Sean Naylor
Encyclopedia
Sean Naylor is a senior writer for Army Times
, which is owned by Gannett Company
. Born in Calgary, Canada to British parents, Naylor earned a master's degree in international relations in 1990 from Boston University
. He then joined Army Times.
Naylor's beats have included Army training, readiness and the service's senior leadership. He has covered the military in Pakistan
, Somalia
and Haiti
.
In 1995, Naylor co-wrote his first book, Clash of Chariots – the Great Tank Battles. In January 2002, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
took a couple dozen journalists, including Naylor, into Afghanistan
with Task Force Rakkasan. Naylor spent almost four months covering the war in Afghanistan
, including several days in the Shah-i-Kot Valley
at the start of Operation Anaconda
. He returned to the valley at the end of the operation with 10th Mountain Division
troops. He was one of eight journalists allowed to accompany the troops into battle during Operation Anaconda and spent the following three years interviewing almost 200 participants and accessed secret documents that explained the full role of the Advance Force Operations in Operation Anaconda. With this information, Naylor wrote his second book, Not a Good Day to Die – the Untold Story of Operation Anaconda, published in 2005.
Army Times
Army Times is a weekly newspaper serving active, reserve, guard and retired United States Army personnel and their families, providing news, information and analysis as well as community and lifestyle features, educational supplements, and resource guides.Army Times is published by the Gannett...
, which is owned by Gannett Company
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
. Born in Calgary, Canada to British parents, Naylor earned a master's degree in international relations in 1990 from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. He then joined Army Times.
Naylor's beats have included Army training, readiness and the service's senior leadership. He has covered the military in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
.
In 1995, Naylor co-wrote his first book, Clash of Chariots – the Great Tank Battles. In January 2002, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
took a couple dozen journalists, including Naylor, into Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
with Task Force Rakkasan. Naylor spent almost four months covering the war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, including several days in the Shah-i-Kot Valley
Shah-i-Kot Valley
The Shah-i-Kot Valley is a valley located in Afghanistan's Paktia province, southeast of the town of Zormat. The terrain in and around the valley is notoriously rugged, located at a mean altitude of...
at the start of Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda took place in early March 2002 in which the United States military and CIA Paramilitary Officers, working with allied Afghan military forces, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization and non NATO forces attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot...
. He returned to the valley at the end of the operation with 10th Mountain Division
10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. It is a subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and the only division-sized element of the U.S. Army to specialize in fighting under harsh terrain and weather conditions...
troops. He was one of eight journalists allowed to accompany the troops into battle during Operation Anaconda and spent the following three years interviewing almost 200 participants and accessed secret documents that explained the full role of the Advance Force Operations in Operation Anaconda. With this information, Naylor wrote his second book, Not a Good Day to Die – the Untold Story of Operation Anaconda, published in 2005.