U.S. Marines at the Battle for Sangin: Operation Enduring Freedom

by Landon Longgrear

“One of the purest tellings of a combat Marine’s experience in warfighting I have ever read. This story strikes every emotion.” — PAUL LONGGREAR, Colonel ret. Army Special Forces,

With the Marines at the Battle for Sangin is a battle-intensive and deeply personal war memoir following a small Marine quick infantry detachment who land in Afghanistan with acts of killing beginning immediately. Not a week goes by before the Marines experience firsthand deaths of friendly forces, Marine casualties, enemy combatants killed, numerous IED strikes, air strikes, straffing runs and around the clock patrolling in hostile territory where death is ever present. As the regional direct response Quick Reaction Force in the northern Sangin river valley of Helmand Province, the Marines are immediately put to the test narrowly avoiding one calamity after the next. The reader feels the author’s angst, threat awareness, and a growing sense of hostility toward his elusive enemy. Combat operations greatly intensify as the Marines find their battlefield rhythm. As body counts rise so does the emotional toll on the author. The reader is regularly taken into the author’s exhilarations from persevering through fearsome battle scenes, but they are also submerged with him in the bitterness and shame that results from the deliberate and often hatred-filled harm that he and his Marines inflict on their enemy. There is a sober realization of the unavoidable dichotomy of war and the inner wounds that result from one’s participation in its cruelty, whether the recipient or the doer of deeds.

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2025

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2010, my husband deployed with the author, Landon Longgrear, as a part of 1/23 Alpha Company, though they were in different platoons. My husband tore through this book and said it was an excellent account of what it was like over there. Eager to know more, I knew I had to read this as well.

Marines are a Special Breed, and I think all silly Crayon jokes aside, this book will show you why. Not only does Longgrear do a great job of detailing his time through the Marine Corps, he also gives you a sense of the inner workings of a Marine and why they are so good at war.

I learned a lot about what it was like for them in Afghanistan, and the day to day things they did. This was interesting to me as my husband was on the same deployment, yet at the time we hadn't met, so I did not get to live through that with him.

This book also helped me to understand why my husband's always telling me he's ready to go back to war. Years ago that statement scared me. The longer we've known each other, the more I've understood. But reading this book really helped me to grasp what that means for these Marines and other military members. It takes a special person to be willing to do what is necessary for Freedom, and not everyone has that in their soul. But for those that do have it, it is such an ingrained strong desire. They don't want to be told someone else is going out today, they don't want to go home, they don't want a break. They want to be in the fight.

This trait has never left my husband. Which is why he's back in the military - this time as a Naval Officer and aviator 😎 He's pretty awesome.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in Marine culture as well as the Afghan war!

[Joshua Whatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Landon put into words the feelings and experiences of the Sangin river valley in a way I never could have and I am grateful that he has told his story and by extension the story of 1/23 A Co, the story of the closest friends I ever had. I am proud to have served in what was much more a supporting role in his actions and those of 2nd platoon than anything else. I can say with certainty that Longgrear was respected by me and the others of his unit. Everything in this book is true and accurate; it is a story worth telling and I am proud that he was the one to tell it. The book brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. It brought back both the good and the bad; the exhilaration and the mundane of our 7 months in Afghanistan. One of the ugliest and simultaneously most strangely beautiful places on earth.

[John Schmelzle]

This is not only a firsthand account of modern Marine warfighting, but also a testimony of how one's Faith can bring about strength and valor, particularly during the darkest of circumstances. Throughout history, those who have faced the realities of war have spoken not only of the evil witnessed firsthand but also of God’s Providence and Divine protection—words even George Washington used in his own reflections. We see these same truth's play out in The Battle of Sangin, where moments of survival, brotherhood, and purpose point unmistakably to the hand of God at work. The best part is these are lessons all of us can apply in our everyday lives.

[Andy Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Raw, intimate, and action packed account of battle.

There was so much I didn’t know and didn’t understand about the war in Afghanistan. This firsthand account gave me a picture into the author’s experience from boot camp, preparing for battle, inner thoughts of a soldier’s life, victory, tragedy, and then coming back home. I found my self reading about the mission then looking on a map to see route 611 and seeing the terrain. This was a great book. Thank you for your service.