Beyond the Outpost : An Army Cavalry Officer's War Diary on the Frontlines of Afghanistan, 2003 2007

"With compelling and candid prose, Berkoff takes us to the front lines as life-or-death decisions are made involving living and breathing characters. You must read this to understand what the war was like for the war fighters." Jake Tapper, award-winning journalist and author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American ValorIn 2003, Army Cavalry Officer Second Lieutenant Ross Berkoff led his Scout Platoon from the legendary 10th Mountain Division on reconnaissance missions spanning over 10,000 miles across the perilous southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmandthe birthplace of the Talibanduring a nine-month deployment. After transitioning to Military Intelligence, Captain Berkoff returned to Afghanistan in 2006, again assigned to the 10th Mountain DivisionLight Cavalry. By then, the Taliban insurgency had grown in sophistication and deadly effectiveness.;Beyond the Outpost: An Army Cavalry OfficerWar Diary on the Frontlines of Afghanistan, 20032007 is the first and only unfiltered daily chronicle from a

junior officerperspective, documenting this volatile and formative early period of the U.S. Army20-year campaign against the Taliban.In the two years following September 11, 2001, Taliban and Al Qaeda strongholds in Afghanistan were largely abandoned. Months of intense U.S. Special Forces raids and bombing campaigns successfully dislodged and disrupted large groups of enemy combatants. However, when the first U.S. Army Brigade Combat Teams deployed to Afghanistan, enemy tactics and momentum began to shift and intensify. Berkoff 2003 deployment marked Operation Enduring Freedomfirst use of Light Cavalry forces on the modern battlefield. His second deployment in 2006 supported U.S. intelligence agenciespursuit of Osama bin Laden in the mountainous border region near Pakistan. Berkoffdiaryraw and unfilteredtakes readers on a turbulent journey through the Armycounterinsurgency mission to dismantle extremist pockets and separate them from the beleaguered Afghan population. A significant portion of Jake

Tappernational bestseller;The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor is dedicated to this 20062007 deployment.Beyond the Outpost chronicles the early years of AmericaAfghanistan War. Berkoffday-to-day account of the 10th Mountain Divisioncampaigns and combat across Kandaharsand dunes and the rugged Hindu Kush mountains provides unique clarity and insight into the common soldierperspective, the evolving tactics of the Taliban insurgency, and the U.S. Army Cavalryefforts to defeat it.In the wake of the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, many combat veterans grapple with profound questions about the meaning and legacy of their service. Berkoffstories of courage, sacrifice, adaptability, resilience, and leadershipenriched with original maps, and previously unpublished photographshelp bear the weight of the collective experiences of Afghanistan veterans. [Publisher's Text]