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Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts
- The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
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Publisher's summary
In this extraordinary audiobook, Robert D. Kaplan lets listeners experience up close the American military worldwide in the air, at sea, and on the ground. Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts provides not only a ground-level portrait of the Global War on Terrorism on several continents, but also a gritty firsthand account of how U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are protecting sea-lanes, providing disaster relief, contending with the military rise of China, fighting the war in Iraq, and crafting contingency plans for war with North Korea and Iran.
Expanding on Kaplan’s acclaimed Imperial Grunts, Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts shifts focus to the Pacific and completes his analysis of army Special Forces and the marines, while also taking listeners into the heart of the myriad tribal cultures of the air force, surface and subsurface navies, and the regular army’s Stryker brigades. Kaplan goes deep into their highly technical and exotic worlds, and he tells this story through the words and perspectives of the enlisted personnel and junior officers themselves.
This provocative and illuminating audiobook not only conveys the vast scope of America’s military commitments, but also shows us astonishing and vital operations right as they unfold - from the point of view of the troops themselves.
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Great story
- By Anthony Infantolino on 05-31-23
By: James M. Hawes, and others
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No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy
- The Life of General James Mattis
- By: Jim Proser
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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The first in-depth look at the marine hero who has become one of the most beloved and admired men in America today: Secretary of Defense James Mattis. In this illuminating biography, Jim Proser looks beyond Mattis’ professional competence to focus on the driving element behind Mattis’ success: his unimpeachable character - a formidable personal integrity that fosters universal confidence. Proser carefully examines the events of Mattis’ life and career to reveal a man who leads with insight, humor, fighting courage, and fierce compassion.
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Final 7 minutes is all that covers SecDef
- By jeffrey jones on 08-11-18
By: Jim Proser
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SEAL Target Geronimo
- The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden
- By: Chuck Pfarrer
- Narrated by: Erik Bergmann
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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On May 2, 2011, at 1:03 a.m. a satellite uplink was sent from Pakistan crackling into the situation room of the White House: "Geronimo, Echo, KIA." These words, spoken by a Navy SEAL, ended Osama bin Laden's reign of terror. SEAL Target Geronimo is the story of Neptune's Spear from the men who were there. After talking to members of the SEAL team involved in the raid, Pfarrer shares never-before-revealed details in an exclusive account of what happened as he takes listeners inside the walls of Bin Laden's compound.
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Marcinko’s Legacy….his pain, their gain.
- By James on 11-10-11
By: Chuck Pfarrer
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Navy SEALs: Their Untold Story
- By: Dick Couch, William Doyle
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Written with the unprecedented cooperation of the Naval Special Warfare community, here is the definitive history of the U.S. Navy SEALs, a thrilling chronicle that reveals the inside story behind the greatest combat operations of our nation’s most celebrated warriors.
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Credit BUSTER
- By John-Michael on 11-24-14
By: Dick Couch, and others
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When Tigers Ruled the Sky
- The Flying Tigers: American Outlaw Pilots over China in World War II
- By: Bill Yenne
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1940 Pearl Harbor had not yet happened, and America was not yet at war with Japan. But China had been trying to stave off Japanese aggression for three years - and was desperate for aircraft and trained combat pilots. General Chiang Kai-shek sent military aviation advisor Claire Chennault to Washington, where President Roosevelt was sympathetic but knew he could not intervene overtly. Instead he quietly helped Chennault put together a group of American volunteer pilots.
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A Well Written Historical Perspective
- By Donald Hill on 11-21-17
By: Bill Yenne
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American Commander
- Serving a Country Worth Fighting for and Training the Brave Soldiers Who Lead the Way
- By: Ryan Zinke
- Narrated by: Daniel Butler
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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As a 23-year veteran of the United States Navy SEAL Teams, Ryan Zinke received two Bronze Stars for battle valor and eventually rose to command the elite members of SEAL Team Six. During his career Zinke trained and commanded many of the men who would one day run the covert operations to hunt down Osama bin Laden and save Captain Phillips ( Maersk Alabama). He also served as mentor to now famous SEALs Marcus Luttrell ( Lone Survivor) and Chris Kyle ( American Sniper).
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Really disappointing
- By Harvey Hyman on 03-10-17
By: Ryan Zinke
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Swords of Lightning
- Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America's Response to 9/11
- By: Mark Nutsch, Bob Pennington, Jim DeFelice
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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They landed in a dust storm so thick the pilot used dead reckoning and a guess to find the ground. Welcomed by a band of heavily armed militiamen, they climbed a mountain on horseback to meet the most ferocious warlord in Asia. They plotted a war of nineteenth-century maneuvers against a twenty-first-century foe. They trekked through minefields, sometimes past the mangled bodies of local tribesmen who'd shared food with them hours before. The men they helped called them brothers. Hollywood called them the Horse Soldiers. They called themselves Green Berets—Special Forces ODA 595.
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Very timely
- By Mary E. Dasaro on 08-08-22
By: Mark Nutsch, and others
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Topgun
- An American Story
- By: Dan Pedersen
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Dan Pedersen takes listeners on a colorful and thrilling ride - from Miramar to Area 51 to the decks of aircraft carriers in war and peace - through a historic moment in air warfare. He helped establish a legacy that was built by him and his "Original Eight" - the best of the best - and carried on for six decades by some of America's greatest leaders. Topgun is a heartfelt and personal testimonial to patriotism, sacrifice, and American innovation and daring.
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I loved it!
- By "airplane_cfii" on 10-09-19
By: Dan Pedersen
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Black Ops
- The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior
- By: Ric Prado
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Enrique Prado found himself in his first firefight at age seven. The son of a middle-class Cuban family caught in the midst of the Castro Revolution, his family fled their war-torn home for the hope of a better life in America. Fifty years later, the Cuban refugee retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general. Black Ops is the story of Ric’s legendary career that spanned two eras, the Cold War and the Age of Terrorism.
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Impressive and Inspiring!
- By medardo on 03-12-22
By: Ric Prado
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LeMay
- By: Warren Kozak
- Narrated by: Grainger Hines
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The firebombing of Tokyo. Strategic Air Command. John F. Kennedy. Dr. Strangelove. George Wallace. All of these have one man in common—General Curtis LeMay, who remains as enigmatic and controversial as he was in life. Until now. Warren Kozak traces the trajectory of America’s most infamous general, from his troubled background and heroic service in Europe to his firebombing of Tokyo, guardianship of the U.S. nuclear arsenal in the Cold War, frustrated career in government, and short-lived political run.
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Definition.....Leader.....General Curtis Le May
- By Nj-Mike on 01-04-15
By: Warren Kozak
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Hell Above Earth
- The Incredible True Story of an American WWII Bomber Commander and the Copilot Ordered to Kill Him
- By: Stephen Frater
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Hell Above Earth tells an unforgettable story of two World War II American bomber pilots who forged an unexpected but enduring bond in the flak-filled skies over Nazi Germany. But there's a twist: one of them was related to the head of the Luftwaffe, Reich Marshal Herman Goering, and the other had secret orders from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to kill him if anything went wrong during their missions.
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A very unusual story
- By David on 10-15-12
By: Stephen Frater
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Crashback
- The Power Clash Between the US and China in the Pacific
- By: Michael Fabey
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Out in the Pacific Ocean, there is a war taking place. It is a "warm war", a shoving match between the United States, since World War II the uncontested ruler of the seas, and China, which now possesses the world's largest navy. The Chinese regard the Pacific, and especially the South China Sea, as their ocean, and they're ready to defend it. Each day the heat between the two countries increases as the Chinese try to claim the South China Sea for their own, and the United States insists on asserting freedom of navigation.
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time to admit how Obama years made us vulnerable
- By Andrew on 03-26-18
By: Michael Fabey
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Night Fighter
- An Insider's Story of Special Ops from Korea to SEAL Team 6
- By: William H. Hamilton Jr., Charles W. Sasser
- Narrated by: Bill Thatcher
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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One month after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, when President John F. Kennedy pressed Congress about America’s “urgent national needs”, he named expanding US special operations forces along with putting a man on the moon. Captain William Hamilton was the officer tasked with creating the finest unconventional warriors ever seen. Merging his own experience commanding Navy Underwater Demolition Teams with expertise from Army Special Forces and the CIA, and working with his subordinate, Roy Boehm, he cast the mold for sea-, air-, and land-dispatched night fighters.
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OK story
- By dexter on 03-16-20
By: William H. Hamilton Jr., and others
What listeners say about Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- RICK MEREDITH
- 07-22-15
Little dry
A lot of good information on the military and where military is going but it's a little drawn out in the explanations.
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- Bradley
- 07-29-11
If You Liked Imperial Grunts
Just as much quality thinking and great writing as Imperial Grunts. Don't let the other reviews deter you!!!
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- Charlotte A. Hu
- 05-19-13
Great Detail, Brings Life and Understanding to Air
I loved the attention to detail in this book -- how the author talks about his wife, family and the difficult of serving one's country on deployed. I loved the intricate details about the boring, often repetitive nature of the job and the sheer chaos of intense moments.
I think I was just a little too close to the story having lived a lot of this life myself that the story didn't hold me through. I just lost interest. I hope that's not the case for other readers who may never have experienced the military or a deployment. This is a real life, accurate account of the lives of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.
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- The Lifelong Learner
- 03-06-13
The story is over before you want it to be
Kaplan's excellent overview takes you into places you didn't know existed on the map of American influence. While the myriad and diversity of military missions are interesting, Kaplan tells a deeper story of the gamut of human characters who do this work. It's their stories that make you unable to put down the book. Highly recommended.
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Overall
- Samuel
- 02-15-11
Tedious is the Best Description
I was expecting a lot more from the previous reviews. This is a very long book but it never goes into much detail, rather the author skips around the globe visiting various military operations. He barely touches on each before it's on to the next destination. This is one of the few audio books I've purchased that I finally gave up on from sheer boredom. The writing did not grab me and there never seemed to be any point to the narrative. Good bedtime reading.
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1 person found this helpful