Over the weekend I read 13 Hours by Michael Zuchoff, which I had wanted to read since seeing the “13 Hours” movie that came out in the fall. The book and the movie shine a spotlight on the political backdrop, but they really both focus on the actual events of what transpired as opposed to all the political implications (though I know there remains a lot of debate and controversy over what happened).
This is similar in its detail and feel to the Black Hawk Down account. It’s a survival story, but there’s some dimensions to this one that make it unique and more personally compelling in some ways. While Black Hawk Down events involved military personnel, these events involved former military who functioned as operators in high risk situations. The heroes here are contracted workers often on the line between staying in this dangerous life or making a clean break in favor of a domestic life focused on family.
These events or crisis situations all seem to have some common themes – leadership failures, paralyzing bureaucracy that puts lives at risk, and incredible heroism in the face of greater danger.
Some of what stood out to me were the ways in which advanced preparation helped the operators in their defense of the compound – whether it was in reconnoissance or first aid. In crisis – these operators relied on a lot of instincts and knowledge and there was no time to do much reflective though. It affirms that there are things we need to have ready to go at a moments notice. Daniel Kahneman speaks to some of this in Thinking, Fast and Slow where only through a lot of intentional practice do some things transfer from “slow thinking” to “fast thinking.”
It also affirms what can happen when there is a failure of preparation. The death of the ambassador in the account was done in part because a lack of preparedness that was accentuated by a lack of resources.
Finally – the book and the film leave you on the note that the real heroes did not get a lot of reward or credit in contrast to many of the CIA operatives and people that they were protecting. Some of this is because they were contracted, but it’s interesting how power and politics can so often taint the narrative.
So not everyone is into these types of books or movies, but they are helpful in that they bring a healthy dose of reality to you that unsettles you and it takes you into the human condition – both the best of it and the worst.
