Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan

by Malcolm MacPherson

Afghanistan, March 2002. In the early morning darkness on a frigid mountaintop, a U.S. soldier is stranded, alone, surrounded by fanatical al Qaeda fighters. For the man’s fellow Navy SEALs, and for waiting teams of Army Rangers, there was only one rule now: leave no one behind. In this gripping you-are-there account–based on stunning eyewitness testimony and painstaking research–journalist Malcolm MacPherson thrusts us into a drama of rescue, tragedy, and valor in a place that would be known as...

ROBERTS RIDGE

For an elite team of SEALs, the mission seemed straightforward enough: take control of a towering 10,240-foot mountain peak called Takur Ghar. Launched as part of Operation Anaconda–a hammer-and-anvil plan to smash Taliban al Qaeda in eastern Afghanistan –the taking of Takur Ghar would offer U.S. forces a key strategic observation post. But the enemy was waiting, hidden in a series of camouflaged trenches and bunkers–and when the Special Forces chopper flared on the peak to land, it was shredded by a hail of machine-gun, small arms, and RPG rounds. A red-haired SEAL named Neil Roberts was thrown from the aircraft. And by the time the shattered helicopter crash-landed on the valley floor seven miles away, Roberts’s fellow SEALs were determined to return to the mountain peak and bring him out–no matter what the cost.

Drawing on the words of the men who were there–SEALs, Rangers, medics, combat air controllers, and pilots–this harrowing true account, the first book of its kind to chronicle the battle for Takur Ghar, captures in dramatic detail a seventeen-hour pitched battle fought at the highest elevation Americans have ever waged war. At once an hour-by-hour, bullet-by-bullet chronicle of a landmark battle and a sobering look at the capabilities and limitations of America’s high-tech army, Roberts Ridge is the unforgettable story of a few dozen warriors who faced a single fate: to live or die for their comrades in the face of near-impossible odds.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Military History, Nonfiction, War, Middle East, Audiobook

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Malcolm Cook MacPherson was an American national and foreign correspondent for Newsweek magazine and the author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells you the story of one small part, a "distraction" to the main battle effort as the book itself states, of Operation Anaconda. The book is a fast-paced read that incorporates a little personal history of each military member involved woven throughout the text and battle-telling to give you a glimpse into who these men were/are which I really enjoyed. I also felt this book did a good job in capturing the emotion of the men, in particular during the medevac situations. Despite all of it's positives, I would adamantly recommend anyone interested in reading this book or interested in Operation Anaconda read the book Not A Good Day To Die first. That book covers the entire scope of Operation Anaconda and lends much needed context to this book in my opinion.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most poignant line in the story comes in the conclusion when a battle weary warrior eyes a group of guys trying to look "tough"; his buddy tells him, "they want to be like you," to which he bewilderingly responds, "why would anyone want to be me?"

His answer reflects the harrowing 24 hours he spent high on a mountain in Afghanistan only a few months before. A small team of Navy SEALs and quick reaction force of Army Rangers fought for their lives outnumbered and under constant direct fire in a fight that was never supposed to happen after a series of the most unfortunate events. 7 men lost their lives in a battle the average American has probably never heard of.

Mr. MacPherson's writing is fast, concise and well researched. He has the benefit of the personal perspective of most of the men involved, including not only the guys on the ground, but also the pilots in the air providing close air support. He brings the eagle eye view in with the chaos on the ground for a full perspective of a modern war. My only complaint, however, is that sometimes the story is as chaotic as I'm sure real life events were. But as a reader, I had a tough time sorting through the individual stories to figure out what was actually going on. That may just be the nature of the beast when writing a true story; the executive summaries and official reports at the end help pull it together.

I have the fortunate position that I work with one of the main character, which spurred my interest in this story. It's stories like this that cannot and should not be forgotten in the confusion of what is not a 10 year old war. More Americans need to know these names and understand that war is not glorious or "cool" but chaotic, bloody, exhausting, and deadly, yet modern warriors still volunteer to take the fight to the enemy.

[Kelly Crigger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roberts Ridge is a great story that's just not told very well. The events of Takhur Gar could easily have been the next "Blackhawk Down" but mediocre writing and lackluster prose actually separated me from the characters when I found myself wanting to bond more with them. It seems this book was rushed into production in the hopes of the public latching onto it as the first great story from the war on terrorism, but it falls well short of that pinnacle. Overall it's a story worth telling, but it would have been better told by someone else.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recommended this book countless times, and each reader is similarly impressed. This book, about the Afghanistan Special Forces mission on Robert's Ridge that goes wrong, was written before Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor) could even talk about his ordeal. It is the overarching story of Luttrell's mission, and goes into detail how the mission ultimately came to disaster. While Luttrell necessarily focuses on his own experience, this book, written by a reporter, covers all the men and what they must have encountered. It is extremely sobering and painful to read, but if you want to know what it is really like out there, I guarantee this will put the fear of allah into you.

[Robert Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A harrowing story that doesn't quite hit home the way it should have. The author relies heavily on inner dialogue and poetic analogies that frankly does more to remove the reader from the story than to engage.

The events that the book recounts are truly disquieting, and give full meaning to the acronym SNAFU. The fog of war that persists in today's age of GPS, NVG, laser guided missiles and high power communications is shocking. This book had the potential to be one of the great stories of combat but the overwrought story telling leaves it short of books like American Sniper and Black Hawk Down using simple and powerful language to convey events that need no dramatization

[Tanner Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While certainly a riveting tale, Roberts Ridge does not meet the requirements to be a superb battle history. Malcolm MacPherson did an excellent job researching and describing the battle, but this book resembles a cross between a battle history and a Tom Clancy novel. This book is good, and I certainly think more people should read it, but it isn’t great.

My main bone to pick is that MacPherson tends to end each section with a cliffhanger, which bothered me after a while. It’s not a bad thing, but I just didn’t feel the book needed frequent cliffhangers.

I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn’t be as quick to recommend it as other battle histories I have read.

[Stuart Berman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Takur Ghar, Afghanistan in March 2002 is amazing and the bravery of our troops is to be honored. I found this an inspirational read on Sept 11, the book on loan to me from a brother in arms who was a Ranger.

My only criticism is not in the deeds described but rather the style which is that of a journalist and lacking a seamless flow and personal witness to the events that unfolded. Despite this caveat, I highly recommend this book and hope many will invest their time to learn about the sacrifices made to combat terrorism. This is the least we can do to honor our troops.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking

It's not hard to see the cover of this text, read the inside flap, and have a general idea of what you're going to be reading. Yes, you still can not prepare yourself for this novel. It's an emotional ride that has as many downs as ups, and in the end you feel a deep sense of pride and pain.

MacPherson does a wonderful job with his pacing of this novel, and it really helps to drag the reader in further during times of chaos and turmoil, then slows down the scene to deliver emotional blows. The facts of this book are carefully laced within the sequence so that it reads like a novel and seamlessly. The speed and the fluidity of this piece is what really helps the reader to be drawn in for one hell of a ride through to the very last pages.

It's hard to speak of this book without giving away too many spoilers, but needless to say you get to witness some of America's finest and bravest at their jobs, a job that I believe very few of us can imagine doing ourselves. But this also takes a look at an event that we as American's can only be horrified by.

The way the American Military relies on technology is a bit frightful. For years we have been amazed to head of the advancements in military technology, and we spread the news to everyone, boasting wildly. But after reading this book I sort of feel as if man has gone too far, and that technology is nothing more than a pitfall. How much could have and still can be gained it people would set assign their gadgets to just acts as people should.

Human action in this book is the most influential element, however. You see men acting and reacting on a scale not commonly seen in literature or in movies. There is just something about this book. It's one of those situations where I can't tell you why it's a favorite of mine, I can only tell you to READ IT.

Everyone should read this book, I really don't see how any specific collection of readers would be more interested in this book than another. It's something to be read and acknowledged by all readers and all people. If you are anything like me, when you finish reading this book you'll cry, mull it over for a short while, and then be damn glad you read it in the first place.

[Medusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Although I was already familiar with these events from some other books, this one adds other perspectives and is fairly well done, if dated. There some aspects of the telling - mostly his take on Tech Sgt Chapman’s actions - that are no longer considered accurate in view of Chapman’s MoH award and supporting footage, and I recommend further, later scholarship on that. Still, at this writing this was included in the Audible Plus catalog for no extra charge and it was a welcome listen.

[Michael Flanagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read on a mission gone wrong and the courage of the men stock on top of a mountain top battling the enemy and the weather. For me this book could have been so much better if it was not so busy, the author nearly pulls off bringing all the numerous story lines together bur just falls short. Still a book worth reading.

[Chris Sheridan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to listen to Roberts Ridge after the story was mentioned in The Night Stalkers by Michael Durant. While I felt the story was told well not a lot more was offered by the entire book than was offered by a synopsis of the event at the end or a 60 page section of The Night Stalkers.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great account of the battle of Takur Ghar that I highly recommend.

[Daniel Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced true narrative of a firefight with Al Qaeda in Afganistán!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've ever read...my MMCS at ODS knew this guy and my wonderful husband gave me this book for our anniversary

[Landon Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. it was really sad though.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I have been interested in reading it for a while, now, but it was not near the top of my reading list. I ended up reading it for an online course for two reasons, but the course gave me an excuse [reason] to read it sooner than I might otherwise have. It moves at a really fast pace. It took me five to six hours to read it. It held my attention once I got started. I thought the author did a pretty good job in telling the story of the events on what would become known as Roberts Ridge.

The author does a decent job of telling backstory and anecdotes to help the reader come to know the various men in the units who were a part of this side of Operation Anaconda. Some of the stories [anecdotes] were pretty crazy, that is for sure!

It was a "spur-of-the-moment" mission that became a rescue mission, and it was crazy and sad by the end. It focuses on the seventeen hours from when Navy Seal Neil Roberts falls out of the back of the helicopter he had been riding in to the ground below until the men sent in to rescue him were finally picked up off the top of the mountain and returned to their respective bases. Three helicopters were badly damaged [two were shot down], and it could have turned out far worse than it did [in terms of casualties].

The mission commanders had to keep the operation on point, and sending a fourth or fifth helicopter to the top of the mountain during the daylight hours and having them potentially shot down could have changed the whole focus of the mission. The action at the top of Takur Gar threatened to change the focus of the mission, and the mission commanders could not allow that. Because of the primary mission's goal and the threat of being shot down in daylight hours, some brave men would die before reaching the necessary medical help that could have saved their lives. That part of the book was the hardest to read, that is for certain.

The "end" of the book is interesting, as it is a bit of a warning for the leaders of the armed forces. The author talks about America's fascination with technology, especially the American military. He warns against the military moving too far forward, too fast, without giving the men in uniform a chance to figure out how to use the technology they already have in their possession. It does no good to have technology jump "one or two generations ahead" when we are already further ahead of our allies and the majority of our "enemies" (potential opponents) and we do not fully understand how to use the technology we already have. The current technology has enough bugs in it that are not fully worked out; we do a disservice to the men and women in uniform if we do not get the bugs worked out before the bugs are discovered on the battlefield and the lives of soldiers, sailors, and pilots are lost as a result. Americans definitely have a "love affair" with technology, and unfortunately it's not getting better or slowing down any time soon.

It does bounce around a bit, so it does get a little hard to follow because of how the narrative is broken up. The author does not warn you that he is jumping around with his anecdotes in terms of the overall narrative; in one chapter he is describing an intense firefight or moment and the very next chapter is telling the life story of one of the soldiers who was on the mission. That would probably be the book's "biggest weakness," I would say.

As the cover says, it is a story about courage and sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain in Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda. I am glad I finally got around to reading it.

[Mariusz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping book, which is evident from the very first pages right up until the very end. Not a single page of the book is superfluous, which unfortunately happens so often nowadays, as if a specified number of pages were contracted. Here, every single one of the 354 pages is packed with interesting and important content, even though the events described span a period of only 17 hours. Much appreciated is the lack of any “God and country” undertones, so often found in books treating about special operations forces.

The book tells a story of courage and sacrifice by the members of MAKO 30, a predominantly Navy SEAL-composed small task force, and by a quick reaction force composed predominantly of the Rangers. The former is dispatched on an intelligence gathering mission to Takur Ghar, a 10,000 foot peak in Afghanistan, during the early stages of Operation Anaconda (March 2002) in the famous Shah-e-Kot valley (famous as a defensive position of the Afghans against the forces of Alexander the Great, and of the USSR), the last major operation against a large Al-Qaeda/Taliban force. Unbeknown to the planners, the insertion spot is occupied by a significant detachment of Al-Qaeda, equipped with a heavy machine gun, recoilless gun, RPGs and automatic weapons. This becomes evident at the moment of MAKO 30 making an approach to the landing zone, when the inserting helicopter comes under heavy fire which leads to one of the team members dropping to the ground from the helicopter’s ramp. The missing person (Neil Roberts), who sadly dies shortly after the fall (unfortunately not known to his teammates), becomes the focal point of a rescue mission gone wrong. This in turn leads to the insertion of the QRF force whose helicopter itself comes under heavy fire and crashes as a result. Altogether, seven American soldiers perish during the subsequent phases of the battle and a similar number come out wounded, some seriously.

The story delivers a picture of a communications matrix in which every single group of soldiers, sadly except for Neil Roberts, is in touch with other US military units, and yet subsequent actions are undertaken in blatant disregard of the information in collective possession. The information flows are imperfect, there are many command points following the action and different points receive different pieces of information, which are never put together until after the events. The reader can only imagine what could have happened, had the information about the strength and position of the enemy force been relayed precisely from the beginning; had the information from the AC 130 gunship orbiting Takur Ghar during the early stages of the battle been passed to the helicopter inserting the QRF; if, if, if… It is evident from the last pages of the book that the lessons learned from the battle by the US military led to important changes in the way in which new technology is embedded, both in the context of what it can deliver, but also what its limitations can be.

The book describes the events in great detail, never excessive detail, though. Personal stories of the individual soldiers are told at different points of the book, making this important part interesting, without it ever becoming boring. In general, the author displays exceptional story-telling skills. Safely, one of the best SOF books I have ever read.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third novel I've read about Operation Anaconda, the second that specifically focuses on the events at Takur Ghar. I think this book makes a lot more sense after reading Not A Good Day To Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda. These two books, published in 2005 and 2006, present the events at Takur Ghar in a more logical perspective - why senior commanders would pressure Mako 30 to infiltrate the mountain top at dawn. In Naylor's book, he gives depth to how bad the 10th mountain division was getting hammered in the valley and how air force combat controllers were saving the day with their coordination of close air support. Reading these two books together gives the impression that events at Takur Ghar were tragic, but necessary and important in the operation's circumstances.

Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force by Schilling paints an entirely different picture. Schilling details how Pete Blaber infiltrated men into the Shahi-Kot Valley weeks in advance and prepared them with a thorough history of the valley. It was only after Blaber's teams were having so much success, that the Navy Seals wanted to insert their unprepared teams into the Shahi-Kot fighting. As MacPherson points out toward the end, the seals teams were in Afghanistan to hunt high value Al Qaida targets, not provide reconnaissance. Schilling's book, written almost 20 years later, makes the Mako 30 mission appear unnecessary because Blaber already had teams in place that were doing a good enough job.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, as I often do, I took a hard left and ended up many genres away from the magical, fictional, light-hearted world of my last read, The Golem & The Jinni. In what can only be described as polar opposite, Roberts Ridge is the story of a military fiasco in Afghanistan predicated on the sacrosanct military philosophy of “no man left behind.”

Ultimately, this book is what it would seem at first glance; battle, blood and guts, brotherhood, chaos, death, and survival. The graphic detail isn’t for everyone (and it does get quite graphic), so I’d recommend steering clear if violence makes you woozy. That said, if you can muster up the strength to read and absorb the story, you’ll find that Roberts Ridge is actually both an enthralling tale of war and a near-academic case study of military malfunction.

MacPherson is an incredibly talented writer, and he somehow managed to establish order and cohesiveness from what we can only presume was a 17-hour long clusterfuck nightmare on a remote mountain peak in Afghanistan. Lost men, multiple military branches, downed Chinooks, poor communication, fire from all direction… MacPherson’s task of structuring this story was gargantuan, and he pulled it off brilliantly in a way that both honored the men involved, and highlighted some areas of weakness within our military structure as a whole.

Overall an excellent and emotional read.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Battle of Takur Ghar took place between March 3 and March 4, 2002, in Takur Ghar, Afghanistan. The main combatants were the United States special operations and members of Al Qaeda. This was the deadliest battle in Operation Anaconda, resulting in the deaths of seven military persons and the injuring of twelve others. Two helicopters were also lost. It is estimated that between 25 and 200 combatants were killed, though that was not officially verified. The mountain region of Takur Ghar is also known as Roberts Ridge after one of the SEALs who died during this battle.

Roberts was on the ramp of one of the helicopters when the helicopter was hit by rocket propelled grenades and machine gun fire. He fell onto the ground, where he activated his IR to pinpoint his location. Unfortunately, he was killed by the enemy combatants. He was the first SEAL to die in Afghanistan, and also the first to die in any combat period since 1989.

As far as this book goes, it is a great historical account of this battle. It hurt my feelings terribly though. All these books about Iraq and Afghanistan hurt my feelings, because I grew up with so many people who went over there, and some who didn't make it back quite okay. I do enjoy a good military history book, and this one was very good. It was dramatic during the fighting, so if you are into that, this is your kind of book.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of a battle where two of America's elite warriors were awarded the nations highest military award for gallantry, the Medal of Honor, unfortunately one was posthumously. For all of the errors and communication issues it was but for the grace of God that many more warriors were not killed. Takur Ghar and Operation Anaconda will live for a long time in the minds of all special operators for a long time to come. A well-written account of.the battle as it unfolded, worth the time investment to read.

[James Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A harrowing story about Navy Seals, Air Force controllers and PJ’s, along with Army Rangers who wind up stuck on a mountain top in Afghanistan and fighting against an overwhelming force of Talibán, Al-Queda, and Chechnya warriors. The book consists of 17 hours spent trying to fight them off while trying to last until help can arrive. A wonderful but sad account of the desperation and loss of a number of coalition forces.

[Diane Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture "Black Hawk Down" but rather than at sea-level with heat and dust, you have a 10,000' mountain with cold and snow. The story was harrowing and as one reviewer said "impossible to put down". I would have to concur.
I have had Sean Naylor's "Not A Good Day To Die" on my "want to read" list for a while now, but will make an effort to read it sooner, rather than later, as it tells the entire story of Operation Anaconda which Roberts Ridge is part of.

[Kayla Séguin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book destroyed me.

If I've learned anything from years about reading about war, from Homer's telling of the Trojan War to modern writing about the war in Afghanistan, it's that at the end of the day it boils down to loyalty and honor. Robert's Ridge is another example of this.

I appreciate that this book kind of skips a lot of the scene setting before getting into the meat and potatoes of what happened on Takur Gar.

[Rorie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5 stars, because I did finish. I found this book disjointed and difficult to read. Several times I had to stop and re-read passages, because I didn't understand what was happening. Most of the time I had no idea who was where on the mountain and if they had found the people they were looking for or not. Understanding that the author was basing this book on interviews, reports, other books, etc, I still think it would have been possible for him to make it flow better.

[Joe Crane · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I bought this book, I didn't realize it was the other take from the book, "Alone at Dawn." The reason other reviewers didn't like the writing is because the author was trying his best to say John Chapman was left for dead without making the guys that left him behind look like they left him behind. Not only did their actions lead to his death, they tried to block Chapman's Medal of Honor in order to cover up their dereliction of duty.

[John F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honor! Courage! Brotherhood!

I loved this book. Another Veteran recommended this book to me. The author puts you in the helicopters, teams, battlefield. He gets you to feel the pain of those injured and the sorrow for the others who mourn. This is an OUTSTANDING book. I highly recommended it to every American!

[Gregory Acres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ego

I chose this rating because the book was well written. I did not give this book 5 stars because t h e whole situation angered me constantly. Many men gave their lives to rescue a warrior who refused to strap into their safety harness. What good could come from egos that endanger other warriors?

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hard to put down as the author does an excellent job both personalizing these men and unpacking the complexity of the unfolding events that took place that night and into the following day. He provides multiple perspectives including command, air and SOF, taking the reader into the heart of the battle and fog of war. A must read...

[Jim Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. To be honest I became aware of this battle from a video game. Reading the real story was awesome. George Orwell put it so well when he said, "We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us." These men did an amazing job, far above and beyond the call of duty. We are so lucky to have such people protecting us.