In 2009, Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of Black Knight Troop were preparing to finally shut down Command Outpost Keating, the most remote and inaccesible in a string of bases built by the U.S. military in Nuristan an Kunar. On October 3, 2009, after years of constant smaller attacks, the Taliban finally decided to throw everything they had at Keating. The ensuing fourteen-hour battle -and evenutal victory- cost eight Americans their lives. This is the first-hand accound of the Battle for COP Keating, told by the man who spearheaded both the defense of the outpost and the counter attack that drove the Taliban back beyond the wire, and who received the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Map on lining papers. Map on lining paper. U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional reading list, 2021.

Introduction: It doesn't get better -- Part I: The road to Nuristan -- Loss -- Stacked -- Keating -- Inside the fishbowl -- Everybody dies -- Part II: Going cyclic -- Let's go kill some people -- Heavy contact -- Combat Kirk -- Luck -- Tunnel vision -- Part III: Overrun -- The only gun left in the fight -- Charlie in the wire -- The Alamo position -- Light 'em up -- Part IV: Taking the bitch back -- Launch out -- Not gonna make it -- Ox and Finch -- Alive! -- The bone -- Part V: Saving Stephan Mace -- Go get it done -- Mustering the dead -- Conflagration -- Farewell to Keating -- Trailing fires -- Epilogue -- In memoriam.