Summary of Red Platoon: by Clinton Romesha | Includes Analysis

By Instaread Summaries

Summary of Red Platoon: by Clinton Romesha | Includes Analysis

 

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Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor by Clinton Romesha is a memoir of the October 2009 Battle of Kamdesh, in which hundreds of Taliban insurgents attacked Keating, the most remote Americ

• Language: English
• Publisher: Instaread, Inc
• Release date: Mar 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781683788188

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Summary

Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor by Clinton Romesha is a memoir of the October 2009 Battle of Kamdesh, in which hundreds of Taliban insurgents attacked Keating, the most remote American combat outpost in Afghanistan. For 14 hours, the Black Knight Troop fought to defend their post. The memoir provides a detailed account of the battle, and how Romesha, the staff sergeant of Red Platoon, executed a counterattack that helped save Keating along with many of his men and earned him a Medal of Honor.

Upon arriving at Keating in late May 2009, the Black Knight Troop—divided into the Red, Blue, White, and Headquarters Platoons and tasked with preparing the base for shutdown—saw right away how vulnerable they were. Established in 2006, the camp was located at the base of steep mountains and bounded by rivers in isolated Nuristan Province. Because Keating was at the bottom of a valley, Taliban could shoot directly into the compound while remaining hidden along the ridgeline. The village of Urmul, just across the Darreh-ye Kushtaz River and only 100 yards to the west of Keating, provided additional safe cover for the enemy.

To make matters worse, Keating’s observation post, named Fritsche, which was supposed to provide defensive cover, was behind the ridgelines and had no direct view of Keating itself. As a result, Keating was