“From Iraq to Afghanistan and beyond, Alan Mack brings us into the heart of the missions you never knew took place. His storytelling is precise, relentless, and deeply human, revealing what it means to lead, fight, and endure in the most unforgiving conditions. Chinooks in the Dark is essential reading for all Americans. Get your copy today!”
~ Jack Carr, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Cry Havoc
Chinooks in the Dark
“CH-47 Chinooks were undoubtedly the unsung superstars of the War on Terror. Big, ugly, and vital, they took all manner of “pipe swingers” across mountains, through dust storms, and into harm’s way. Chinooks in the Dark takes a look at many of those Iraq and Afghanistan missions through the lens and pen of the man who and flew many of them, Al Mack. Mack tells it all: the moments of high-octane excitement, occasional crankiness, and draining stretches of boredom. Chinooks in the Dark is a detailed survey of the Nightstalkers’ big beast and a primer on heroism. Highly recommended.”
~ Jim DeFelice, #1 New York Times bestselling author of American Sniper
“What’s another day in the office for the world’s most elite pilots like? Chinooks in the Dark puts you in Alan Mack’s right seat. Feel every bump and shake of the massive aircraft, hear every burp of the mini-gun, shatter every nerve in a brownout, zero illum, no notice mission with sixty Eagles and one dog inside. Alan Mack knows this business and makes the story of going to battle with his Night Stalkers as calm and normal as our morning drive to work. It’s play for keeps every time he slips into that flight lead seat. Fly with him and feel your heart pumping in hope that you’ll get to hear the single word that makes it all worthwhile, “Jackpot.”
~ Matt Eversmann, Author of Walk in My Combat Boots
“An intimate look at special operations aviation from the perspective of the warriors who crew and fly the world’s premier transport helicopter. Chinooks in the Dark straps the reader into the cockpit for some of the Global War on Terrorism’s most daring missions. Buckle up—you’re in for a hell of a ride.”
~ Don Bentley, New York Times bestselling author of Forgotten War
RAZOR 03 - A Night Stalker's Wars
“Heart-pounding, intensely personal, emotionally draining, and the best book I have ever read about the Night Stalkers! Al Mack’s stories of courage, sacrifice and heroism of the highest order will leave you awe-struck at the kind of men who fly these machines and the families who stand beside them.”
~ Admiral William H. McRaven, USN (Ret)
“A truly extraordinary book by a phenomenal pilot and warrior. Alan Mack was in the thick of every sensitive, harrowing, high-stakes operation in the decade following 9/11. His account of combat from the cockpit of the world’s most exceptional special ops aviation unit and of the toll it took on him and his family is forthright, riveting, raw, compelling, and inspirational. Readers will not be able to put Razor 3 down.”
~ General David H. Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA
“Alan Mack has lived and fought through more war than a dozen action heroes. His story isn’t just a page-turner – it’s a gripping emotional rollercoaster about love and loss and the painful cost to families back home.’
~ Jim DeFelice, author of American Sniper and fifteen other The New York Times best-sellers
“Maybe the unspoken hardest part of fighting a war is coming home. Al Mack fearlessly explores the terror and camaraderie of flying in the world’s most elite aviation unit; and the damage and costs that this inflicted upon his marriage and himself. His journey on the home front is harrowing as at the same time he puts us in the cockpit for a truly dramatic behind-the-scenes look at some of the US’s most secretive operations. Al Mack survived the wars, and then he survived what the wars did to him, and I believe he set this tale down so that others might find a way back home.”
~ Doug Stanton, author of Horse Soldiers and In Harm’s Way
“Razor 03, A Night Stalker’s Wars, is an eye-opening description of what goes on behind the scenes of a special operation from the pilot’s perspective. Al Mack’s edge-of-the seat stories provide a compelling rendition of what it’s like to ride to Hell and back in an MH-47 Chinook. An incredible story hardly believable had I not witnessed it first hand.”
~ Command Master Chief (SEAL) Britt K. Slabinski, United States Navy (Ret), Medal of Honor Recipient
“A gritty, inside look at life as a Night Stalker – from intense combat missions overseas to the tragic costs that lifestyle can impose on a family.’
~ Sean Naylor, author of The New York Times Bestseller – Relentless Strike
“Al Mack did the impossible: delivering my ODA Special Forces team past numerous Taliban defenses to start our mission after 9/11. He did a phenomenal job then, and he’s done a phenomenal job now, detailing a life filled with missions every bit as exciting and dangerous as ours. His book proves the old saying, “Nobody tells an I-was-there-story like an Army aviator.”
~ Mark Nutsch, US Army Major, Commander ODA 595 Horse Soldiers, and co-author of Swords Of Lightning: Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America’s Response to 9/11
“Al Mack reminds us that the blank check our service members sign to our country is drawn against their families as well. His candid memoir speaks of courage and tragedy, both on the battlefield and at home.’
~ Taya Kyle, author of The New York Times Bestselling – American Wife
“There is little argument that the US Army’s Special Operations Aviation Regiment fields the best helicopter pilots in the world. Alan Mack was one of these intrepid “Night Stalkers,” proving his mettle through the rigors of training, endless deployments, and decades of war, during which he hunted Osama bin Laden, rescued American warriors from the jaws of death, was shot up, shot down, and only survived due to his indomitable will and the grace of God. Mack tells his story in “Razor 03” with literary skill and fascinating detail, yet also evocative passages that bring laughter, terror and tears. It’s the story of an American patriot, warrior, husband and father, trying to balance his high-risk profession with the painful sacrifices of life on the home front. A gripping read, it should be on the shelves of all military staff colleges, and in the pockets of all would-be, hot-shot helo pilots. Mack proves the Regiment’s motto, “NSDQ” Night Stalkers Don’t Quit!”
~ Steven Hartov, co-author of The New York Times Bestselling – In The Company of Heroes and The Night Stalkers
“Alan Mack has achieved something quite extraordinary: an enthralling combat memoir that provides at the same time a compelling commentary on two decades of war. Perhaps most importantly, it is a searingly honest human story of the personal cost endured by the families of those who serve, and an inspiring tale of resilience. In short — Mack has produced a triumph of story-telling.”
~ Andy Milburn, author of When the Tempest Gathers
‘”Alan Mack is the real deal, part of an elite band of ultimate aviators. Throughout all the setbacks – getting shot down, losing comrades, and tragedy on the home front – he endures. He is the living embodiment of his unit’s motto: “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit!”
~ Toby Harnden, author of First Casualty
“Al Mack vividly highlights the importance of family, struggle, and sacrifice. Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.”
~ David Burnett, author of Making a Night Stalker
“Razor 03 reads like a fast-paced action novel. Alan Mack gives us the deepest dive I’ve ever read about the fantastic life of a Night Stalker. It is as much a history lesson as it is a personal confession about the extremes of life in our nation’s most esteemed aviation unit, TF 160. Razor 03 is the reminder we all need to know: our nation is safe because of the sacrifices and commitment of these brave men and women.”
~ Matt Eversmann, New York Times Bestselling Author of Walk in My Combat Boots