on this episode for a gleaming example of military facts being covered up to protect the guilty. Sadly this wonderful story is tarnished by some of the same, but the authors have done their work and provided a compelling and worthwhile read.Personally I think the world of all of our incredibly brave US military people. They “write out a blank check” for an amount up to and including their lives, and sign on the line to serve. You will NOT be disappointed with this story about some very incredible US citizens going above and beyond the call of duty so that we can sleep at night. Special thanks to Dan Schilling & “Chappy’s” Sister Lori for putting in all this effort so that some truth can begin breath again for those who have fallen.

This book was difficult to put down. Parts of it were difficult to accept because the truth is difficult sometimes. This book is more like a documentary than an ordinary book. As a military Veteran myself, it has left an impact on my heart and mind that will be there for quite some time, perhaps the rest of my life. Although sad, desperate, and even angering at times, this is an account of love, commitment, expertise, teamwork, duty, respect, and honor that is ultimately a warming, welcome validation of human beings at their very finest.....over and over and over.Highly Recommended. 10 Stars out of Five.

Good read. Navy leadership costs so many service man their lives early in the war. I don’t know if it was ego or arrogance or incompetents.

I highly recommend the book. Its a little bit of a tough read, especially if you've never served because of the terminology, the acronyms, the equipment used and described. Almost like a lot of short stories building to the point of THIS assault. So the descriptions are necessary and therefore the read is necessarily difficult at times. It takes 200 pages are the the telling of the job and experiences of other CCTs and the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. But in the process of telling the story, they expose why it is that the US can't seem to win wars, none of which have to do with the skill, training, dedication or equipment of the men and women filling the boots on the ground. The problem lies in the following:1. The American people believe that we can fight a limited war with minimal enemy casualties. That we should fight a "moral war" where nothing bad ever happens. As a result, troops second, third and fourth guess themselves as Leavenworth is never far from their minds. If you've never served, don't say you support the troops. You don't. You'll throw them under the bus in an instant.2. Politicians care more about what the American people think than whether or not service members come home or if wars are won or lost. To them, your children who choose to serve are nothing but cannon fodder. If it were not so, battlefield commanders would be given the autonomy to fight and not have to wait until they are in imminent danger to defend their own lives. While our enemies are prosecuting wars, OUR troops often have to wait until their lives are literally on the line to engage when they could neutralize the threat before it becomes imminent. No politician who endorses "rules of engagement" support the troops.3. General officers far removed from combat consistently make poor decisions that cost American lives because they think they know better than the battlefield commanders seeing the action in real time. Imagine if Alexander the Great had tried to lead battles while sitting in his Lay-Z-Boy in Macedonia, guessing at what his generals in Persia were facing and disallowing his generals to adjust to battlefield dynamics. It would have been a slaughter. That's precisely what our troops face in every battle. The generals who made the decisions that got these men killed bypassed the man who had the intel on the battlefield precisely because they thought they knew better than the man who knew what was happening and who told them that they were wrong in their decision making. But they were generals, so their hubris cost many men their lives. When it was clear that they messed up, they tried their best to throw the lowest ranking enlisted man under the bus to cover their mistake. So...what happened to these general officers?George Bush promoted one to Lieutenant General, then to Ambassador and Chief of Counter Terrorism. Talk about promoting your incompetent.We hear the press talk about war crimes. The worst of the crimes is what the politicians (and most general officers are just that) hamstringing our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and making them tie an arm behind their back to fight an enemy who wants the whole of the USA destroyed. The men and women that they don't get killed, they turn the leftists and their hit squad of "reporters" on to assassinate their character.We either need to get into the business of war and embrace it, or get out of it entirely. Trying to take a delicate balance between the two is an untenable position. And our young men and women are paying the ultimate price for it.

A great book about an American Hero and the community he was a part of.

This book is very frustrating to read, because of what certain people in the book did. (No spoilers.)It’s sad because it shows the devastating loss from Operation Anaconda.But it’s good, because of John Chapman’s extraordinary actions.Just wish it had a happier ending, but that’s life until Jesus returns.

This was a very good book, well written, keeps your attentionWar is Hell is correct