“The Outpost” by Jake Tapper – Words Can Kill

Some of you may remember the events of October 3rd, 2009, when Outpost Keating was attacked by over four hundred Taliban insurgents, with there only being fifty-three U.S. troops available to defend. 

While it is true that the Americans won the battle in the end, they sustained the largest number of casualties in a single battle since the start of their insurgence into the Middle East. The camp itself was located at the bottom of mountains, fourteen miles from the border with Pakistan, in the middle of desert… in other words, it was a death sentence.

As a more or less official investigation opened up into the events which happened there in an attempt to never have them repeated, certain people have come to conclude that not only was Outpost Keating a poorly-chosen place, it never had any business existing at all in the first place. In an attempt to clarify these comments, Jake Tapper wrote his book titled The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, which is basically the result of tremendous investigative journalism.

In the book, Tapper discusses the events that happened and investigates what came to cause them, starting from the soldiers who were stuck in those mountains, eventually leading all the way to their commanders who are stationed in Washington D.C., and how a few small mistakes caused many soldiers to lose their lives on that day.

So how is the book? Well, if like me you were fascinated by the events which occurred at Outpost Keating and simply want to read more about them, then this book is simply great. It provides plenty of interesting facts and details that haven’t been released to the public, even containing a couple of "twists". It makes for vivid read without being too fast-paced. 

In other words, it’s perfect for what I call a rainy Sunday afternoon mood. However, if you are hoping to read about some kind of elaborate government conspiracy in relation to Outpost Keating, then I am sorry to disappoint you, this isn't what the book is about. 

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Jake Tapper Jake Tapper is an American author and journalist who became in 2013 the Chief Washington Correspondent as well as an anchor for the weekday CNN show, The Lead with Jake Tapper. Amongst the many honors he was bestowed are three Merriman Smith Memorial Awards in a row, and his famous book, The Outpost, spent some time on the New York Times Bestseller list.