Alone at Dawn
Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
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Alone at Dawn
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Narrated by:
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Kiff VandenHeuvel
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Betsy Foldes Meiman
About this listen
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.
©2019 Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz (P)2019 Grand Central PublishingCritic 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]
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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- Anonymous User
- 20-09-2021
Review
Loved the listen. Book was well writ with lots of feelings and was conveyed well
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rob Budden
- 02-02-2025
amazing, please read this. this was brilliant
an amazing book, so glad I had it recommended to me.
a truly great unit history and a open and blunt telling of painful story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 24-04-2020
Awesome Storyline, 👍
Awesome Storyline, I highly recommended, this book,
Gives a very detail overview of the role of Combat Controller
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 09-07-2025
volume of events
blow by blow coverage of events was great gave the book such a real immersive feeling
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 14-06-2020
Brilliant - Emotional - Tragic
A great true story of special forces and the reality of human management which when it goes wrong always creates casualties
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 05-07-2021
A disgrace, made right
I thought I knew the story of the battle of takur ghar. I didn’t.
The actions and last hours of Chapmans life are heartbreaking but inspiring. I wouldn’t say the same about the seal team, or their head shed. Hindsight is 20/20, and I get that to go and clear his body in a firefight where the initiative was well and truly with AQ, and the most vicious fighters they had: the Chechen mujahideen, was probably a bad move.
But to lie about it, repeatedly, have a member receive a MOH, then try to interfere when the Air Force rightly fought to upgrade Chapman’s award, is something that’s unbecoming.
At the end of the day, what matters is the man received what he rightly deserved, and his actions reflect his life. But I understand the negative view of the author regarding the seal element.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 18-07-2021
Excellent
The ultimate Warriors....and to all our veterans and serving members thank you......for your service
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 04-12-2024
Outstanding, informative and moving
This is a tremendous book, lots of details, very informative and a moving story. It is very in depth so some report may find it a little slow in places but it seems to aim to tell both the story of the combat controllers with John’s story woven in all the way. Excellent.
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- Louise M
- 26-05-2025
The story
The story was good and show the heroism of all past and present servicemen and women. Lest we forget
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- Ettienne Cronje
- 03-09-2021
Respect!
Respect, to the soldier, his family, friends and brothers in arms. Thank you, to the author and the narrator. Well done. I honestly enjoyed the book and got ridiculously emotional for ALL reasons.
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