Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.12730090511
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Crown
Manufacturer: Crown
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 352
Printing Date: December 27, 2005
Publishing house: Crown
Release Date: December 27, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 593300
Studio: Crown
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In Jawbreaker Gary Berntsen, until recently one of the CIA’s most decorated officers, comes out from under cover for the very first time to describe his no-holds-barred pursuit of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
With his unique mix of clandestine knowledge and paramilitary training, Berntsen represents the new face of counterterrorism. Recognized within the agency for his aggressiveness, Berntsen, when dispatched to Afghanistan, made annihilating the enemy his job description.
As the CIA’s key commander coordinating the fight against the Taliban forces around Kabul, and the drive toward Tora Bora, Berntsen not only led dozens of CIA and Special Operations Forces, he also raised 2,000 Afghan fighters to aid in the hunt for bin Laden.
In this first-person account of that incredible pursuit, which actually began years earlier in an East Africa bombing investigation, Berntsen describes being ferried by rickety helicopter over the towering peaks of Afghanistan, sitting by General Tommy Franks’s side as heated negotiations were conducted with Northern Alliance generals, bargaining relentlessly with treacherous Afghan warlords and Taliban traitors, plotting to save hostages about to be used as pawns, calling in B-52 strikes on dug-in enemy units, and deploying a dizzying array of Special Forces teams in the pursuit of the world’s most wanted terrorist. Most crucially, Berntsen tells of cornering bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains—and what happened when Berntsen begged Washington to block the al-Qaeda leader’s last avenue of escape.
As disturbingly eye-opening as it is adrenaline-charged, Jawbreaker races from CIA war rooms to diplomatic offices to mountaintop redoubts to paint a vivid portrait of a new kind of warfare, showing what can and should be done to deal a death blow to freedom’s enemies.
CIA Commander Gary Berntsen on…
His eyebrow-raising style:
“Most CIA Case Officers advanced their careers by recruiting sources and producing intelligence, I took a more grab-them-by-the-neck approach…I operated on the principle that it was easier to seek forgiveness than ask for approval. Take risks, but make sure you’re successful. Success, not good intentions, would determine my fate.”
Doing whatever it took:
“I didn’t just want to survive: I wanted to annihilate the enemy. And I didn’t want to end up like one of my favorite historical characters—Alexander Burns…He was one of the very first of more than 14,000 British soldiers to be wiped out by the Afghans in the First Afghan War. Like Burns before me, I was also an intelligence officer and spoke Persian. This was my second trip into Afghanistan, too. The difference, I told myself, was that Burns had been a gentleman and I would do whatever it took to win.”
Dealing with a Taliban official who controlled American hostages:
“Tell him that if he betrays me or loses the hostages I’ll spend every waking moment of my life hunting him down to kill him. Tell him I’m not like any American he has ever met.”
The capabilities of his Tora Bora spotter team:
“Working nonstop, the four men directed strike after strike by B-1s, B-2s, and F-14s onto the al-Qaeda encampment with incredible precision. Somehow through the massive bureaucracy, thousands of miles of distance [and] reams of blue tape…the U.S. had managed to place four of the most skilled men in the world above the motherlode of al-Qaeda, with a laser designator and communications system linked to the most potent air power in history…As I listened over our encrypted radio network, one word kept pounding in my head: revenge.”
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User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I was quite enthused to get this book. I'm very interested in the CIA and covert ops as well as the history of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, this book was a dissapointment in several ways. First of all, what I was most interested in learning more about was the abysmal decision to let bin Laden escape at Tora Bora. Who made the decision and why? Unfortunately the author spends only a few pages on that question. (To be fair a significant part of the discusion is blacked out). Also, I found the tone of the book to be very self serving. Mr. Bernsten presents himself as some kind of CIA superhero. He never makes a mistake, gets scared, and can go for days without sleep. At the same time he is constantly being let down by mindless cowardly bureacrats back home. However, even with those critiques I have to admit the book was a page turner, interesting and exciting.
Rated by buyers 
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The book explains how the USA initially got militarly involved in Afghanistan in october 2001 and won the war against the Talibans in a few months, before the long and painful ground occupation by the army. The writer himself was the CIA officer who in very first person led the civilian team that determined the successes of the airforce bombings. The use of a few highly trained Special Forces squads, the launch of intelligent bombs and missiles, the wise cooperation with northern alliance commanders and troops led to a brilliant military success. An extremely interesting read which I recommend.
I only complain about the abundance of grey lines on the text that represent the work done by the CIA censor and that could be adjusted and eliminated instead of being printed, they make no sense. Another critic may be addressed to the author who sometimes describes himself in a very apologetic manner. Nonetheless a highly recommended read.
Rated by buyers -
I like this story even better than Body of Lies. I wish there were more books like this. My favourite so far.
Rated by buyers -
I read through this book in about a day and found the insights into the book very interesting but the redactions made it often annoying and hard to read. Some of the redactions seemed very silly since the sources where open sources like ABC or CNN. Some of the redacted information could be easily deduced from context or other sources but it made reading the book difficult. If you're going to read this book you should read a long with other sources in that it provides great context and a different perspective and other sources might make the reading a little easier. I hope a second, less redacted, version is published soon.
Rated by buyers -
An interesting introduction to the people involved on the ground in the early stages of the war in Afganistan. This book picks up where "First In" by Gary Schroen ends. Gary Berntsen was Gary Schroen's replacement as the CIA man on the ground coordinating their efforts.
The focus is on the CIA teams and their Northern Alliance allies.
Berntsen, like Schroen, thinks very highly of himself. He respects the capabilities of the military members working with his teams and often compliments them on their skills. Later in the book, there are references to Billy Waugh, a long-time Special Forces soldier. For Waugh's perspective on this point in time, read "Hunting the Jackal".
Overall a good book about very brave men who were willing to take significant risks for their country. It is amazing that so few men on the ground could accomplish so much.
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