5 comments about Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir.

1. I had meant to get this book years ago when it was originally published, but thought to pick it up now that he's the Republican nominee. What this book showed me was a man born of an impeccable lineage of leadership and character. The lessons passed on from his grandfather to his father to him demonstrated themselves clearly during McCain's time as a POW where his character and his mental strength were tested. We are all a product of our parents and the influences McCain received from them will well suit him for the presidency. The leadership and integrity he demonstrated as a POW, both in failure and triumph, have formed a man who, while still very much fallible, is the product of the lessons of the past and the hopes for the future. No one hates war more than one who has experienced it. And no one is better suited to manage a war than one who has experienced it, who has been a leader, and who is the product of occupants of one of the military's highest posts. A great lesson in history and character, and a fascinating and enjoyable read. Both the book and the candidate are highly recommended!



2. I had mixed feelings about McCain going into this book. I finished it, and in some ways I am more confused. Not because the book wasn't clarifying -- it added ALOT to my picture of McCain. The problem is that the more you know him the more complicated you realize he is.
   
   This is NOT your typical ghost written 'campaign' autobio. (though I'm sure his help from Mark Salter was considerable). This is a VERY honest and revelatory account of his pre-political life and that of his family. He is open, shockingly so, about his morally questionable adventures --- womanizing, partying, brawling, rebelliousness, lack of respect for some authority figures. I don't think he hid much. And he's not really very apologetic in the end. His attitude seems to be "this is what I've done. I've grown up, but I'm still that guy in some ways. Take it or leave it."
   
   And some of that persona is truly exceptional, and pretty attractive. He is very bright. Very, very, very fearless, roughed. A real patriot.
   
   His torture experiences may or may not make him more qualified for president, but they certainly show him to be courageous beyond imagination. That he had a clear OUT and didn't take it after several years of staggering abuse..... Just stunning.
   
   Don't think this book made me more or less likely to vote for him. But it was the best political autobio I have read in awhile.



3. Reading "Faith of My Fathers" gave me a better appreciation for what makes John McCain the man he is today. I knew he was a POW (pretty common knowledge), but I didn't know much more than that.
   
   The fact that his father and grandfather were 4-star admirals in the Navy gave him a lot to live up to. From the book, you can tell he felt his fate was pretty much pre-determined. He, too, would go into the Naval Academy and then into the Navy. And he did.
   
   This book gives great insight into his personality and what shaped him, but it also tells you a lot about why he holds his values so dearly. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be a prisoner-of-war and endure what he did. My heart goes out to him and other POWs.
   
   It now makes more sense to me that he's not afraid to go against his own party at times or to speak up and say what is not politically popular. Yes, he's a Republican, but he doesn't toe the party line. I guess when you've lived through what he lived through as a POW, then being politically popular just isn't that big a deal. I believe he is a man who values honesty and will speak it whether it's popular or not.
   
   I don't always agree with some of John McCain's political positions, but I respect the man and have a better understanding of him now. I would recommend this book to anyone, regardless of their political affiliation.



4. This reader has voted for the Democrat in all of the nine previous elections.
   
   In 2008, this is about to change.
   
   Not for the party, but for the man. And for the country.
   
   Today, John McCain has what he and his fellow students at the Naval Academy called "Good Grease".
   
   As McCain talks about in his discussion of his family's military history, the McCains are what Evan Thomas has described in Newsweek as "part of a warrior caste that has been fighting America's battles for more than two centuries".
   
   McCain covers his family's military history in America, and takes the reader through his grandfather, John "Slew" McCain's years in the Naval Academy, and those of his own father, and their subsequent careers.
   
   John McCain freely admits his weaknesses and flaws as well as his strengths. Reading this book, I took from it a tale of a man growing from being a rebel to being an independent leader, while still holding on to a cetain amount of that rebel. In later years, this would serve him well.
   
   "Faith Of My Fathers" covers John's inspiration he took from his fellow prisoners in Hanoi. A tale that has made the rounds of many chain e-mails is the story he tells in full detail of fellow prisoner Mike Christian, who had sewn a crude U. S. Flag on the inside of his jacket, and used it for his fellow prisoners to recite the Pledge of Allegience each day.
   
   I served in the Navy in the early 1970s, and I remember when they also trained us on the Code of Conduct for Prisoners of War. Reading his book, I became aware that there is really no adequate training that can fully prepare any man for imprisonment by an enemy during a war.
   
   But there is a Code of Conduct to point the way.
   
   The man who was formed in the crucible of war and imprisonment also knows what's expected of the brave men and women of our Armed Forces in these times. And he PERSONALLY knows exactly what the next Commander-In-Chief will be required to ask of them.
   
   "Faith Of My Fathers" is the story of how a family heritage, John McCain's own rebelliousness, and his imprisonment in North Vietnam, and the inspiration he took from his fellow prisoners there, all combined to forge the man he is today.
   
   If he becomes our next President, this is a great insight into the mind of the man who could be our next Commander-In-Chief.
   
   I highly recommend this book,
   and this life-long Democrat also endorses
   John McCain for President in 2008.
   
   This man has The Right Stuff.
   
   Doug Peschka
   U. S. Navy Veteran



5. Book arrived very quickly after ordering. Haven't started reading it yet, but soon will while on vacation.

1 comments about Eight Lives Down: The Story of the World's Most Dangerous Job in the World's Most Dangerous Place.

1. In "Eight Lives Down" Chris Hunter does his part to shed light on the EOD operations in Iraq from his first hand experience as a Royal Logistic Corps Ammunition Technical Officer (ATO) serving in Basra. Hunter's counter-IED efforts were so successful that he was personally targeted by the Mahdi Army, a dubious honor previously reserved for ATOs operating in Northern Ireland.
   It is enough that Hunter chronicles his team performing multiple hair-raising render safe procedures, but the impact on the reader is amplified by valuable insight tied together with strong writing. In "Eight Lives Down," military enthusiasts and historians will appreciate Hunter's reflective points about the challenges of counter-insurgency. Those new to the world of bomb disposal will find themselves suitably educated into its procedures and associated dangers. Any fan of non-fiction will empathize with the inclusions of Hunter's personal touch, describing the difficulty in maintaining family life from a war zone. Finally, those who served in Iraq will undoubtedly be transported back to their service there through these pages. I predict that in years hence, when queried about their service, EOD Technicians who served in Iraq will point to a copy of Eight Lives Down and say, "Read this first." Hooya, Major Hunter.
   
   Also recommended: A Special Kind of Courage: 321 EOD Squadron Battling the Bombers,The Longest Walk: The World of Bomb Disposal, BOMB SQUAD: A YEAR INSIDE THE NATION'S MOST EXCLUSIVE POLICE UNIT, America's First Frogman: The Draper Kauffman Story

5 comments about House to House.

1. the so-called "synopsis" posted for this book is really a slanted mini-review where the writer can barely hide his disdain for this book, the author and anyone who may find it interesting. Amazon needs to save this for the review section.



2. Read this outstanding book on my recent flight to DC and back. It is a great account of urban warfare. Recommended read for others.



3. Adrenalin pumping action. This author gives you a first hand look at the almost unbearable stress of door kicking combat. You have to ask yourself how these soldiers take it...............and wonder if you could take it. Faced every day with forcing your way into houses that might be an ambush and very well may hold madmen dedicated to killing you is an unending nightmare. To say these soldiers have guts is a gigantic understatement.



4. I enjoyed this book. Bellavia did a very good job at recording the little things, like when they are clearing houses & they find a MIG 22 being used as a giant house born IED, and the insurgents line the inside walls with propane tanks so if you fire & miss the whole house will go up with you in it & also they use little shards of glass mounted on shelves around corners so they can see exactly when your gonna peak around the corner & take a chunk out of your shoulder.
   Very informative.Dont wanna give too much away. Worth the purchase all the way.



5. What an amazingly written book! SSG Bellavia writes about his experiences in the war zone so well it was hard to put this book down. My eyes could be weary from reading so many pages, my body could be telling me I need to go to sleep, but I just couldn't find a good place to put this book down. I wanted to turn the next page, I wanted to find out what happened next. Amazing book about sacrifice, honor and TONS of courage. A must read!!

5 comments about With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa.

1. In simple powerful prose, E.B. Sledge recounts the horrors of the war in the Pacific in his memoir With The Old Breed. Dr. Sledge, who was a professor of biology at the University of Montevallo in Alabama for almost fifty years, wrote his book for his wife and children so they could understand what he had endured in combat. His wife realized the importance of his book and convinced him to publish it. It is considered to be the best memoir written by an enlisted man from World War II, and some have even put it in the same cannon of literature as The Red Badage of Courage and All Quiet on the Western Front. It is equaled only by the memoirs of President U.S. Grant.
   A native of Mobile Al, Sledge served in the Marines from 1943 to 1946. After boot camp in California, he was shipped to the Pacific. In his memoir, he admits that as his ship was nearing Peleliu, he was so frightened that he was afraid that he would lose control of his bladder and then the other men would know he was a coward. One of the biggest miseries faced by the men was the filth they were forced to live in during combat. Drinking water was too precious to use for bathing and brushing teeth and Dr.Sledge said it brothered everyone he knew.It is an important part of the stress suffered by the men on the battledfield that has not been given much attention by historians or even discussed in memoirs written by veterans. While he watched men die around him, Dr. Sledge survived the war. He was only twenty-two when the war ended but he would never be the same again. There is a picture of Dr. Sledge at the end of the book that was taken in 1946 after he had returned from duty in China. It is of a handsome man in full dress uniform with eyes that are much too sad and old for one so young. As World War II fades into history and passes into legend and myth, first-hand accounts like E.B. Sledge's are vital to understanding the sacrifices made by millions in defeating one of the greatest foes in human history.



2. I recently read this book for the second time. As others have noted, this is by far the best American memoir of the Pacific Theater. While Sledge's narrative style is straightforward and plain, there is a sensitivity to the work that is not found in other American war memoirs. Sledge was a good Marine, and understood that Japanese brutality had to be answered in kind: he had absolutely no compunction about killing the Japanese and often expresses an extreme hatred towards them. His descriptions of what he witnessed are often horrific--the picture he paints of "Maggot Ridge" on Okinawa is nothing short of a hellscape. And yet a central theme in the book is that in the midst of all the brutality of Peleliu and Okinawa, one had to try to maintain at least a modicum of sensitivity and human compassion. That, I believe, is what makes this such a remarkable record of the war.
   I had the privilege of talking to Dr. Sledge about a decade ago, and he was a true gentleman--courteous, kind, and very generous with his time. Indeed, my overwhelming impression was that he was a very gentle person. Perhaps that is why his memoir is so haunting.



3. I really can't say anything better than has already been said in the previous reviews. This is a horrific, and at the same time, fascinating read. Sledge tells it like it was and holds nothing back. The descriptions of the blasted battlefields full of dead is something you won't forget. His descriptions of the fighting conditions will make you thankful for dry clothes, hot coffee and fresh socks every day after reading this. Should be required reading in schools today - an important gift from someone who lived in the horror of war.



4. Having seen Ken Burns films on WWII and his mention of this book, I decided
   to read it. I was not disappointed. Ordinarily I don't like works like this
   but Sledge handled his on-the-ground experiences in the Pacific with simplicity
   but with elequence. I was very impressed with the book, moved and sometimes
   shattered by the bravery and determination of our troups. It makes for
   exciting reading, if you're inclined to know what war was like then, and
   probably what war is still like for men and women on the ground now. Read it!
   You won't be disappointed.



5. As a WWII history buff I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see combat from a combat Marines perspective. GREAT!

No comments about Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers.

No comments about Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers".

5 comments about Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman.

1. No Oprah lite-read here.Instead, Boots on the Ground draws us into Mary Tillman's confidence as she recounts the ageless tale of parents doing it all right, forsaken by a government who got it all wrong. The real Patrick Tillman enlivens these pages, not a poster boy creation.



2. The most unique aspect of this book is hearing the family and friend's perspective on many events before and after Pat's death. I have followed the news stories for the last four years and watched the video on espn of the memorial service. This book differs from the past material in that there are new stories and you get the family and friends perspectives on these and other major events already covered in past articles and books. The book also has Pat's memorial speakers' words. This book is similar in that aspect to Walter Payton's book, "Never Die Easy" and the speakers at his funeral. The difference being the obvious different circumstances of death, and you get the Mother's perspective on how she felt about those speeches and that some of the speakers were not telling the truth about the events that led to Pat's death, that is the military speakers.



3. I certainly feel for the Tillman family.
   Forty years ago my father, the only Olympic medal winner ever killed while serving in combat for the USA, was killed in Vietnam. My father was on a six man recon. team in a Ranger detachment and according to the statement by the commander of his ready reaction force, although his team was out of radio contact for nearly 11 hours, he was unconcerned because he had another force near the location that had heard nothing. Well, I have three other reports conflicting that statement. My father's team radioed at 915PM that his team was being approached by an enemy force. At 935PM his team radioed they were in a firefight and requested fire support. Not until well after 6AM the next morning did help arrive even though the ready reaction force was on ten minute alert and only 500 meters away with the fire power equivalent of three rifle companys. 5 of the 6 men on my fathers team were killed, one dying on the way to the hospital. I have the records proving that at 9AM that morning this CO met with a general and my father's commanding officer and four decades later have evidence that the most likely "enemy" that killed my father was the US Navy SEALs.
   But I can get no answers after all these years. And that is why it is so biter sweet, this book and the circumstances surrounding Tillman's death. When I read in the newspaper that the Army assigns all these folks to research and serve the Tillman's, all these investigations by generals and boards it gives me a really sick feeling in side. Yes, the Tillman's deserve it, but what about the rest of us ? I wrote to the National Archives for my father's records and they responded telling me that they could not locate his records but let me know that they could happily tell me he served in the Army (duh). The Army told me that they are not historians. I was able to contact the commander of the L ready reaction force and he told me he could not help me because his tour ended before the investigation was completed. The intelligence officer my father's unit worked for said he was on R&R at the time, an imposter told me he was the only survivor and the stories go on and on...
   Will the Tillman's ever get the truth ? Probably not because in the military only good news goes to the top. No officer is going to burn his chance at a promotion by being honest in a report that will screw him 20 years down the road.
   I am glad to see this book. My heart goes out to the Tillman's because I understand their resentment. If you want to read about my father, SSGT Robert Carmody- go to ESPN and look in archives and search under the author "Mark Chalifoux'. The article is titled, "Heart of Bronze". (2005).



4. Mary Tillman renders here the most accurate, dispassionate description of what can happen when highly trained soldiers are thrust into a situation where their training is not enough.
   
   As Mary describes the situation, her son Pat was a member of a fighting group who were separated from the rest of their unit, caught in a firefight, and then fired on by members of their own unit. The evidence is that they gestured and signalled for their own fellow soldiers to stop firing, but, in those four seconds, the other men just could not do so.
   
   All the training could not stop what can only be characterized as a "killing frenzy." Rational thought cannot reassert itself in the face of this compulsion.
   
   It all happened in four seconds, and Mary lost her Pat. Other mothers lost their sons, too. Pat forgives the soldiers who killed her son, and invites her readers to do the same. She has a harder time forgiving their commanders who made efforts to disguise the truth in the name of not damaging morale.
   
   Read this book. It teaches us all something about a mother loving her son, and about what we unleash when we train young people to kill.
   
   Only secondarily, we also come to appreciate the value of transparency in leadership. Pat's example steadfastly refuses to be held up as a "poster child" for pacifism or political polarization. Our front line infantry does the very, very best they can with what God has given them - and us.



5. Mary Tillman shows a mother's dogged pursuit to get at the truth of what happened to her son and the aftermath. Nothing maudlin here. The amazing facts of delay, stonewalling and lying by the military, from the ground up into the highest ranks, to the Tillmans' faces are disgusting and disheartening but apparently not unusual in fratricide.
   
   A reader might infer that the killing of this exceptional man was personal and even murderous. Someday justice will be wrought upon those responsible for the flawed decisions, implausible military orders, and actions that led to his death.
   
   As you read this account, do not be distracted by the author's personal biases. Instead, focus your hearts and prayers on those who died (Pat Tillman was not the only one killed.), those left back home, and those who have shut and others who may yet slam doors on this family as they continue their quest for truth and justice.

5 comments about Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units.

1. I heard the author Aaron Cohen on a radio interview and decided to buy the book. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. It is much more than an inside look at the clandestine warriors on the front lines of the international war against terrorism. It is a coming of age journey about a young man who finds himself and the meaning of life amidst the most extreme circumstances imaginable.
   
   My girlfriend thought it might not appeal to her, but she started reading it after I finished and now she can't put it down. This would make an amazing movie.



2. This book tells an an astonishing story of an 18 year old who gave up the option of the "good life" in Los Angeles to pursue some of the most difficult training and dangerous counter terror missions imaginable. (Look for the scene of Cohen going undercover to meet a terrorist big shot in a Jerusalem cafe.) It's a fast-paced, exciting memoir, one of the best I've read in years. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended to anyone interested in current affairs, counter terrorism and national security.



3. I heard the author being interviewed on the Michael Savage radio show and immediately went out to buy the book. I was definitely not disappointed an excellent read from a person who had everything except that which he felt was missing from his life which he went out to discover and found. A great book 100 stars could not put the book down once I started reading it. Hopefully he goes on a book signing tour or this is made into a movie



4. A compelling read, very well-written and a good balance of very personal perspective and simply amazing descriptions of the brutal selection and training of Israel's top counter-terror commandos (as done in the 1990's).
   
   Cohen, like his instructors and fellows, pulls no punches discussing the positives and negatives of the process. His own experience of how this kind of preparation forever changes the men who survive it, and then how the work itself inevitably degrades social connectedness and relationships is as psychologically detailed and perceptive as anything I've ever read, and I commend his ruthless honesty.
   
   He also gives a fond but hard-eyed look at the changing Israeli society and the often unfortunate way it is absorbing some of our less positive qualities.
   
   VERY highly recommended. A great read.



5. Amazing book, great detail and as was said before, no punches pulled. From the uncertainty of growing up to gaining his confidence with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), Mr. Cohen details his experiences growing up in the US to his making aliyah to Israel and going through his training to join one of if not the toughest counterterrorism military units in the entire world. I certainly believe that his experiences could go a long way in making sure that the next time you travel in an aiport you don't get questioned by some person who only has their GED and can't wait to get home. Instead you're questioned by a person who knows why they are there and are vigilant in their search for the next terror threat. It drives home the point of "Security with a Purpose". People in Israel deal with terror threats on a daily basis and taking what they've learned and have put into use could only help to make our country that much more secure. Are there points in the book that may offend people?? Yes, such as the profiling that happens on a daily basis in Israel, however with that in mind, understand that most of the bombings occurring there are perpetrated by Arabs. It's a simple fact of life.

2 comments about Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story.

1. "Wiser in Battle" begins with the story of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's early life, including what motivated him to join the Army. He then goes on to provide the inside story of events in Iraq after "Mission Accomplished," when he took over military command, up to summarily being scapegoated and relieved over Abu Ghraib, followed by retirement.
   
   Throughout "Wiser in Battle" Sanchez makes clear that Rumsfeld's micromanagement created confusion and frustration due to constant changes. Further, Sanchez believes Bush's declaring the Geneva Conventions inapplicable opened the door for gross negligence via subsequent failure to publish new standards, and ignoring the lessons of prisoner abuses at Bagram in Afghanistan. (Sanchez also declared the Geneva Conventions in force almost immediately after taking over in Iraq; unfortunately, his command did not extend to the CIA and special operations people involved there.)
   
   Directly after taking over in Baghdad, Sanchez addressed the looting and fires, with his leaders identifying 350-500 sites to protect. Securing the innumerable ammunition dumps, as staffed, was estimated as requiring 3-5 years, so Pentagon leaders outsourced the job. Bremer arrived just in time to reverse plans to use Iraqi Army and some of its leaders in managing Iraq. Sanchez also highlights the confusion caused by landing in the midst of orders to send Gen. Franks' troops home, as well as suddenly releasing Sanchez's men who had been "stop-lossed." Sanchez pulls no punches - clearly stating that the resulting problems cost billions as well as many American soldiers lives.
   
   LG Wallace's sudden reassignment for an off-hand comment about not planning to fight a potential insurgency (actually we had no plans at all) didn't help any-one's confidence in taking charge either. (Sanchez also references Gen. Shinseki's being slapped down for his honest response to a Congressional question.) Bremer also took over police training that Army personnel were beginning the job; ultimately the job was given to Bernie Kerik who accomplished little other than endanger U.S. troops by his failure to coordinate with them.
   
   Additional problems included lack of effective police, sporadic fuel and electricity, banks not being open, a non-existent judicial system, the Army's refusal to send lawyers to help with interrogation issues, severe restrictions on the use of foreign troops and the U.S. failure to provide promised trucks etc., unnecessarily stirring up Shiites by closing Sadr's newspaper and capturing one of his deputies, and unclarity of the relationship between Bremer and Sanchez. The latter became especially clear when Bremer ordered Sanchez to withdraw the Marines from Fallujah due to concern about affecting Bush's 2004 re-election - Sanchez refused, then settled for a unilateral cease-fire; later the battle was refought at a much higher cost.
   
   The final pages were very eye-opening. Sanchez was visiting a new school named for him and caught sight of a childhood friend. The friend had left school to pursue migrant field work while Sanchez pursued JROTC. The friend was now the new school janitor, and Sanchez a three-star general! I'm left wondering how many others' lives have derailed?
   
   Bottom Line: Investigations into Abu Ghraib found fault with Sanchez' leadership. On the other hand, he was burdened by poor underlying prison leadership and an incredibly fractured line of authority over the prison. My opinion is that we would all be better off with Sanchez, and others like him, still in the military.



2. I was serving in the Green Zone during some of the period described in this book, and still recall the unimaginable confusion Sanchez writes about. When CENTCOM and the Army component commander, LTG McKeirnan, withdrew leaving the V Corps Commander in charge of all military operations, the circuit overload peaked beyond comprehension. To learn near the end of the book that Sec Def Rumsfeld claimed he never knew about Sanchez having to manage the war on the ground with only a skeleton staff makes one's gorge rise. My analysis: too many elites each running his own stovepipe, leaving Sanchez to make the best of it. Worst of all, the soldiers and marines were jerked around needlessly with predicable consequences. Sanchez makes a lot of wanting to retire with 3-stars. This may seem a little selfish, but who can fault him for keeping his pride intact?

5 comments about Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.

1. As a vet of the military, I have always had great respect for people who join the special forces. I was very interested in this account, as I had been heartbroken to read the news back in 2005. The SEALS are a relatively small community and to lose 2 seal teams was a devastating loss.
   
   That being said, I agree with a previous reviewer in that I wish Luttrell had focused more on his buddies that did not make it out of Afghanistan alive. They can never tell their stories and he had such a wonderful opportunity here to do so, I'm disappointed that he didn't take advantage of that opportunity. This book gives you a detailed account of what it's like to be a Navy SEAL and a very tragic account of what happened up in the mountains of Afghanistan. The courage of the men who serve in the SEALs is, to me, unfathomable. What they went through, and that they fought until the very end without giving up was heartbreaking.
   
   Luttrell put too much of his personal political views (alhtough none of which were backed up with any facts)into this book by constantly blaming the "liberals" for everything that went wrong. The book could have done without that. Other than that, I came away from this book more impressed with the men who become Navy SEALs than I was before. It's a good read, and I think, an important story to get out to the public.



2. This book will renew your faith in the American fighting Man and also reveals that there are still heroes today in the American Military.



3. Marcus Luttrell writes a powerful book that shows the hardship of training, the perfection of the SEAL, and the courage of men.
   
   Marcus is one of the participants of Operation Redwing where nineteen special forces members died in one day. I remember the news stories back when I was in college. I remember seeing Michael Murphy's photo on television. Murphy is probably my idea of how a SEAL should look like; cool, calm, and incredibly fit. I felt a sort of sadness come over me when I saw Murphy's photo on television. Some time later, I heard Murphy got the Medal Of Honor and I knew from the get go after seeing a picture of this man, that he must of died heroically and probably behaved like how a true SEAL should to the end.
   
   Now I have the chance to read over the story about Operation Redwing. I was more interested in hearing what Murphy did that day, but then I found that Marcus did a wonderful job explaining the whole thing; from training to how he survived the slaughter.
   
   I won't go into much details about the story since I think most people will know the entire story. The one important lesson I learned about the training was take it one minute at a time, don't think about the future or how you will perform in the future; think about right now. I think this is an important life lesson that can be used outside of physical training and into everyday life.
   
   By the end of the story I was a bit sad. Marcus was rescued by villagers in the Afghan mountains and these people protected Marcus with their life. Not only that, they took the time to insure that Marcus would be rescued and that the Taliban didn't have the last shot. I was a bit sad that to hear about the village children and how the Taliban abused the children while they tried to gather things for Marcus. I was also surprised by how people gathered around Marcus's parents and family. I think it goes to show that even though the media might make it seem like everyone is against the current war in the Middle East, people still care about friends and families. I think it goes to show that America is a great country and its citizens care about others just as much as they care about themselves.
   
   Overall, I am happy with the book. I am sad of the fact how we lost so many young people, but I think the key thing about this book is that there are good people out there who are willing to lend you a hand when you're down. I heard another good book is Bravo Two Zero. I am planning to read that book in the future.



4. This book is a portrayal of a Navy SEAL - his early upbrining, the SEAL training program that so few pass and most importantly, his role in an operation in Afganistan that ended in disaster for his team and a rescue team. His biases and perspectives are not mine, but I didn't mind hearing them - after all, they probably reflect widely held beliefs within the military... On the other hand, there are parts of the book that stretch credulity (Marcus shot an Afgan between the eyes, who then fell screaming over a cliff), and there is more fluff than needs to be. Overall, a disappointment.



5. I really wanted to read this book, but found I couldn't get past the first 40 pages. The author he can't keep his personal political beliefs out of the narrative. If I heard one more great thing about George Bush or let's hear more about the "liberal American Media". Come on! Enough already, how about a good war story, not a rant taken from the Bill O'Reilly Show. And I'm sorry but modesty is not part of this guys lexicon. Ok, Ok, I get it the Seals are the Greatest soldiers, fighters, shooters, cooks, gardeners, painters, etc, in the world. Look I really wanted to like this book, but this guys ego and self righteous political comments were too much. Sometimes hearing someone being humble instead of saying how great they are goes down a little easier. I should have know when the jacket of the book had two good reviews, both from texas ( here's a little hint the author is also from texas).