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A Few Bad Men: The True Story of U.S. Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America
A Few Bad Men is the incredible true story of an elite team of U.S. Marines set up to take the fall for Afghanistan war crimes they did not commit—and their leader who fought for the redemption of his men. Ambushed in Afghanistan and betrayed by their own leaders—these elite Marines fought for their lives again, back home.
A cross between A Few Good Men and American Sniper, this is the true story of an elite Marine special operations unit bombed by an IED and shot at during an Afghanistan ambush. The Marine Commandos were falsely accused of gunning down innocent Afghan civilians following the ambush. The unit’s leader, Maj. Fred Galvin, was summarily relieved of duty and his unit was booted from the combat zone. They were condemned by everyone, from the Afghan president to American generals.
When Fox Company returned to America, Galvin and his captain were the targets of the first Court of Inquiry in the Marines in fifty years. “Fred Galvin is the real deal. His dramatic retelling of his experience as commander of Fox Company reads like a thriller, full of twists and turns, filled with unassuming heroes and deceitful villains.”
A cross between A Few Good Men and American Sniper, this is the true story of an elite Marine special operations unit bombed by an IED and shot at during an Afghanistan ambush. The Marine Commandos were falsely accused of gunning down innocent Afghan civilians following the ambush. The unit’s leader, Maj. Fred Galvin, was summarily relieved of duty and his unit was booted from the combat zone. They were condemned by everyone, from the Afghan president to American generals.
When Fox Company returned to America, Galvin and his captain were the targets of the first Court of Inquiry in the Marines in fifty years. “Fred Galvin is the real deal. His dramatic retelling of his experience as commander of Fox Company reads like a thriller, full of twists and turns, filled with unassuming heroes and deceitful villains.”
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2022
137 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 9, 2022
I had the pleasure of serving under Maj. Galvin in helmand province Afghanistan 2011 while with 3rd recon BN. His dedication to the Marine Corps emulated to all of us what a leader should be. The actions taken against him and the Marsoc marines he commanded in 2007 are a stain on the Marine Corps history. This book outlines the intentional man hunt against him and his fellow Marines. Ignoring all the facts that shows their innocence and condemning them before they even faced trial. Despite being cleared of all wrong doings. They are still haunted today with false news reports. Damning them in the eyes of the public. A formal apology should be issued to them.
August 1, 2022
Four years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor the enemy surrendered… we don’t win wars anymore because we can’t identify the real enemy Enemies within the ranks, the media and always believing the US Military last. This was a travesty of injustice that ruined lives, reputations, families and careers of honorable men. Politics have permeated the military, a sad development for our country . Abe Lincoln once stated that men can handle adversity but to judge a man’s character… give him power. Sad but true !
July 27, 2022
I am a veteran of 21 years active duty and 28 years as a Marine civilian. As this story played out, in my gut I just knew the Marine leadership were throwing Major Gavin under the bus. Kind of like the snipers caught pissing on dead Iraqis.
August 7, 2022
I remember reading about this story when it happened and I wondered at the time if the public was getting the full story. Like so much of the news, we were fed a story that fit a certain narrative and every news outlet piled on. No wonder our news media polls lower than our Congress. What these young men went through is an embarrassment to our country and should never happen to one of our men/women in uniform again. If this type of behavior from the top of our military continues, then we have no hope for our country. Thank God we have men like Fred Calvin who was able to stand up to the top and overcome the dirt they threw at him and his men. Do not pass this book up. If you don't like non-fiction, don't worry because this reads like fiction.
August 4, 2022
The military is anything but apolitical
Colonel David Hackworth was famous for coining the phrase Perfumed Princes as a pujurative to be applied to self promoting brass officers who only care about their next star, who never get in the muck with the troops and who will sacrifice any lives or reputations to get to the top. This book reveals a whole cast of these cretins who have wreaked havoc and moved on to greener in pastures like nothing ever happened.
Colonel David Hackworth was famous for coining the phrase Perfumed Princes as a pujurative to be applied to self promoting brass officers who only care about their next star, who never get in the muck with the troops and who will sacrifice any lives or reputations to get to the top. This book reveals a whole cast of these cretins who have wreaked havoc and moved on to greener in pastures like nothing ever happened.
July 27, 2022
A good book. It shows how the Marines resisted having elite special forces and how incompetent senior officers get promoted for doing nothing rather than killing the enemy. It also showed how ineffective civic action programs (COIN) is. No good action goes unpunished.
February 6, 2023
Picked this up and couldn’t put it down. What Fred Galvin went through is difficult to even comprehend. And each time you think common sense would prevail instead another insane railroading happens.
The fact that he wanted to continue his career with the marines after everything he went through was incredible. And that even after everything years later he had the gall and integrity to stand up and say no when he saw something going on that he knew was wrong.
The political representatives that stood up to speak out for Mr. Galvin deserve a lot more recognition then they received for helping this man and stopping what was a grave injustice.
I’m glad I read this book. But ashamed that someone who served his country so honorably was treated so poorly.
The fact that he wanted to continue his career with the marines after everything he went through was incredible. And that even after everything years later he had the gall and integrity to stand up and say no when he saw something going on that he knew was wrong.
The political representatives that stood up to speak out for Mr. Galvin deserve a lot more recognition then they received for helping this man and stopping what was a grave injustice.
I’m glad I read this book. But ashamed that someone who served his country so honorably was treated so poorly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2022
I bought this book for an active Marine stepson, after hearing the author interviewed on talk radio. It is generally acknowledged that politicians and corporations will warp their values to effect damage control from faulty media accounts. Now we see that even the US Marine high officer bureaucracy will do the same. I emphasize that the events chronicled here were not just the views of the accused, as one might think based on the a-priori view that there are two sides to every story. The military's own unbiased, formal and lengthy investigative processes fully exonerated the accused US Marines, after money-seeking Afghanis exploited a complicit mass media to charge a Marine patrol with indiscriminate killing. The author correctly attributes the Marine brass' complicity in this to their (forced?) acceptance of General David Patraeus' (now known to be) flawed strategy of Afghanistizing the war. As in Vietnam, this was supposed to work by winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people and what passed for its military. It didn't.
August 31, 2022
This is a terribly sad, horrifying and important story. Major Fred Galvin is a hero. God bless all of our men and women who defend our Constitution from enemies foreign AND domestic. Everyone should read this story.
October 24, 2024
A searing account of our best warfighters sold out by careerists who were in love with flawed strategy. And we wonder why the war in Afghanistan failed...
Want to read
July 23, 2022Purchased.
August 3, 2022
Chilling true story
Rec reading for anyone considering military service. A cautionary tale of doing the right thing doesn't always get its just rewards
Rec reading for anyone considering military service. A cautionary tale of doing the right thing doesn't always get its just rewards
July 29, 2022
I couldn’t Put This Book Down
There are a handful of books I’ve read in a couple of days, this is one. I went on an emotional journey; as a result, I laughed, I was shocked at times because how they were treated and I got angry. A Few Bad Men reads like a movie script.
There are a handful of books I’ve read in a couple of days, this is one. I went on an emotional journey; as a result, I laughed, I was shocked at times because how they were treated and I got angry. A Few Bad Men reads like a movie script.
October 2, 2022
Why we lost Afghanistan
Major Fred Galvin's ordeal at the hands of fellow Americans is emblematic of the decline of the US military in the last 20 years. His patrol, hit by a complex ambush in Afghanistan, fought its way out only to be sand bagged and vilified by the military command structure and a poisonous media. The decline has worsened since 2007 and we haven't seen the bottom yet.
Major Fred Galvin's ordeal at the hands of fellow Americans is emblematic of the decline of the US military in the last 20 years. His patrol, hit by a complex ambush in Afghanistan, fought its way out only to be sand bagged and vilified by the military command structure and a poisonous media. The decline has worsened since 2007 and we haven't seen the bottom yet.
July 11, 2022
Once again, our military leaders are proven corruptocrats
After you read this, go read “The Afghanistan Papers” and have everything Major Galvin says be reinforced. Our country, our government and our military are being eaten from within by career empty suits…
After you read this, go read “The Afghanistan Papers” and have everything Major Galvin says be reinforced. Our country, our government and our military are being eaten from within by career empty suits…
January 15, 2024
This is a must read to learn about the true events and how these Marines were not supported by senior officers. Should be mandatory reading for every NCO, officer and civilian policy maker
I highly recommend this book.
A Few Bad Men should become an American War Classic. The writing is crisp and to the point and tells a horrific tale of deceit at the highest level of our military. It's a story of people in power playing with the lives of those sent to fight a war supposedly. It's a story of interservice rivalry gone amuck, and Major Galvin's troops were fair game from top to bottom. A Few Bad Men outlined how far our country has fallen from our Founding Father's ideals and those of our Marine Corps.
Fred Galvin is simply what great leadership looks like. The officers who brought this shit show down upon Galvin and his men, not so much. How about not even a little bit? They should all be taken out and shot for dereliction of duty. Alas though in these times that will never happen but we can wish evil thoughts about these cowards and ass kissers of the political correct crowd. In a way this is a absolute guide on what a great leader does when his back is against the wall. His life, his career, his honor, are all in play here and Fred Galvin does not flinch. Early and often he is advised by his lawyers "to save himself". Testify against your men for alleged war crimes against terrorists. Galvin does not consider it for a second. No, Galvin does what great leaders do. He doubles down and he jumps right into the rapidly sinking ship with his men.
This book is so damn depressing in many respects. Horrible incompetent NCIS investigators, silly command level officers running around playing God with these brave Marines live's. It is a lesson in what can and does go wrong when weak men are given their merit badges and promotions for basically hanging around real war fighters and avoiding any activities that would force them to at least act like a leader. The failure is mammoth in scope and Galvin a career officer and former enlisted man (Bless his heart) never saw it coming.
Please don't think that Galvin has written a book that makes himself look good. He did not and in fact I suspect that we could have heard a lot more about Galvin and his storied time in service and came away loving Galvin. I blame the co-author .
You have to look beyond what happened here and learn from the mistakes that Galvin and his men made. The first and most critical mistake they made was cooperating with the investigators. What they should have done from minute one was lawyer up. Unfortunately when men of honor find themselves being asked questions about their activities in war they assume that honorable people are doing the asking. Big mistake. From day one they were out to screw everyone of them. These guy's never saw what hit them until it was too late. Consequently they almost lost their reputations, careers, and ultimately their freedom.
A Few Bad Men is one of the most depressing books I have ever read. The complete and udder failure of Galvin's superiors to even begin to give Galvin and his men a fair shake is so alarming that it is almost unbelievable. If not for Galvin's efforts at documenting these failures all of this would have been hidden and concealed. This book should be mandatory reading for every young and old leader in every service branch. It is a blueprint for protecting you and your war fighters when the proverbial poop hits the fan.
Major Fred Galvin is an American hero and we should all celebrate his guts, integrity, and honor for he is the stuff of what this once great nation was built upon.
Bottom line : After you read this, go read “The Afghanistan Papers” and have everything Major Galvin says be reinforced. Our country, our government and our military are being eaten from within by career empty suits… honorable Marine veterans were disgraced by the same Government that later abandoned Afghanistan .
I highly recommend this book.
A Few Bad Men should become an American War Classic. The writing is crisp and to the point and tells a horrific tale of deceit at the highest level of our military. It's a story of people in power playing with the lives of those sent to fight a war supposedly. It's a story of interservice rivalry gone amuck, and Major Galvin's troops were fair game from top to bottom. A Few Bad Men outlined how far our country has fallen from our Founding Father's ideals and those of our Marine Corps.
Fred Galvin is simply what great leadership looks like. The officers who brought this shit show down upon Galvin and his men, not so much. How about not even a little bit? They should all be taken out and shot for dereliction of duty. Alas though in these times that will never happen but we can wish evil thoughts about these cowards and ass kissers of the political correct crowd. In a way this is a absolute guide on what a great leader does when his back is against the wall. His life, his career, his honor, are all in play here and Fred Galvin does not flinch. Early and often he is advised by his lawyers "to save himself". Testify against your men for alleged war crimes against terrorists. Galvin does not consider it for a second. No, Galvin does what great leaders do. He doubles down and he jumps right into the rapidly sinking ship with his men.
This book is so damn depressing in many respects. Horrible incompetent NCIS investigators, silly command level officers running around playing God with these brave Marines live's. It is a lesson in what can and does go wrong when weak men are given their merit badges and promotions for basically hanging around real war fighters and avoiding any activities that would force them to at least act like a leader. The failure is mammoth in scope and Galvin a career officer and former enlisted man (Bless his heart) never saw it coming.
Please don't think that Galvin has written a book that makes himself look good. He did not and in fact I suspect that we could have heard a lot more about Galvin and his storied time in service and came away loving Galvin. I blame the co-author .
You have to look beyond what happened here and learn from the mistakes that Galvin and his men made. The first and most critical mistake they made was cooperating with the investigators. What they should have done from minute one was lawyer up. Unfortunately when men of honor find themselves being asked questions about their activities in war they assume that honorable people are doing the asking. Big mistake. From day one they were out to screw everyone of them. These guy's never saw what hit them until it was too late. Consequently they almost lost their reputations, careers, and ultimately their freedom.
A Few Bad Men is one of the most depressing books I have ever read. The complete and udder failure of Galvin's superiors to even begin to give Galvin and his men a fair shake is so alarming that it is almost unbelievable. If not for Galvin's efforts at documenting these failures all of this would have been hidden and concealed. This book should be mandatory reading for every young and old leader in every service branch. It is a blueprint for protecting you and your war fighters when the proverbial poop hits the fan.
Major Fred Galvin is an American hero and we should all celebrate his guts, integrity, and honor for he is the stuff of what this once great nation was built upon.
Bottom line : After you read this, go read “The Afghanistan Papers” and have everything Major Galvin says be reinforced. Our country, our government and our military are being eaten from within by career empty suits… honorable Marine veterans were disgraced by the same Government that later abandoned Afghanistan .
September 19, 2022
Our nation calls upon its warriors, glibly at times and sometimes without reasoned justification - Vietnam and Iraq come to mind, to place themselves in incredibly dangerous situations and then refuses to support them. Warriors don't self deploy to war; nations send them. Warriors don't start wars; nations do. Maj Fred Galvin's story contrasts the warrior ethos with the bureaucrat ethos. Warriors serve willingly in places bureaucrats send them. The theme of shame underscoring Galvin and the men of Marine Special Operations Company Foxtrot is not theirs but that of the hollow bureaucracy which created conditions it couldn't solve leaving it to Galvin, his warriors and men like them to confront. The most telling aspect of Galvin's story is that the civilian (media driven) and military leadership (media compliant) worked in tandem to create a false narrative to support a fatally flawed agenda. Gutless men stood in judgement over warriors; senior bureaucrats in uniform attempted to force their will over subordinates they controlled because they couldn't defeat the enemy they didn't control...and they failed miserably in each case. Read this book.
July 7, 2024
another story of American warriors betrayed by politicians
The author has written a scathing , painful, pathetic book based on his experiences as a marine officer leading his men in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, for him and his men, the ultimate battleground was in the courtroom, as they fought to defend their honor, their integrity, and their sanity. The ultimate enemy was the government that sent them into harm’s way with one hand tied behind their backs. The story is all too familiar and the book leaves me disgusted with the useless sacrifices made by our men and women in the conflict. To this day no one has been held accountable for all the deaths in the summer of 1967, when marines transitioned from m14’s to m16’s, and having to fight the nva with weapons that were faulty. Marine officers insisted the troops were not cleaning their weapons properly and marine higher echelon officers refused to make waves for fear of not getting promoted. Just like this story as in Vietnam there is a place in hell for officers that write up their own decorations for bravery and the deserving grunts get over looked. I highly recommend this book.
The author has written a scathing , painful, pathetic book based on his experiences as a marine officer leading his men in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, for him and his men, the ultimate battleground was in the courtroom, as they fought to defend their honor, their integrity, and their sanity. The ultimate enemy was the government that sent them into harm’s way with one hand tied behind their backs. The story is all too familiar and the book leaves me disgusted with the useless sacrifices made by our men and women in the conflict. To this day no one has been held accountable for all the deaths in the summer of 1967, when marines transitioned from m14’s to m16’s, and having to fight the nva with weapons that were faulty. Marine officers insisted the troops were not cleaning their weapons properly and marine higher echelon officers refused to make waves for fear of not getting promoted. Just like this story as in Vietnam there is a place in hell for officers that write up their own decorations for bravery and the deserving grunts get over looked. I highly recommend this book.
March 8, 2023
“I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within.”
General Douglas, MacArthur
What happened to the MARSOC7 should never happen to any unit proudly serving their country and doing EXACTLY what their were trained to do. If there is an investigation following an incident, it should be objective. Not swayed by politics or pettiness.
The childish behavior of higher ranking officers patting each other on the backs for political gain, needs to be squashed. Marines are of the highest caliber of men that I have ever served with and continue to work alongside. Be the best version of yourself that you can be, and none of this would happen. Thank God the truth and vindication were delivered to these fine warriors.
Major Galvin, thank you for your service and your guidance, sir. It was an honor to sever under your command.
Semper Fidelis
General Douglas, MacArthur
What happened to the MARSOC7 should never happen to any unit proudly serving their country and doing EXACTLY what their were trained to do. If there is an investigation following an incident, it should be objective. Not swayed by politics or pettiness.
The childish behavior of higher ranking officers patting each other on the backs for political gain, needs to be squashed. Marines are of the highest caliber of men that I have ever served with and continue to work alongside. Be the best version of yourself that you can be, and none of this would happen. Thank God the truth and vindication were delivered to these fine warriors.
Major Galvin, thank you for your service and your guidance, sir. It was an honor to sever under your command.
Semper Fidelis
March 22, 2023
This is an extremely well written and researched account of a literal Trial by Fire of a Marine who lead with courage and conviction, was loyal to his Marines. Sadly it is a tale of being gaslighted by an enemy who kicks our butts at the use of propaganda. It is also a cautionary tale of not sending Americans into harms way with a clear mission or rules of engagement.
The dangers of the internet age is we get too little hard information but plenty of accusations. In the end, despite being officially exonerated, Maj Galvin's career was cut short too soon and those who falsely accused him were not punished for their lack of loyalty down the chain of command.
Semper Fi Maj Galvin.
The dangers of the internet age is we get too little hard information but plenty of accusations. In the end, despite being officially exonerated, Maj Galvin's career was cut short too soon and those who falsely accused him were not punished for their lack of loyalty down the chain of command.
Semper Fi Maj Galvin.
March 12, 2023
An important read for anyone who values truth and justice. Also a valuable lesson for young leaders on the importance of taking care of your people.
On a personal note, I came across one man I know personally in this book. I was disappointed that his name was on an op ed in a sub-par fringe local paper…it seems he took a handful of points from one side and built an article around that- not the well rounded exploration of facts and positions from both sides (as he encouraged me to do as an English professor many years before…)
On a personal note, I came across one man I know personally in this book. I was disappointed that his name was on an op ed in a sub-par fringe local paper…it seems he took a handful of points from one side and built an article around that- not the well rounded exploration of facts and positions from both sides (as he encouraged me to do as an English professor many years before…)
March 8, 2023
and this one about his ex wife (my fave):
"Holly was accustomed to being free and unattached, including months on ships where she was one of few women surrounded by twenty-six hundred men. The commitment of marriage or not, Holly wanted to hold onto her status as the belle of the ball."
definitely shows what he feels about female Marines - apparently they love being surrounded by men and want to be belles of the ball.
Oorah.
"Holly was accustomed to being free and unattached, including months on ships where she was one of few women surrounded by twenty-six hundred men. The commitment of marriage or not, Holly wanted to hold onto her status as the belle of the ball."
definitely shows what he feels about female Marines - apparently they love being surrounded by men and want to be belles of the ball.
Oorah.
April 23, 2024
A shocking book. So much of the bond between Marines and their commanders. As a former Marine, I could not believe what the author and 5 of his men went through after being in Afghanistan. A very interesting read, especially when he gives a look at the end of the book about the Marine Officers, all the way up the the Commandant. The Corps needs to be stricter on who gets what in rank and prestige.
November 12, 2022
Speaking Chinese doon
These upper echelon US military guys are actually a bunch of clowns,think of the trillions spent and the got their asses handed to them by goat herders. Our politicians, military complex etc is the downfall of this country. They should all be hung by their balls
These upper echelon US military guys are actually a bunch of clowns,think of the trillions spent and the got their asses handed to them by goat herders. Our politicians, military complex etc is the downfall of this country. They should all be hung by their balls
Read
September 9, 2022And you wonder what is wrong with the military today. This book is just the tip of the iceberg showing that today's leaders are more concerned about politics and being political correct than about taking care of the troops and doing the right thing when it comes to national defense issues!
March 18, 2023
Eye Opener Truth of Marine Leaders
Just read for anyone who cares about the direction American military is being lead by politicians dressed in uniform with brass on their shoulders!
Just read for anyone who cares about the direction American military is being lead by politicians dressed in uniform with brass on their shoulders!
March 19, 2023
An interesting true story 0f the U.S. Marines being ambushed in Afghanistan in a surprise attack on 11 September 2001 and their subsequent betrayal in America by the highest echelons of the American military. The military jargon utilized throughout the book is somewhat distracting.
March 5, 2024
A tough read for a veteran. I will suffice it to say if you were not on the battlefield and lived through this, one can never really know how the battle unfolded and therefore leaving the benefit of the doubt with those who did is all that should be done.
September 2, 2022
A damning indictment of the political generals and their spinelessness in the face of political correctness.
February 2, 2023
Semper Fi
I apologise for all the erroneous trouble that certain military leaders imposed upon the coragious men of Fox company. I thank each of you
I apologise for all the erroneous trouble that certain military leaders imposed upon the coragious men of Fox company. I thank each of you
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews