'The Outpost': Untold Stories of Real American Heroes

And finally tonight, on this veterans day monday, a story of courage and the oath that u.S. Forces take to protect the country, no matter the cost. Even when the odds are stacked against them, even... See More

And finally tonight, on this veterans day monday, a story of courage and the oath that u.S. Forces take to protect the country, no matter the cost. Even when the odds are stacked against them, even when their comrades have fallen. Two and a half years ago, our own senior white house correspondent jake tapper saw the faces of some of these men and knew he had to write their story. And his new book, which comes out tomorrow is called "the outpost: An untold story of american valor." Reporter: On october 3rd, 2009, I was at the hospital with my wife and my newborn son. Out of the corner of my eye i caught a news story from afghanistan. Eight soldiers lost their lives. Reporter: An attack on a remote u.S. Military base, combat outpost keating. I've been on three deployments, I've never seen that large a force attacking one static position. Reporter: Just 53 americans fought valiantly against up to 400 taliban insurgents. Shown here on this terrifying video posted months later. And as I held my son, i learned of eight other sons taken from us that day, in what was the deadliest day for the u.S. In afghanistan that year. Over the next two years, i tracked down the stories of the eight men lost that day. Kevin thompson. Josh kirk, michael scusa, chris griffin, josh hardt, verve mon martin and stephon mace. I wondered why they were stationed at that doomed outpo outpost, at the bottom of three steep mountains, just 14 miles from the pakistan border. It was in a very, very bad place. It was unfightable. We did what we could to fight off the enemy, but as a result of where we were at, made it very difficult for us to fight. Reporter: It turns out that a peng investigation later concluded by mid-2009, there was no tactical or strategic value to the outpost. But so many had paid the ultimate price, including the man named for the post. These are the special men and women that make up our armed services. So, today, as we think about all those who served, and those lost, including the eight killed that horrible october day, think also of those left behind. The children who will never know their fathers and mothers, in the name of protecting you and me. As you wrote, jake, uncommon valor. Reporter: It really is uncommon. And I've been covering the war in afghanistan, and iraq, from the comfort of the north lawn of the white house. But it wasn't until I started researching this book, going to afghanistan, talking to troops, their families, their widows, their grieving moms, I came to an appreciation of what these people, what it is they give for you and me and our families. Not just the troops, who obviously put themselves in harms way, but their moms and their kids and wives and husbands. They really deserve much more than just one day. One day, on this veterans day weekend. Thank you so much for this. And I did love what you wrote about them, that they are the bravest people, trying to do their very best in an impossible situation in that part of the world. Thank you, jake.