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Alone at Dawn
- Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel, Betsy Foldes Meiman
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
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Alone at Dawn
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Summary
The astonishing true account of John Chapman, Medal of Honor recipient and Special Ops Combat Controller, and his heroic one-man stand during the Afghan War, as he sacrificed his life to save the lives of 23 comrades-in-arms.
In the predawn hours of March 4, 2002, just below the 10,000-foot peak of a mountain in eastern Afghanistan, a fierce battle raged. Outnumbered by Al Qaeda fighters, Air Force Combat Controller John Chapman and a handful of SEALs struggled to take the summit in a desperate bid to find a lost teammate. Chapman, leading the charge, was gravely wounded in the initial assault. Believing he was dead, his SEAL leader ordered a retreat. Chapman regained consciousness, alone with the enemy closing in on three sides, beginning the most difficult and exceptional fight of his life.
John Chapman's incredible display of valor - first by saving the lives of his SEAL teammates and then, aware that he was mortally wounded, single-handedly engaging two dozen hardened fighters to save the lives of an incoming rescue squad - posthumously earned him the Medal of Honor. Chapman is the first airman in nearly 50 years to be given the distinction reserved for America's greatest heroes.
Alone at Dawn is also a behind-the-scenes look at the Air Force Combat Controllers: the world's deadliest and most versatile special operations force, whose members must not only exceed the qualifications of Navy SEAL and Army Delta Force teams, but also act with sharp decisiveness and deft precision - even in the face of life-threatening danger.
Drawing from firsthand accounts, classified documents, dramatic video footage, and extensive interviews with leaders and survivors of the operation, Alone at Dawn is the story of an extraordinary man's brave last stand and the brotherhood that forged him.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Critic reviews
"The men who serve in Combat Control whose incredible story is presented in this book aren't asking for recognition. No late night talk show, video game, or film could possibly begin to convey the intensity of the experience, the fear, the sense of duty and valor, the bonds that unite these men and, above all, the inner feelings and motivation of someone who has stepped up and accepted the challenge of this toughest of Missions." (Jeffrey "Skunk" Baxter, musician, national security specialist)
"Alone at Dawn is riveting and powerful. This stunning account reveals for the first time one of the most extraordinary acts of valor and courage in the annals of US history. With this book, USAF CCT John Chapman now rightfully takes his place as an iconic hero of the Afghanistan War. All Americans should honor and enshrine the memory of such undaunted self-sacrifice and valor." [Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, USA (ret.), author of On Killing, On Combat, and Assassination Generation]
"As one of our nation's most elite special operations forces, Combat Controllers not only jump, dive, shoot, and maneuver with the best, they uniquely combine these skills with absolute mastery of three-dimensional battlespace to deliver lethal and precision airpower, making them the deadliest force on any battlefield. Among even this exceptional and select brotherhood, John Chapman's heroism on Takur Ghar is without equal in America's longest war." [Lt. Gen. Donny Wurster, USAF (ret.), former commander, Air Force Special Operations Command]
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What listeners say about Alone at Dawn
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Del
- 04-11-19
excellent story with great background information.
great ture story, with helpful background information giving you a better understanding of what they do and where.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- rory kavanagh
- 25-12-19
Review
Bit hard to follow at times.Extremely technical and a little dragged out.Last 5 chapters very well delivered and gripping.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tommy G
- 15-07-23
A true hero.
A truly inspirational account of a man who sacrificed his life for others, some of whom abandoned him, assuming that he was dead.
This account puts the often overestimated SEALS into perspective. It was ultimately their arrogance at so many levels which led to the death of John Chapman. A lot can be said for the policy of only recruiting special forces operators from the existing conventional forces.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- A. W. Booth
- 10-08-19
Remarkable
Outstanding. A Remarkable story of a true American hero and the warrior spirit of Elite military units.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- john lafferty
- 12-07-20
Amazing Story
An eye opener to a branch of Special Forces I never knew existed. This book could be the grounds for not just one movie, but at least 4 or 5. I had no idea Combat Controllers existed and am utterly shocked at what they do in battle under intense pressure.
Yes, it is annoying, that the narrator cannot pronounce Aussie. It took me about 4 hrs to realise what he was actually trying to say. But the story-line grips you from start to finish. John Chapman's story needs to be made into a film to honour him.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Luke Monteith
- 12-03-20
amazing
absolutely amazing it needs to be made in to a movie
such a great story
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MooneFace
- 06-06-22
A Must Read
Not only are accounts of CCTs rare but the level of detail in this book is phenomenal. I was led to buy the book having watched the IR drone footage of Chapmans battle on Robert's ridge and having read Robert's Ridge prior. What he did is clear and there is recorded footage, how he did it, god only knows. I had similar emotions reading this as to those I felt reading Black Hawk Down and the account of Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon. Bravery beyond measure. I will keep this in my library but it's a hard read considering the litany of errors that led to the events taking place.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Hodgson
- 27-01-21
Best one I've listened to yet.
Definitely worth a listen. Inspiring and emotional. I've listened to a lot of true story war books and this one is by far the best yet
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gary T.
- 28-04-22
Interesting
This book is not about the main character it is about how he got into the CCT and when he went to Afghanistan but then it becomes like a crime thirler until the end then it goes into praising the CCT as being the best in the US and the world maybe more should be written so people can decide.
On that note I would recommend as there is some big FUBAR that goes on but you will have to listen to the book or read it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nadja
- 13-02-20
Informative, scary and heart breaking.
I found myself day dreaming from time to time during the listening of this book, which ultimately could have been down to me personally not being captivated by the words spoken or the fact that some sections seemed uninteresting and a little dull.
With that being said I do not regret listening to this book about John Chapman, his brothers in arms and his family ( and occasionally the terrorists point of view ).
The man earnt his medal whole heartedly. You can only hope that the men he fought with, his wife and his family find some comfort in knowing that the man they loved that day did everything could and had trained for his whole life, coming out of the situation a true hero.
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