Anchor, Chief Washington Correspondent, and New York Times best-selling author to speak on "The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor"

BOOK SIGNING TO FOLLOW

POUGHKEEPSIE - JAKE TAPPER, CNN Anchor/Chief Washington Correspondent and author of the New York Times best-seller "THE OUTPOST: An Untold Story of American Valor," will speak at Marist College Monday, Jan. 28 at 7 pm in the Nelly Goletti Theatre. A book signing will follow, with copies of "The Outpost" available for sale. The event is free and open to the public. 

Tapper has penned an unflinching, moving, and eye-opening account of the devastating sacrifices made during one of America’s deadliest battles in Afghanistan. "THE OUTPOST" (Little, Brown and Company; November 13, 2012; $29.99) reveals what really happened at Combat Outpost Keating, detailing the history of the camp and the stories of the heroic—and ultimately doomed—soldiers who were at the mercy of often reckless commanders.

Just before 6:00 a.m. on October 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was viciously attacked by Taliban insurgents. The fifty-three U.S. troops stationed there, at the bottom of three steep mountains, were severely outnumbered by nearly four hundred Taliban fighters. Though the Americans ultimately prevailed, their casualties made it one of the war’s deadliest battles for U.S. forces. Later, a Pentagon investigation concluded that there was no reason for Outpost Keating to have been there in the first place. Why was it there? Who is ultimately responsible for the lives lost there? How many other ill-conceived outposts and missions existed at the time and how many more lives were needlessly lost? 

A revelatory exposé of military and civilian malfeasance, as well as an epic and heartbreaking narrative of American courage, Tapper’s monumental account is a profoundly moving testament to troops lost and their surviving family members.

Jon Krakauer, author of "Into Thin Air" and "Where Men Win Glory," calls "THE OUTPOST," “A mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book.”

Jake Tapper is anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN. Previously, he was senior White House correspondent for ABC News and appeared regularly on “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,” and “World News with Diane Sawyer.” Tapper has also served as national correspondent for Salon.com and as a columnist for TALK magazine. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Weekly Standard, among many other publications. He is also the author of "Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency." He lives in Washington, D.C.