Bravo Company

An Afghanistan Deployment and Its Aftermath

By: Ben Kesling

Narrated by: Ben Kesling

A timely and searing account of the American war in Afghanistan

In Bravo Company, journalist and combat veteran Ben Kesling tells the story of the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the men of one unit, part of a combat-hardened parachute infantry regiment in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

A decade ago, the soldiers of Bravo Company deployed to Afghanistan for a tour in Kandahar’s notorious Arghandab Valley. By the time they made it home, three soldiers had been killed in action, a dozen more had lost limbs, and an astonishing half of the company had earned Purple Hearts.

In the decade since, two of the soldiers have died by suicide, more than a dozen have tried, and others admit they’ve considered it. Declared at “extraordinary risk” by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bravo Company was chosen as test subjects for a new approach to the veteran crisis, focusing less on isolated individuals and more on the group.

Written with an insider’s eye and ear and drawing on extensive interviews and original reporting, Bravo Company follows the men from their initial enlistment and training, through their deployment and a major shift in their mission, and then on to what has happened in the decade since, as they returned to combat in other units or moved on with their lives as civilians, or struggled to.

This is a powerful, insightful, and memorable account of a war that didn’t end for these soldiers just because Bravo Company came home.

©2022 Ben Kesling. Published in 2022 by Abrams Press, an imprint of ABRAMS, New York. All rights reserved (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

Outstanding story and narration

It takes a few minutes to really warm up, but once things get going, it is a tremendously articulate, relatable, and piercing story. The author is also the narrator, and the way that he reads it really brings it to life. Highly recommended.

Honest and raw

Ben does an amazing job of taking off his rose colored glasses for A-war that was and still somehow manages to make sure that we see the men of Bravo company As flawed But caring men with lives not so Dissimilar to our own.

This Is An Important Book

I am only halfway finished with this title. While listening to the author describe the infantry experience in combat, I find myself often overwhelmed with grief to the point of stopping the playback for awhile. I never served in the military, but have several family members who did serve, including a son. While vaguely aware of the themes involved in the combat experience, I really never understood why so many young men were motivated to assume the sacrifice. Listening to this book brings me closer to understanding how the decision is reached to join the Army, but it seems the recruits join without being fully aware of all the facts and possibilities. Perhaps there is no good method of educating the recruits until an explosive is staring them in the face. At this point I’m not too far into the consequences after the direct fighting is over. I get the feeing it will generally not be good.

The content in this book is enlightening, and the narration is spot on. The language is blunt, but I believe the story is told at the infantryman’s (and his family’s) level of understanding.

While reading this book, I find myself thankful that I never had to first person experience combat in my life. Placing my hand over my heart during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and thanking military personnel and veterans for their service will no longer be quite so hollow for me from this point.

This should be required reading for every person considering a military career. It’s their decision which way to turn at that intersection in life.

A masterpiece of journalistic storytelling

This book tells the story of a single company fighting in The Arghandab Valley - a small area of operations. But through this microcosmic viewpoint, Kesling really tells us about the whole war. His description of the warrior mindset is so accurate it’s almost eerie, so a lot of the book felt to me like an articulation of something a veteran kind of knows in his bones but never says aloud. The author’s background gives him such authority to challenge concepts and strategies while telling this tale, and the result is a masterfully contextualized work of critical journalism. The book is sometimes suspenseful, sometimes poetic, sometimes heartbreaking, but never dull or predictable. The intimate details he gleaned from his reporting are so rich they make the reading as pleasurable as a work of historic fiction, except it’s all true.

Content

Real soldiers stories - considered thought on men who served- honored each man with respect and depth