The 16-man Black Hawk Counter Narcotics Infantry Team served as an advisory and training unit for the Afghanistan National Army during a poppy eradication operation in Helmand province in 2008 and 2009. For 75 days, they fought extreme heat, sand storms and the Taliban to eradicate 11.2 tons of poppy seed and earn the respect of Afghan troops. Although the U.S. team they relieved had lost half its men during operations, the Black Hawks came through unscathed. This book chronicles their mission in a little known theater of the Afghanistan War.

Harry Spiller is the author of 18 books and numerous magazine articles. He served for 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps with two tours in Vietnam. He also served as sheriff of Williamson County, Illinois, and retired as an associate professor of criminal justice from John A. Logan College. He lives in Marion, Illinois.

Harry Spiller

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 172
Bibliographic Info: 18 photos, 4 maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6864-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2810-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction 1
One. The Arrival 5
Two. The Ambush 21
Three. Afghanistan National Army 2 KIAs 32
Four. It Was 75 Meters Away 46
Five. Within Inches 56
Six. AT4 Round Misses Compound 70
Seven. The IEDs 80
Eight. Smoke Signals 91
Nine. The Black Hawks Find the Largest IED Factory in Afghanistan 97
Ten. The Last Days 120
Eleven. Five Years Later 128
Appendix 151
Chapter Notes 157
References 159
Index 161