Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield
The New York Times–bestselling account of an elite team of female soldiers is “compelling. . . . In battle as in life, these women refuse to quit” (Christian Science Monitor).

In 2010, the Army created Cultural Support Teams, a secret pilot program to insert women alongside Special Operations soldiers battling in Afghanistan. Their presence had a calming effect on enemy households, but more importantly, the CSTs were able to search adult women for weapons and gather crucial intelligence. They could build relationships—woman to woman—in ways that male soldiers in an Islamic country never could.

In Ashley’s War, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon uses on-the-ground reporting and a finely tuned understanding of the complexities of war to tell the story of CST-2, a unit of women hand-picked from the Army to serve in this highly specialized role. The pioneers of CST-2 proved for the first time that women might be physically and mentally tough enough to become Special Ops.

The price of professional acceptance was personal loss and social isolation: the only people who really understand the women of CST-2 are each other. At the center of this story is a friendship and the shared perils of up-close combat. At the heart of the team is the tale of a beloved and effective soldier, Ashley White.

“An unforgettable story of female soldiers breaking the brass ceiling. . . . This book will inspire you.” —Sheryl Sandberg, #1 International bestselling author of Lean In

“A tremendous story. . . . Very moving.” —The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Ashley’s War shares the remarkable stories of one of the first teams of women serving in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.” —Senator John McCain
"1120794364"
Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield
The New York Times–bestselling account of an elite team of female soldiers is “compelling. . . . In battle as in life, these women refuse to quit” (Christian Science Monitor).

In 2010, the Army created Cultural Support Teams, a secret pilot program to insert women alongside Special Operations soldiers battling in Afghanistan. Their presence had a calming effect on enemy households, but more importantly, the CSTs were able to search adult women for weapons and gather crucial intelligence. They could build relationships—woman to woman—in ways that male soldiers in an Islamic country never could.

In Ashley’s War, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon uses on-the-ground reporting and a finely tuned understanding of the complexities of war to tell the story of CST-2, a unit of women hand-picked from the Army to serve in this highly specialized role. The pioneers of CST-2 proved for the first time that women might be physically and mentally tough enough to become Special Ops.

The price of professional acceptance was personal loss and social isolation: the only people who really understand the women of CST-2 are each other. At the center of this story is a friendship and the shared perils of up-close combat. At the heart of the team is the tale of a beloved and effective soldier, Ashley White.

“An unforgettable story of female soldiers breaking the brass ceiling. . . . This book will inspire you.” —Sheryl Sandberg, #1 International bestselling author of Lean In

“A tremendous story. . . . Very moving.” —The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Ashley’s War shares the remarkable stories of one of the first teams of women serving in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.” —Senator John McCain
19.49 In Stock
Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield

Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield

by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield

Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield

by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

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Overview

The New York Times–bestselling account of an elite team of female soldiers is “compelling. . . . In battle as in life, these women refuse to quit” (Christian Science Monitor).

In 2010, the Army created Cultural Support Teams, a secret pilot program to insert women alongside Special Operations soldiers battling in Afghanistan. Their presence had a calming effect on enemy households, but more importantly, the CSTs were able to search adult women for weapons and gather crucial intelligence. They could build relationships—woman to woman—in ways that male soldiers in an Islamic country never could.

In Ashley’s War, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon uses on-the-ground reporting and a finely tuned understanding of the complexities of war to tell the story of CST-2, a unit of women hand-picked from the Army to serve in this highly specialized role. The pioneers of CST-2 proved for the first time that women might be physically and mentally tough enough to become Special Ops.

The price of professional acceptance was personal loss and social isolation: the only people who really understand the women of CST-2 are each other. At the center of this story is a friendship and the shared perils of up-close combat. At the heart of the team is the tale of a beloved and effective soldier, Ashley White.

“An unforgettable story of female soldiers breaking the brass ceiling. . . . This book will inspire you.” —Sheryl Sandberg, #1 International bestselling author of Lean In

“A tremendous story. . . . Very moving.” —The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Ashley’s War shares the remarkable stories of one of the first teams of women serving in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.” —Senator John McCain

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780062333834
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 06/11/2024
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 275
Sales rank: 457,274
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

About The Author

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributor to Atlantic Media’s Defense One, writing on national security and foreign policy issues. She is the bestselling author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and has written for Newsweek, the Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, CNN.com, and the Daily Beast, as well as for the World Bank and Harvard Business School.

Table of Contents

Preface: Kandahar xiii

I The Call to Serve

1 Uncle Sam Needs You 3

2 Hearing the Call to Serve 19

3 The Landmark Inn 31

4 100 Hours of Hell 53

5 Making the Cut 79

6 Training Days 95

7 Diamonds Among Diamonds 115

II Deployment

8 Arrival, Afghanistan 143

9 Operation "Fit In" 163

10 The "Terp" 169

11 Climbing Mountains in the Night 189

12 Making a Difference 201

13 The Lies of War 217

III Last Roll Call

14 The First Death 225

15 A Grief Observed 247

16 The Man in the Arena 255

17 Kandahar 263

Epilogue 277

Acknowledgments 283

Select Bibliography 287

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