Thought Leaders: Headhunter

Headhunter is a story of the War on Terror from the perspective of the U.S. Army’s first airborne reconnaissance squadron. Author Peter Svoboda joins us today to discuss how the 400 paratroopers of the 5-73 CAV, a new unit in the 82nd Airborne Division, were hand-selected by the Army. They pursued various terrorist factions including Al Qaeda, and were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for launching the Turki Bowl campaign from November 2006 to January 2007 against insurgent groups in Diyala Province, Iraq. Based on dozens of interviews conducted by the author, the narrative describes the danger of combat, the loss of comrades and the struggles of returning from a deployment. The voice of the families left behind are also included, describing the challenges they faced, including the ultimate challenge--grappling with the death of a loved one. 

• Guest: Peter Svoboda, author of Headhunter: 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq’s Diyala River Valley
• Host: Joe Craig, Director, AUSA’s Book Program

 Resources:

Headhunter: 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq’s Diyala River Valley
by Peter C. Svoboda
Web: https://www.casematepublishers.com/headhunter.html
Facebook/Twitter: @CasematePub

Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.