When the Tempest Gathers: From Mogadishu to the Fight Against ISIS, a Marine Special Operations Commander at War

These are the intense combat experiences of the first Marine to command a special operations task force recounted against a backdrop of his journey from raw Second Lieutenant to Task Force Commander; from leading Marines through the streets of Mogadishu, Baghdad and Mosul to directing special operations in an impossibly complex fight against a formidable foe. The journey culminates in the story’s centerpiece: the fight against ISIS - one which finally seems to make sense for the soldiers, sailors and Marines involved, in which the author is able to use the lessons of his harsh apprenticeship to lead the SOF task force under his command to hasten the Caliphate’s eventual demise. Milburn combines self-effacing candor with the insight and skill of a natural story teller to make the reader experience what it’s like to lead those who fight America’s wars. AUTHOR: Col. Andrew Milburn enlisted in the Marine Corps as a private after graduating from law school in the UK. As an infantry and special operations officer he has commanded in combat at almost every rank - most recently leading a special operations task force in the fight against ISIS. He retired in 2018 as the deputy commander of Special Operations Command, Central (SOCCENT), the headquarters responsible for all US special operations throughout the Middle East.
23 colour illustrations