Before 9/11, the rugby team at West Point learned to bond on a sports field. This is what happened when those 15 young men became leaders in war.
Filled with drama, tragedy, and personal transformations, this is the story of a unique brotherhood. It is a story of American rugby and a story of the U. S. Army created through intimate portraits of men shaped by West Point’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.”
Some of the players deployed to Afganistan and Iraq, some to Europe. Some became infantry, others became fliers. Some saw action, some did not. One gave his life on a street in Baghdad when his convoy was hit with an IED. Two died away from the battlefield but no less tragically.
Journalist Martin Pengelly, a former rugby player himself, was given extraordinary access to tell this story, a story of a brutal sport and even more brutal warfare.
“Brotherhood breaks the heart with its dramatic story of a fraternity of teammates broken by war.”
—David Abrams, author of Fobbit“A memorable and moving book, a significant contribution to the literature of the American military after 9/11.”
—Thomas E. Ricks, author of Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954–1968“In rugby, we often talk of ‘going into battle’ with your team. It’s just a game, of course, but in Brotherhood, sport, war, and friendship leap from the pages as players really do become warriors—and heroes.”
—Dan Lyle, U.S. Rugby Hall of Famer and NBC Sports analyst