Operation Pineapple Express
Written and Narrated by LCOL Scott Mann
Audiobook, 10 hours and 34 minutes
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Language: English
ASIN: B09MV7DBXN
Americans and their allies fought in Afghanistan for over two decades as part of the “Global War on Terror”, at the cost of over 2,100 Americans and 1,100 NATO soldiers killed, along with countless Afghans fighting alongside the coalition. A significant effort was made to train and equip Afghans who stood against the Taliban. These Afghans fought alongside coalition forces and were integrated into allied units, and visa versa.
An agreement was reached to withdraw U.S. and coalition forces from Afghanistan by September 2021. Despite the Taliban beginning a fresh offensive in violation of the agreement, President Biden accelerated the pace of the U.S. withdrawal against the council of his military advisors. Providence by providence, resistance to the Taliban collapsed, and the Afghan National Security Forces dissolved. Bagram Airbase was abandoned despite being a fortified and defensible position, and coalition forces scrambled to evacuate their military personnel, contractors, and Embassy staffs. Elements of the 82nd Airborne and U.S. Marines were deployed to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
Billions of Dollars worth of military equipment was abandoned, with no plan in place to remove or destroy the supplies they soon fell into the hands of the Taliban. There was also no plan to evacuate the Afghanis who had fought for years alongside the Americans. These Afghani allies were known to the Taliban, and they and their families were soon being hunted down and killed. One of these was an Afghan soldier named Nazam, who was a graduate of the Green Beret’s Q course at Fort Bragg. The author was Nazam’s former commanding officer, who soon learned of his plight and began organizing efforts to get Nazam aboard a USAF transport out of Kabul. Soon an ad hoc organization of military veterans was formed, which eventually succeeded in getting Nazam out. However, the group was soon flooded with calls to help other Afghani operators and their families. This effort became known as “Operation Pineapple Express”.
This book reflects the best and the worst of America. Veterans who remained loyal to their comrades stepped in to do the job the politicians refused to do or even acknowledge needed done. The evacuation was (and is) a national disgrace, and no one in the Administration or senior military leadership has been held accountable or resigned in protest. This book is a difficult read, but remains relevant today. Recommended.
Inch High Guy 