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The Wolves of Helmand: A View from Inside the Den of Modern War
At turns poignant, funny, philosophical, and raw—but always real—The Wolves of Helmand is both a heartfelt homage to the Marine brotherhood with whom Biggio served and an expression of respect and love for the people of Afghanistan who ultimately trusted, shared, and appreciated their purpose.Ten years after serving his country as a U.S. Marine, Captain Frank “Gus” Biggio signed up once again because he missed the brotherhood of the military. Leaving behind his budding law career, his young wife, and newborn son, he was deployed to Helmand Province—the most violent region in war-torn Afghanistan—for reasons few would likely understand before reading this book. Riven by conflict and occupation for centuries because of its strategic location, the region he landed in was, at that time, a hotbed of Taliban insurgency. As a participant in the landmark U.S.-led Operation Khanjar, Biggio and his fellow Marines were executing a new-era military strategy. Focused largely on empowerment of the local population, the offensive began with a troop surge designed to thwart the Taliban, but was more importantly followed by the restoration of the local government and real-time capacity building among the withdrawn and destitute Afghan people. The Wolves of Helmand is unlike other war memoirs. It takes us less into the action—though there is that too—and more into the quiet places of today’s war zones. Yes, you’ll read of our Marines’ stealth arrival in a single night, our advanced weaponry, and our pop-up industrial village command centers. You’ll read, as well, about the ambushed patrols and the carnage of IEDs. But you will also read of the persistence, humility, ruggedness, loneliness, tedium, diplomacy, and humanity of our Marines’ jobs there, which more than anything else reveals the magnitude of even the smallest victories. Completed years after the author’s return from his mission, The Wolves of Helmand is most of all a decade-long self-examination of a warrior’s heart, conscience, and memory. Whether intended or not, Biggio’s deep reflections and innate honesty answer every question you’ve ever wanted to ask about life and death in war—and even questions you probably never thought to ask. What calls a warrior to duty? What makes, sustains, plagues, and even breaks a warrior? These are bigger questions than the ones impolite society pokes around when a veteran returns home—Did you kill anyone? Did you have to go? Why would you fight for another country? Why were we even there? Yet the answers to those queries are here, too, in this thoughtful memoir that will make you think about war, family, love, and loss.
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Published November 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 10, 2021
I grabbed this book for 2 reasons: first, I'm an English major and am considering in trying to specialize in war or military literature like Tim O'Brien so that I can teach it one day as a Lit Professor; second, my husband is a Marine and was deployed to Helmand Province a few years after this had taken place and I wanted to have a better understanding of his life there. This book was great because Biggio doesn't just boast about the greatness that he and is fellow Marines accomplished in Helmand, but he shows his humility and the struggles they faced. I can see the Marine characteristics that my husband and his friends share in his writing that they must either require in recruiting or gain along the years of brotherhood. I love the heartwarming realities of the Marine- Afghan relationships as well. It helps people see the difference between Afghan and Taliban and the work that needs to be done still. Very well written and if I get the chance to teach the courses I want to someday, I'd definitely choose this as one of our requirements. Thank you Captain Biggio!
November 4, 2024
Well written and a different kind of “war story” than we’re used to. Let’s you see some of the other sides of what fighting a war means.
February 23, 2021
In the 19 years since Gen Mattis led the Marines of Task Force 58 into Afg, only one strategy has shown any modicum of success in leading America’s Afghan war towards a successful conclusion.
This was the Marine Corp strategy of engaging with the population that was so successful in pacifying Iraq’s Anbar Province, and Captain Frank ‘Gus’ Biggio, USMC, documents its success in The Wolves of Helmand, a well-written analysis of his 2009 deployment into Afghanistan’s dangerous Helmand River Valley.
The problem Biggio and his Marines faced after eight years of American futility in Afghanistan was the one that had never been honestly answered: what was the mission? How does America make the local Afghans ‘choose us?’
Captain Biggio brought a unique perspective to the fight. A prior –service Marine, he was older, college and law-school educated, and as a Civil Affairs officer, was as prepared to confront the Taliban with his wits as with his rifle. A first-time author, Biggio combines an excellent eye for the ‘atmospherics’ with writing skills that enable the reader to feel they were accompanying him on the deployment.
“Marines have an innate intellectual curiosity, he tells the reader, “that belies their rugged image…they were just as inclined to read The Economist and The Wall Street Journal as Guns & Ammo or Sports Illustrated.” His unit’s roster included a senior Department of Justice attorney, a journalist, congressional staff members, a CIA analyst, firefighters, policemen, graduate students, and a NASA scientist, so they were ready to confront and resolve any situation ranging from combat to basic engineering to assisting local officials.
Modern warfare, Biggio continues, “is not limited to conventional operations where the objective is “massing firepower at the appropriate place and time to destroy the enemy.” Instead, it focuses heavily on providing security to, and gaining the trust of, the local population.” This is accomplished by an initial show of serious force, combat operations as necessary, and then immediate and daily engagements between the Marines and the local population. This made Biggio’s Civil Affairs unit an integral part of the upcoming operation, the June 2009 Operation Khandjar; a nighttime helicopter assault that inserted 4,000 Marines up and down the Helmand River Valley.
This was more than a combat-only operation, Biggio explains. From their pre-deployment work-up until they were readying for their assault into Nawa, training included both the requisite amount of shooting and combat scenarios as well as non-combat training that included multiple scenarios with Afghan-American role players acting as tribal elders, refugees, or covert insurgents. The goal was to teach the Marines the cultural differences between Afghans and Americans, and how such awareness could more effectively resolve a dispute than how to move, shoot, and communicate.
Biggio describes how his Marines used this training as they worked with the Afghans in building and staffing schools, bringing more shops to the local bazaars, and training the Afghan Army how to provide security. When Biggio’s unit arrived in Nawa, the bazaar had 3-4 poorly attended shops. Within two months there were 60+, shops and Afghans were coming from 20 miles away with goods to buy-sell-trade. The school was equally a success; growing from a few students to some 300, with students arriving by foot, bicycle, and horse-drawn carts.
He also describes working with the local governor, Haji Abdul Manaf who soon became a most effective and popular representative of the otherwise hated Afghan government. Manaf understood the significance of his role and his district in the fight to drive out the Taliban and replace it with a stable government; he worked closely with the Marines, local tribal leaders, mullahs, and local citizenry in trying to make Nawa’s progress permanent. Biggio also describes his anguish upon learning, some years later, that the Taliban killed him in an ambush.
Biggio depicts how a combat deployment is not for the unprepared. Living in the heat and dirt, getting sick from the often, unhygienic local food, an 18-hour work day, losing Marines in combat, missing the birth of his second child; and did the Afghan people appreciate what the Marines were doing for them?
Biggio answers the question when he describes how Governor Manaf loved the Marines, and was most appreciative of how these young men left their families to fight for people they didn’t previously know. A young Marine was killed by an IED, Biggio relates, and Manaf asked to attend the memorial service and offer words of thanks. Upon finishing, he turned to the helmet, boots, and bayoneted rifle signifying the fallen Marine, straightened his back, and offered a solemn salute.
The Wolves of Helmand is for everyone interested in the Marines, American military history, or American policy in Afghanistan. A snapshot of what could have been in Afghanistan, this is a book well worth reading. Highly recommended!
This was the Marine Corp strategy of engaging with the population that was so successful in pacifying Iraq’s Anbar Province, and Captain Frank ‘Gus’ Biggio, USMC, documents its success in The Wolves of Helmand, a well-written analysis of his 2009 deployment into Afghanistan’s dangerous Helmand River Valley.
The problem Biggio and his Marines faced after eight years of American futility in Afghanistan was the one that had never been honestly answered: what was the mission? How does America make the local Afghans ‘choose us?’
Captain Biggio brought a unique perspective to the fight. A prior –service Marine, he was older, college and law-school educated, and as a Civil Affairs officer, was as prepared to confront the Taliban with his wits as with his rifle. A first-time author, Biggio combines an excellent eye for the ‘atmospherics’ with writing skills that enable the reader to feel they were accompanying him on the deployment.
“Marines have an innate intellectual curiosity, he tells the reader, “that belies their rugged image…they were just as inclined to read The Economist and The Wall Street Journal as Guns & Ammo or Sports Illustrated.” His unit’s roster included a senior Department of Justice attorney, a journalist, congressional staff members, a CIA analyst, firefighters, policemen, graduate students, and a NASA scientist, so they were ready to confront and resolve any situation ranging from combat to basic engineering to assisting local officials.
Modern warfare, Biggio continues, “is not limited to conventional operations where the objective is “massing firepower at the appropriate place and time to destroy the enemy.” Instead, it focuses heavily on providing security to, and gaining the trust of, the local population.” This is accomplished by an initial show of serious force, combat operations as necessary, and then immediate and daily engagements between the Marines and the local population. This made Biggio’s Civil Affairs unit an integral part of the upcoming operation, the June 2009 Operation Khandjar; a nighttime helicopter assault that inserted 4,000 Marines up and down the Helmand River Valley.
This was more than a combat-only operation, Biggio explains. From their pre-deployment work-up until they were readying for their assault into Nawa, training included both the requisite amount of shooting and combat scenarios as well as non-combat training that included multiple scenarios with Afghan-American role players acting as tribal elders, refugees, or covert insurgents. The goal was to teach the Marines the cultural differences between Afghans and Americans, and how such awareness could more effectively resolve a dispute than how to move, shoot, and communicate.
Biggio describes how his Marines used this training as they worked with the Afghans in building and staffing schools, bringing more shops to the local bazaars, and training the Afghan Army how to provide security. When Biggio’s unit arrived in Nawa, the bazaar had 3-4 poorly attended shops. Within two months there were 60+, shops and Afghans were coming from 20 miles away with goods to buy-sell-trade. The school was equally a success; growing from a few students to some 300, with students arriving by foot, bicycle, and horse-drawn carts.
He also describes working with the local governor, Haji Abdul Manaf who soon became a most effective and popular representative of the otherwise hated Afghan government. Manaf understood the significance of his role and his district in the fight to drive out the Taliban and replace it with a stable government; he worked closely with the Marines, local tribal leaders, mullahs, and local citizenry in trying to make Nawa’s progress permanent. Biggio also describes his anguish upon learning, some years later, that the Taliban killed him in an ambush.
Biggio depicts how a combat deployment is not for the unprepared. Living in the heat and dirt, getting sick from the often, unhygienic local food, an 18-hour work day, losing Marines in combat, missing the birth of his second child; and did the Afghan people appreciate what the Marines were doing for them?
Biggio answers the question when he describes how Governor Manaf loved the Marines, and was most appreciative of how these young men left their families to fight for people they didn’t previously know. A young Marine was killed by an IED, Biggio relates, and Manaf asked to attend the memorial service and offer words of thanks. Upon finishing, he turned to the helmet, boots, and bayoneted rifle signifying the fallen Marine, straightened his back, and offered a solemn salute.
The Wolves of Helmand is for everyone interested in the Marines, American military history, or American policy in Afghanistan. A snapshot of what could have been in Afghanistan, this is a book well worth reading. Highly recommended!
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April 5, 2021MWSA Review
Frank Biggio's The Wolves of Helmand is an absolutely outstanding personal memoir of one Marine's time as part of a civic affairs group (CAG) in Afghanistan. As a civic action Marine, Biggio's job was about winning hearts and minds as much as taking the lives of the enemy. As such, this separates his experiences from many other combat memoirs, and the author does a wonderful job of telling his story.
Deployed with "1/5" into Nawa in Helmand province, Biggio explains the background behind why his job was important, the struggles he dealt with, the action he was part of, and most importantly the lessons he learned and the growth he experienced. He does so in a realistic, salty style that makes the unexperienced know what it is like to be on the ground with Marines.
In addition to the outstanding memoir, the author gave us a bonus. The last chapter is quotes from Marines during the deployment. Some are simple, some are fatalistic, and some are downright funny, as perhaps only a Marine with sand in their boots could say it.
Overall, this is an excellent work that will appeal to any combat vet, especially of either Iraq or Afghanistan in our country's most recent conflicts.
Review by Rob Ballister (April 2021)
Frank Biggio's The Wolves of Helmand is an absolutely outstanding personal memoir of one Marine's time as part of a civic affairs group (CAG) in Afghanistan. As a civic action Marine, Biggio's job was about winning hearts and minds as much as taking the lives of the enemy. As such, this separates his experiences from many other combat memoirs, and the author does a wonderful job of telling his story.
Deployed with "1/5" into Nawa in Helmand province, Biggio explains the background behind why his job was important, the struggles he dealt with, the action he was part of, and most importantly the lessons he learned and the growth he experienced. He does so in a realistic, salty style that makes the unexperienced know what it is like to be on the ground with Marines.
In addition to the outstanding memoir, the author gave us a bonus. The last chapter is quotes from Marines during the deployment. Some are simple, some are fatalistic, and some are downright funny, as perhaps only a Marine with sand in their boots could say it.
Overall, this is an excellent work that will appeal to any combat vet, especially of either Iraq or Afghanistan in our country's most recent conflicts.
Review by Rob Ballister (April 2021)
November 4, 2024
Amazing book, The stories put you in the middle of things. A good friend of mine is from the same small town as he is, which put me onto it when I saw an article and noticed his home town name. I am thankful i did...
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April 4, 2021Read and reviewed as part of MWSA's 2021 award season. See https://www.mwsadispatches.com/ for details.
April 28, 2023
"...Marines patrolling Nawa had the delicate task of being poised to kill any legitimate threat at a moment's notice or to host an impromptu tea party." p208
August 19, 2025
Gus is a high school classmate of mine. His book is excellently written and compelling. I couldn't put it down!
September 9, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this advance reader's copy of Biggio's re-enlistment memoir. His narrative is seen through the lens of a former Marine turned corporate lawyer signing back up for the Corps during the second phase of the Global War on Terror in Afghanistan. He gives the reader mature, seasoned observations which focus on the subtleties and nuances of that entanglement. "Wolves" leaves much of the battlefield dramatics to other veterans, instead highlighting his civil affairs unit's charge to support the transformation of a Taliban region back into a self-governing and productive society. Biggio successfully weaves this into a compelling personal story arc not devoid of the sites, sounds, and smells of being outside the wire nor the heartache of missing his young family and the luxuries of home.
November 20, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed my advance reader's copy of Biggio's re-enlistment memoir. His narrative is seen through the lens of a former Marine turned corporate lawyer signing back up for the Corps during the second phase of the Global War on Terror in Afghanistan. He gives the reader mature, seasoned observations which focus on the subtleties and nuances of the ongoing effort to provide support and stability to a war-torn region. "Wolves" leaves much of the battlefield dramatics to other war memoirs, instead highlighting his civil affairs unit's charge to support the transformation of a Taliban region back into a self-governing and productive society. Biggio successfully weaves this into a compelling personal story arc not devoid of the sites, sounds, and smells of being outside the wire nor the heartache of missing his young family and the luxuries of home.
January 31, 2022
A Marine from Ohio writes about his time in Afghanistan in his Civil Affairs billet. Worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews