U.S. Army veteran Sean Parnell, author of Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan, will give a talk from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. April 13 in Manderino Library, Room 208.
The free event is open to the public. Cal U’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs extends a special welcome to area veterans, who are invited to join the campus community and ROTC cadets for Parnell’s presentation.
The author will share stories about his military service, from college ROTC to his combat experience in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
A question-and-answer session will follow the talk.
Paperback copies of Parnell’s book will be available for purchase; cost is $10, payable in cash (no debit or credit cards).
About the author
Parnell is a retired Army Infantry captain who served with the elite 10th Mountain Division and endured 485 days of combat along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
He was wounded in action on June 10, 2006, when his platoon was nearly overrun by a force that outnumbered them almost 10 to 1. Refusing to leave his men, he was wounded twice more during the firefight.
Since leaving the Army, Parnell has written Outlaw Platoon, which became a New York Times bestseller, and he has been a staunch advocate for the U.S. military. He is the co-founder of the American Warrior Initiative, an organization that inspires people to give back to our nation’s veterans, and a regular contributor to national news outlets.
About the book
Parnell writes that Outlaw Platoon is a work of nonfiction chronicling the 16 months his unit spent in Afghanistan’s Bermel Valley, “one of the most dangerous places on the face of the planet.”
“Throughout the course of their deployment,” he writes, “these soldiers endured close, direct-fire contact with a combat-hardened, tactically proficient enemy on its home terrain. … When the haze of combat dissipated, the Outlaws were awarded seven Bronze Stars, including five for Valor, twelve Army Commendations for Valor, and thirty-two Purple Hearts.
“I am writing this book to tell the world of their amazing accomplishments and to secure their place in American military history.”
Learn more
This presentation is sponsored by Cal U’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, which provides resources and support for service members and military veterans on campus, as well as those enrolled through Cal U Global Online.
Co-sponsors are the Office of Library Services, Army ROTC and Cal U’s Department of Criminal Justice.
For more information, contact Capt. Robert Prah, director of Military and Veterans Affairs, at 724-938-4076 or prah@calu.edu.