| First In: How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan |  | Author: Gary Schroen
Publisher: Presidio Press
Category: eBooks
In Stock
Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 10,583
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Pages: 416
Number Of Items: 1
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1046
ASIN: B000FCK4UE
Publication Date: May 10, 2005
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Product Description
While America held its breath in the days immediately following 9/11, a small but determined group of CIA agents covertly began to change history. This is the riveting first-person account of the treacherous top-secret mission inside Afghanistan to set the stage for the defeat of the Taliban and launch the war on terror.
As thrilling as any novel, First In is a uniquely intimate look at a mission that began the U.S. retaliation against terrorism–and reclaimed the country of Afghanistan for its people.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 50
 Tip of the Spear July 7, 2006
David W. Nicholas (Montrose, CA USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Gary Schroen was less that 3 months away from retirement from the CIA on 9/11. He'd had a successful career there in "Operations", the guys who do the actual spying (as opposed to "Analysis", the guys who try and figure out what everything means), mostly dealing with the Middle East, and had wound up a Deputy Division head. For 2 years in the early 90s he was the Station Chief in Kabul, Afghanistan, and later in the decade he'd flown into the Northern Alliance's territory and met Ahmed Shah Masoud, the charismatic leader of that group who was assassinated just before 9/11. He had extensive contacts with various friendly figures in Afghan politics, speaks at least one of the local languages, and of course has lots of experience. As a result, 15 days after 9/11, Schroen was flown into the Northern Alliance's Panshir Valley on a CIA helicopter along with a half dozen other CIA guys, various laptops, satellite phones, and radios, a crate of guns, and $3 million in cash. His orders were to find and kill Osama bin Laden, and topple the Taliban government. This book is his account of the mission, how it went, and the adventures they had along the way.
Schroen was sent into Afghanistan at a time when the army didn't consider it safe to deploy troops (apparently now, if the army can't medivac wounded they won't operate in an area, and since there were no friendly airbases close enough, they were skittish about the idea of committing troops or flying combat missions) so Schroen and his friends were on their own for a considerable time period (about a month). They made friends with the locals (some of whom Schroen already knew) spread around money to buy weapons and supplies, and lobbied for airstrikes, Special Forces teams, and generally support while they watched the Northern Alliance fight the Taliban. As time passed, other CIA teams and Special Forces Operators did appear. At one point in the story, several of the CIA guys participate in a cavalry charge (I keep reading books that recount the "last" cavalry charge in history: believe it or not, this one worked) and there are various other interesting anecdotes. The author, 59 at the time he was inserted into Afghanistan, had terrible intestinal troubles that were never entirely resolved, and one of the other guys had gas (apparently from the altitude). While they didn't get Osama (never even got close, really...they landed on the other side of the country) they were instrumental in tipping the war against the Taliban.
This is an interesting, intelligent book. The accounts of the politics in Washington and the Pentagon are of course frustratingly vague, but of course the author was in Afghanistan when the debates were taking place, so he can only recount what he was hearing over the radio or phone. But for an account of the War on Terror from someone who was on the front lines, this book is just about as good as it gets.
Gary Schroen's "First In" is the missing piece of the puzzle May 27, 2005
R. Scott Lorenz (Plymouth, MI United States)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Gary Schroen's "First In" is the missing piece of the puzzle about the early US intervention in Afghanistan after 911. The detailed account of the CIA's first team in pulls back the curtain on the enlistment of the support of the Northern Alliance and the subsequent military action to defeat the Taliban and push Al Qaeda into Pakistan. Inside info such as the $13,000,000 in cash brought into the country to buy favor, and the order by his superiors to "bring Bin Laden's head back in a box on dry ice" is dispensed by Schroen with little censorship by the CIA. Balanced with historical perspective, Gary Schroen's account of the CIA spearheaded War on Terror in Afghanistan is the most recent addition to an uncrowded field of first hand published stories of what really went on and still goes on in Afghanistan.
Another must read is The Gem Hunter, True Adventures of an American in Afghanistan by Gary Bowersox. This boots-on-the-ground, first hand account of Bowersox's 30+ years of travel to Afghanistan to buy rubies, sapphires, emeralds and lapis puts into perspective the unfolding story of the struggles, hopes & dreams of the Afghan people. Bowersox, who was friends with Massoud the head of the Northern Alliance who was killed at the hand of Bin Laden directed assassins two days before 911, tells about the involvement of the Russians, the Taliban, Al Qaeda and the Pakistani government's role in the affairs of the country. Although perhaps self serving, Bowersox says the best way to help everyday Afghan people is to buy gems from their country, one of their only legal exports with opium being number one illegal export.
If you want to know more about this part of the world than 99.99% of all Americans, news pundits and politicians then read both of these books and you will. Better yet, give these books to US soldiers going to Afghanistan and you may save a life from the insight they provide.
Superb book February 14, 2006
TheBookOfHonor (NYC)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book and story! Make sure you also read, JAWBREAKER, which is essentially Part II to FIRST IN.
The book is fast reading and completely engrossing. This first-hand account is much more "reliable," honest and interesting than anything you'd hear about in a newspaper or watch in the news.
Intentionally or not, the author shows both of his personal (human) and professional sides. His dedication to both his country and his family is supreme, and certainly honorable.
The author's first-hand account of events as they unfolded and as he experienced them is unique, intriging and all-consuming to the reader; and he certainly has a sense of self-deprecating humor, the topic of which another reviewer found offensive and boring :)
If you haven't read it yet, read BLOWING MY COVER (Lindsay Moran) *after* FIRST IN and JAWBREAKER. Afterwards, you'll definitely appreciate and value Gary 1 and Gary 2 as officers that served their country, as well as appreciate even more the fact that Lindsay Moran no longer has that same role (read my other review on BLOWING MY COVER).
Best CIA book I've ever read May 18, 2007
Scott Bane (Northwest Indiana)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mr. Schroen is the first author coming out of the CIA that I've ever read that has a shred of humility. It was refreshing to read his perspective and look into his amazing paradigm without all the macho horse-crap. This was a very interesting topic to me, and I really enjoyed this author's telling of it. I am into the details and there were a lot of them in this book. It's not a thriller-spy story, but it is a great read in my opinion.
An Authentic Account That Should be Required Reading in Washington July 23, 2005
Charlie Brown (Saudi Arabia)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I could not put the book down after beginning to read it. It is very well written and authentic. Its authenticity is verified by my many Afghan friends here in Saudi Arabia, not that I questioned its authenticity. The descriptions of the many challenges of interpersonal relationships mingled with politics and battle scenes make it a very excitable read. The part dealing with the BLU-82s (not referred by the author, but known in the media as the "Daisy Cutter") 15,000 lb bomb on pages 335-336 gives the reader the enormous power of the weapon and the many aerial assaults by the U.S. Air Force and Navy that broke the back of the Taliban and won the conflict. Of course the Northern Alliance and other tribal factions were fighting the land battle, but that effort would not have been successful with the air raids. The "Daisy Cutter", introduced in Vietnam, received publicity during the Afghan conflict, but the author's story is the first that I know of describing its actual use in Afghanistan. I felt it was one of the highlights of the book.
The author complained about diarrhea and his partner suffering from flatulence on pages 108-109, and throughout the book. I am surprised that the government doctors did not give a medication called Lomotil, which is used for this condition. The doctors in the U.S. gave us this medication when I was working in the jungles of Brazil where diarrhea was quite common. The medication worked wonders for everyone. The description of Doc using chlorine for athletes foot cure on page 84 is a new one on me. The toilets the author described are very common throughout the Middle East and Asia.
While the book was entertaining to read, it contains some very serious issues that need to be addressed. The author concludes in the Afterword that the war is not over and that Iraq is a distraction from Afghanistan and Pakistan to finish the job against terrorist groups namely bin Laden and Al-Qa'ida. His warnings need to be heeded in Washington and London. The author concludes on page 363 that the Iraq war is a problem for which no clear solution exists. He states that U.S. military Special Forces units were with drawn from Afghanistan and sent to Iraq, resulting in less experienced U.S. forces that concentrate on destructive searches of Afghan homes and frightening women and children. Such actions will alienate the Afghan population in these critical regions.
This book does the CIA justice, an agency battered by many, especially some politicians who led to its demise by lack of funding. In fairness, the CIA was at fault to some extent for its problems. The author indicates a very clear perspective that surprisingly reflects the views of the Arab world. The author refutes the argument that the war in Iraq was to fight terrorism, because of the negative consequences that followed in the war on terror. It is a general consensus in the Middle East, which the war in Iraq was waged largely for gaining assets to Iraqi oil. Iraq is second behind Saudi Arabia in oil reserves.
Of course the author was not in Afghanistan for religious reasons, nor was religion his concern. He makes it clear that it is important to understand a country's culture and history, and religion is an integral part of this mix in the Islamic world. The term "Islam Fundamentalism", albeit being so popular in the West, is a classic case of a Western term being applied erroneously to an Eastern culture. By definition all Muslims are fundamentalists, because they believe in the Koran to the letter. In the West, dominated by people of Christian belief, there are Christians of liberal interpretation of the Bible and those who interpret the Bible to the letter. The latter we differentiate from the former by the term "Christian Fundamentalists." Then we apply this term mistakenly to Islam as "Islam Fundamentalism", when describing the conservative elements of Islam. We should be saying "Islamic extremists", or "Islamic radicals", who are very different in behavior from Christian Fundamentalists (I am not saying either that Christian Fundamentalists are "radicals" or "extremists"). I have had this term "Islam Fundamentalism" verified as incorrect by Muslims all over the Middle East and countless readings about Islam. Many leading politicians, members of the media, and the "Middle East experts" that appear on TV in the West, use this term in error. Also the author on page 205 refers to the 40th day celebrations that are an important milestone in the mourning cycle in Islam. This is not true in Islam. The practice is that three days are allowed for morning. So this 40th day must have been a local tradition.
What the author brilliantly shows is that Al-Qa'ida knows that it cannot recruit members from the vast majority of Muslims, so it tries to drive a wedge between the Muslims and non Muslims to recruit new members from the Muslim community. This is where knowing what Islam is very important. This is not to say to understand Islam is to believe in it, but to bridge a gap to prevent distrust and misunderstandings. For many that may wonder, no I am not a Muslim, but I have lived and worked with the Arabs for many years in Saudi Arabia and I know Mr. Schroen has some dire warnings that better not be ignored. I highly recommend this book for everyone, including the U.S. President.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 50
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