Afghanistan War veteran writes ‘Man of War’ to honor his troops

As an Army officer in Afghanistan, Sean Parnell read Brad Thor's spy thriller Lions of Lucerne and thought, “if I can make it out of this country alive, I want to write a book just like this.”

The book that resulted, Man of War: An Eric Steele Novel, was the subject of a National Press Club Headliner Book Rap on Sept. 13. Parnell was joined by Jake Tapper of CNN and Club President Andrea Edney.

Tapper, author of a thriller himself, suggested that Parnell indeed succeeded in writing a book like Lions of Lucerne, describing the writing in Man of War as “quite clean and crisp, and it reminded me a lot of Brad Thor and Lee Child.”

Parnell emphasized that the purpose of the book is to honor the service of his men. He commanded an infantry platoon in a valley along Afghanistan’s eastern border in 2006 and 2007 tasked with rooting out insurgents. His platoon took 85 percent casualties; “almost every single person in my platoon was wounded, some twice, some three times. Every single person that manned a machine gun in my platoon was shot in the head; all of them survived, somehow,” he said.

The truism that great leaders are supposed to inspire their troops is incomplete: “What I learned in Afghanistan is that great troops can inspire their leaders, too,” Parnell said.

“I wanted to make sure that I captured the legacy of my soldiers on the page,” Parnell said. And to that end, his first book was a memoir, Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan, which became a New York Times bestseller in 2012.

But Parnell decided non-fiction wasn’t the only way to capture the legacy of his soldiers.

“My mission when I wake up every day is to try to bring this country a little bit closer to those who serve, and fiction’s a great way to do that,” Parnell said.

Of the book’s hero, clandestine operative Eric Steele, Parnell said “mainstream fiction desperately needs a character that loves this country.”

Readers will likely see more of Steele; Parnell said he submitted the manuscript for the second Eric Steele novel to his publisher just hours before the Book Rap at the Club. In response to an audience question, he suggested actor Ryan Reynolds to play Steele if the character ever makes it to the screen.

Many of the audience questions were about geopolitics, and Parnell was straightforward in his critique of U.S. policy.

Of the war in Afghanistan Parnell said, “We’ve lost our way … What’s the mission? … Quagmire is an understatement.”

Parnell recommended a counter-terrorism approach instead of counter-insurgency.

“I think it can be salvaged, but we needed to change strategies yesterday,” Parnell said. Nonetheless, he said of his service there, “I’m proud of it – I’d do it all over again.”

Tapper concluded by summing up his thoughts on Man of War.

“It's a great thriller" that clearly shows Parnell has served in the field,” Tapper said. “There’s a certain expertise and credibility with what you write that really comes through.”