a documentary film by Claire Darby

The three-part series in The Washington Post also included an interactive timeline of the events leading up to the Battle of Wanat, and a Q & A session with the author of the series, Greg Jaffe. They are excellent resources for learning more about the battle that killed Jason Bogar, and for better understanding our current situation in Afghanistan.

The Washington Post, in collaboration with CBS News, published a three-part piece about the Battle of Wanat--where Jason and 8 other soldiers were killed--and the fallout since the attack. I'm posting all three parts here. It's definitely worth reading the whole series: The Post does a solid job of telling the story of the attack and the events since in a personal, powerful way.

Part 1 looks at the events leading up to the soldiers being sent to establish a base in Wanat, and what happened the morning of July 13, 2008--the day of the ambush.

Part 2 examines the efforts of Col. David P. Brostrom--father of one of the soldiers killed in the Battle of Wanat--to find out the truth of what happened and hold the military accountable for the tragedy.

Part 3 discusses the military's decision to abandon the base in Wanat immediately after the attack, and how they are changing their strategy to deal with the Taliban's growing hold in the outer regions of Afghanistan. 

The Seattle Times is doing a great job continuing to cover Jason's death, the Battle of Wanat--where he was killed--and the on-going military investigation into the battle and the events leading up to it.

This article digs deeply into what happened in the days leading up to the Battle of Wanat on July 13, 2008, the battle itself, and the survivors' and families' reactions afterwards. It also references Jason's foresight while building the outpost in Wanat--pushing his fellow soldiers to build walls that would be higher and safer--and his heroism on the day of the battle.

The other article focuses on the campaign by Carlene Cross--Jason's mother--and Colonel David Brostrom--the father of another soldier killed in Wanat--to shed light on what happened July 13, to hold the military accountable for what happened, and to try to ensure that no other such tragedies occur in the future. Both articles are worth checking out.

This article in Foreign Policy is a great analysis of the Battle of Wanat--the battle where Jason Bogar and 8 other US soldiers were killed on July 13, 2008. The article discusses a recently-released Army report detailing the problems and errors of the counterinsurgency campaign that ended with Bogar and his fellow soldiers being overrun in Wanat. The report points out the tremendous skill and bravery of the soldiers who fought in Wanat, despite the difficult circumstances they faced. If you are interested in understanding more of what Bogar and his fellow soldiers were doing and facing in their last months in Afghanistan, this article is a great starting point.