Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
Audiobook10 hours
Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers — the Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan
Written by Ed Darack
Narrated by John Pruden
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
In late June 2005, media sources recounted the tragic story of nineteen U.S. special operations personnel who died at the hands of insurgent/terrorist leader Ahmad Shah-and the lone survivor of Shah's ambush-deep in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. The harrowing events of Operation Red Wings marked an important-yet widely misreported-chapter in the Global War on Terror, the full details of which the public burned to learn.
Victory Point reveals the complete, as-yet untold, story of Operation Red Wings (often mis-referenced as "Operation Redwing"), and the follow-on mission, Operation Whalers. Together, these two U.S. Marine Corps operations (that in the case of Red Wings utilized Navy SEALs for its opening phase) unfurl not as a mission gone terribly wrong, but of a complex and difficult campaign that ultimately saw the demise of Ahmad Shah and his small army of barbarous fighters.
Due to the valor, courage, and commitment of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment in the summer of 2005, Afghanistan was able to hold free elections that Fall. Here is the inspiring true account of heroism, duty, and brotherhood between Marines fighting the War on Terror.
Victory Point reveals the complete, as-yet untold, story of Operation Red Wings (often mis-referenced as "Operation Redwing"), and the follow-on mission, Operation Whalers. Together, these two U.S. Marine Corps operations (that in the case of Red Wings utilized Navy SEALs for its opening phase) unfurl not as a mission gone terribly wrong, but of a complex and difficult campaign that ultimately saw the demise of Ahmad Shah and his small army of barbarous fighters.
Due to the valor, courage, and commitment of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment in the summer of 2005, Afghanistan was able to hold free elections that Fall. Here is the inspiring true account of heroism, duty, and brotherhood between Marines fighting the War on Terror.
Related to Victory Point
Related audiobooks
Roughneck Nine-One: The Extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-Team at War Level Zero Heroes: The Story of U.S. Marine Special Operations in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Night Stalkers: Top Secret Missions of the U.S. Army's Special Operations Aviation Regiment Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Navy SEALs: The Combat History of the Deadliest Warriors on the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Defend Us in Battle: The True Story of MA2 Navy SEAL Medal of Honor Recipient Michael A. Monsoor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-down of Seal Team Six Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Faithful Warriors: A Combat Marine Remembers the Pacific War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brave Men, Dark Waters: The Untold Story of the Navy SEALs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Hawk Down Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire Base Illingworth: An Epic True Story of Remarkable Courage Against Staggering Odds Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In The Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat in Iraq Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pale Horse: Hunting Terrorists and Commanding Heroes with the 101st Airborne Division Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told: Unforgettable Stories Of Courage, Honor, And Sacrifice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Frozen Chosen: The 1st Marine Division and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SAS Ghost Patrol: The Ultra-Secret Unit That Posed as Nazi Stormtroopers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lions of Iwo Jima: The Story of Combat Team 28 and the Bloodiest Battle in Marine Corps History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Night in the Pech Valley: A memoir of a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Global War on Terrorism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Quell the Korengal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 143rd in Iraq: Training the Iraqi Police, In Spite of It All Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fighters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Greetings from Afghanistan, Send More Ammo: Dispatches from Taliban Country Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good to Go: The Life And Times Of A Decorated Member Of The U.S. Navy's Elite Seal Team Two Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gentlemen Bastards: On the Ground in Afghanistan with America's Elite Special Forces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Run to the Sound of the Guns: The True Story of an American Ranger at War in Afghanistan and Iraq Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Violence of Action: The Untold Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Trigger Men: Shadow Team, Spider-Man, the Magnificent Bastards, and the American Combat Sniper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Wars & Military For You
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/577 Days of February: Living and Dying in Ukraine, Told by the Nation’s Own Journalists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Diary of Anne Frank Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Five Rings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Korean War: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin - Book Summary: How U.S. Navy SEALS Lead And Win Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine: From Zionism to Intifadas and the Struggle for Peace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kill Anything That Moves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Palestine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related podcast episodes
MACV-SOG: A Conversation with John Stryker Meyer (Part II) 0% found this document usefulGRP 154:Across The Fence: MACV-SOG Team Leader John Stryker Meyer 0% found this document usefulMACV-SOG: A Conversation with John Stryker Meyer (Part I) 0% found this document usefulCandid Conversations: Part III (Sebastian Junger) 0% found this document useful#23 - Tim Kennedy 0% found this document usefulChris Ryan: SAS Operator and Bestselling Author [Rebroadcast] 0% found this document usefulThunder Ranch Founder Clint Smith on Serving in Vietnam 0% found this document usefulAndy Stumpf: Former SEAL and ‘Cleared Hot’ Host 0% found this document usefulGRP 78- Don’t Fear The Reaper: Nick Irving's Journey as a Sniper in the GWOT 100% found this document usefulFPP051 - SR-71 Blackbird: With retired US Air Force Major Brian "Punchy" Shul 100% found this document usefulGary Sinise: Grateful American 0% found this document useful#43 Eddie Penney - SEAL Team 6/DEVGRU Operator 0% found this document usefulPeter McIndoe and Tim Heidecker 0% found this document useful
Related articles
The Marines’ Force Recon VietnamArticle
The Marines’ Force Recon
Aug 31, 2021
1 min readThe Marine Photo Scandal and the Cost of Indifference The AtlanticArticle
The Marine Photo Scandal and the Cost of Indifference
Mar 27, 2017
5 min readCivil War Navies History of WarArticle
Civil War Navies
Oct 6, 2022
3 min readDeath, Confusion, And Darkness Ancient Warfare MagazineArticle
Death, Confusion, And Darkness
Aug 3, 2021
There are a handful of well-known engagements taking place at night in late antiquity. At the Battle of Adrianople (AD 378), fighting between the Gothic and Roman forces continued into the night, resulting in chaos and many hundreds, if not thousands
8 min readChanging Of The Guard History of WarArticle
Changing Of The Guard
Jan 18, 2024
5 min readBooks In Brief Military TraderArticle
Books In Brief
Dec 25, 2019
US Marine Corps Uniforms and Equipment in World War II, by Jim Moran (ISBN 978-1 5 2 6 7 1 0 4 1 3 , Frontline Books, distributed in the US by Casemate Publishers, 1950 Lawrence Rd., Havertown, PA 19083; 610.853.9131; www.casematepublishing.com. Hard
1 min readShips Library Ships MonthlyArticle
Ships Library
Dec 24, 2021
John Grehan and Alexander Nicoll Frontline Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk; price £14.99 plus postage By early 1944, offensives undertaken by the United States armed forces had driven the Japanese f
3 min readCharge Of The Light Horse History of WarArticle
Charge Of The Light Horse
Dec 19, 2017
8 min readBlack in Navy Blue America's Civil WarArticle
Black in Navy Blue
Aug 18, 2020
6 min readWhen Pirates Ruled Asia's Waves BBC History MagazineArticle
When Pirates Ruled Asia's Waves
Aug 31, 2023
9 min readBattle Of New Orleans History of WarArticle
Battle Of New Orleans
Feb 19, 2018
The Union screw sloop USS Hartford, lead ship of her class, battles her way past Fort Jackson as it presses up the Mississippi River, 24 April 1862 FORTS JACKSON AND ST PHILIP, NEAR NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 18-24 APRIL 1862 “THE WAR FOR THE MISSISSI
13 min readThe Forgotten Fleet - The Story of the British Pacific Fleet, 1944-45 Wargames, Soldiers & StrategyArticle
The Forgotten Fleet - The Story of the British Pacific Fleet, 1944-45
Dec 8, 2023
By John Winton ISBN: 978-1800555099 (Sapere Books, 2022) - £18.99 When one thinks of World War II in the Pacific, they think of carriers - the Enterprise or the Essex. There are the battles between warships north of Guadalcanal: Japanese and American
3 min readThe Logistics Of Grass MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military HistoryArticle
The Logistics Of Grass
Apr 12, 2022
18 min readWaking The Hermit Military HistoryArticle
Waking The Hermit
Apr 30, 2019
8 min readLawrence ‘Of Arabia’ On War History of WarArticle
Lawrence ‘Of Arabia’ On War
Apr 16, 2020
7 min readCharge Of The Light Horse All About HistoryArticle
Charge Of The Light Horse
Jan 31, 2024
8 min readBattle Of New Orleans History of WarArticle
Battle Of New Orleans
Nov 1, 2018
WORDS MARC DESANTIS FORTS JACKSON AND ST PHILIP, NEAR NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 18-24 APRIL 1862 “THE WAR FOR THE MISSISSIPPI WOULD BE ONE OF NOT JUST RIVERINE NAVAL FORCES BUT ALSO OF FORTIFICATIONS AND GUN BATTERIES SITUATED ON ITS BANKS” Stretchi
13 min readThe Arab Legion History of WarArticle
The Arab Legion
Jul 8, 2021
3 min readNot In Colorado Anymore Military HistoryArticle
Not In Colorado Anymore
Dec 22, 2020
11 min readJOHN'S JOURNAL The ‘Friendly Invasion’ Set In Stone ... Military VehiclesArticle
JOHN'S JOURNAL The ‘Friendly Invasion’ Set In Stone ...
Aug 5, 2022
The seaside town of Lyme Regis in Dorset, on the south coast of England, is a popular tourist destination these days. However, the story was much different during WW II when the county of Dorset was “home’ to some 80,000 service personnel that came t
3 min readWRECK Ommendations Wreck Diving MagazineArticle
WRECK Ommendations
Feb 22, 2016
Written by Richie Kohler with Charlie Hudson I am fortunate to be able to review many books about truly historical shipwrecks. Some are more exceptional than others. When our dear friend, Richie Kohler, presented his new book, Mystery of the Last Oly
7 min readThe Deception Plan War at SeaArticle
The Deception Plan
Feb 25, 2022
9 min readThe Crocodiles That Helped Win the Yom Kippur War NewsweekArticle
The Crocodiles That Helped Win the Yom Kippur War
Oct 6, 2023
6 min readThe Crocodiles That Helped Win the Yom Kippur War Newsweek InternationalArticle
The Crocodiles That Helped Win the Yom Kippur War
Oct 6, 2023
6 min readOperation Torch History of WarArticle
Operation Torch
Aug 5, 2021
3 min readTar Heel Coast Civil War TimesArticle
Tar Heel Coast
Jan 12, 2021
2 min readFind Yourself At Ease Shooting Times & CountryArticle
Find Yourself At Ease
Dec 15, 2021
5 min readBehind The Lines Of The Great Arab Revolt ARCHAEOLOGYArticle
Behind The Lines Of The Great Arab Revolt
Dec 3, 2020
12 min readThe Open Flank Of Desert Wilderness The FieldArticle
The Open Flank Of Desert Wilderness
Oct 13, 2022
7 min readExploring The Great Warpath ARCHAEOLOGYArticle
Exploring The Great Warpath
Aug 15, 2019
9 min read
Reviews for Victory Point
Rating: 4.214285714285714 out of 5 stars
4/5
14 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Outstanding account of Marine COIN warfare in Afghanistan - and why they do it best. When read in conjunction with 'Lone Survivor' by Luttrell, telling contrasts between the SEAL story and what was omitted illustrate that many heroes go unsung. SPECOPS has its specialties, but so does the Corps.