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By Page W. H. Brousseau IV

I grew up knowing the United States did two things to pushback the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, we sent in hundreds of anti-aircraft Stinger Missiles, and then we sent in Rambo.

Charlie Wilson was a conservative Democrat caught up in Reagan's war against the Evil Empire. However, he felt the Democratic Congressional leadership was forgetting the purpose of the Cold War: to win. Wilson was a hard drinking Texan, who valued the women on his staff for their looks rather than skills. He became fascinated with the Soviet invasion, and wanted the United States to go on the offense for the first time in the Cold War. At times, he took it upon himself to personally conducted meetings with foreign prime ministers, presidents and weapon designers without the State Department knowing. He would organize planes carrying medical and humanitarian supplies to Pakistan to stop in the Middle East and load up with weapons of war.

The story of Wilson and the Afghan War only grows from there. Characters right out of the cheapest spy movie or novel become involved. A rich widow from Texas, hobnobbing with her rich oil friends to raise money to send supplies to the Muj.

A divorced belly dancer Wilson brings to Egypt to entertain the Egyptian President. After the show, the president retracts his prior stance and agrees to make weapons for the Muj.

A forgotten Greek born CIA official that becomes Wilson's eyes in the operation of moving Israeli made weapons to the Islamic warriors in Afghanistan.

The others are as vast and original as any fictional cast. Crile writes in a matter that is crisp and energetic, and completely gripping. Which may not have been that hard considering Wilson was bigger than life in is passion for the Muj. President Reagan saw him as his biggest supporter, only because Wilson made the Afghan War Reagan's biggest covert policy. Wilson would ask the CIA how much it would take to create an anti-aircraft weapon system, or bring in medical supplies. Once armed with the dollar amount, he would increase it, and then tell Congress what he, Charlie Wilson, needed. Congress never asked questions, this was "Charlie's War." In typical fashion, members of Congress seemed little interested in the Afghan War. Most anti-war Democrats were too busy trying to shut down the funding of anti-Communist Contras in Nicaragua to worry about sending arms some 11,000 miles away, and that was just fine with Charlie Wilson. He was a stanch anti-Communist, but was willing to vote with his party when House Speaker Tip O'Neill asked him if he could just have the funding he wanted. Wilson took it upon himself to develop the weapons needed for the war, anti-aircraft guns, Stinger Missiles, or armor piercing guns, Wilson saw it his duty to help his "brothers." He made several trips to CIA Headquarters to keep on top of the research and development. He relished the idea of holding a gun that the Muj would, in a matter of days use to kill Communist Soviets. That was the kind of guy Charlie Wilson was. Wilson asked weekly of the number of Soviet helicopters and planes shot down. For years that hovered around zero. As new Israeli guns entered the country, the number of shoot downs increased. Wilson became ecstatic, but felt the need to drive on. There was always more to do, more Soviets to kill and more to shoot down. He pushed for increased funding in the Stinger Missile. He then waited for news of its success; he quickly received the news of the Stinger's stunning successes. The Muj were now inspiring fear within the Soviet air force. Planes could not come in close enough to attack and Soviet combat troops feared being shot down before their drop off.

Members of the Mujahideen that visited DC would inevitably stop by Wilson's office to pay homage for his work. At times an endless stream of Afghan dressed men filed in, he made time for them all.

Along the way to victory, Wilson was involved in a drunk-driving accident, he did what most drunks do, fled. Being a Congressman, he had options. He called the chair of the Intelligence Committee and booked permission to fly to Pakistan for a "fact finding" mission. Wilson knew that federal law bars the arrest of members of Congress when they are going to and from official Congressional business. After a few days abroad, he returned and made amends. Every trip to the region Wilson would donate blood at one of the many Mujahideen camps in Pakistan and the Afghans never forgot that.

Then US Attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani also arrested Wilson for Cocaine use during a Congressional investigation. The government dropped the charges after a key witness changed his story. These two events let the reader know this man, with all his Texas bravado, has issues, and loves to live life to the fullest.

In the hopes of giving the people what the Soviets took away, after the war, Wilson supplied the Afghans with everything from sheep to trees. Crile ends the book with Wilson taking a trip into Afghanistan just days before then end of the war. The Congressman dressed in Afghan attire rode the 12th Century caravan into the country. Muj searched the skies for non-existent Soviet planes. The local tribal leader new of Charlie Wilson, and so had all his men. Upon reaching the camp, Wilson saw an array of ordnance and virtually every type of gun and rocket launcher available, the tribal leader told Wilson it would be his honor if he shot each of them for him. Wilson stepped up behind every gun and launcher, would take aim at a target hundreds of yards away and let go with thousands of rounds, everyone hitting center mass. "Allah Ackbar!" the crowd of Mujahideen warriors would scream after every burst.

Months after the Soviet pullout the Berlin Wall fell, two years later the Soviet Union was no longer. Recent declassified documents put the Soviet losses in Afghanistan at 28,000. No one more than Charlie Wilson deserves the credit for that. For that, he deserves the thanks of a grateful nation.

© The Michigan Partisan 2004