5 comments about The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army.

1. Greg Jaffe's and David Cloud's "The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army" tells the parallel stories of four of America's top generals and how their leadership was shaped by their unique backgrounds. The four generals are: General Abizaid, former head of Central Command; General Casey, former commander of all forces in Iraq and current Chief of Staff of the Army; General Chiarelli, former commander of both a division and a corps in Iraq and current Vice Chief of Staff of the Army; and General David Petraeus, former commander of all forces in Iraq and current Central Command commander.
   
   Using personal access to the generals and many others in the Army, Jaffe and Cloud tell the personal stories of these four officers and how their backgrounds influenced the generals they became. Abizaid took a non-traditional approach to his career, focusing in Middle Eastern studies, and was uniquely educated and prepared to work in the Arab world. Casey was the son of a general killed in Vietnam with no aspirations to stay in the Army, and his conservative and shepherding approach to leadership resulted in a conservative leader who presided over the deterioration in Iraq. Petraeus was the brilliant, driven leader who became a disciple of counterinsurgency warfare in the 1990s. And Chiarelli was the thorough leader who saw firsthand as a division commander early on in Iraq what was needed and worked hard within the system to do this.
   
   As they rose through the ranks these leaders' careers often intersected, and finally all have played important, and differing, roles in the Iraq War and the shaping of the current US Army.
   
   (One episode in the book, if true, really disturbed me. After the successful Iraqi elections in January 2005, according to the book Casey and his aide toasted the day with some grappa. Soldiers in Iraq are not allowed to drink, but their commander did.)
   
   This is a very enlightening book about four of the top leaders of the modern US Army. More importantly, it tells the story of their ideas on how to lead and fight a modern war. It is not a comprehensive story but instead based more on anecdotal stories. Despite the overstated title (this book doesn't tell the story of an "epic struggle"), this is an excellent book that should be read by anyone interested in current military affairs.



2. This book is a fairly low level potted biography of 4 American generals. It had little to do with the future of the US Army.
   
   It would seem that the future of the US army centers round such issues as:
   
   1. Will the army remain a fighting force to destroy enemy military formations or will it become the American Colonial Service in all but name?
   
   2. The Army's sucess depends on its ability to bring the enemy to battle and deliver a shattering blow to its physical materiel, infrastructure and to the enemies will to fight. It's failure in Iraq arose from its failure to bring substantial elements of the enemy to battle and so to break their spirit. How will it accomplish this objective in a rapidly changing military environment? If this can be accomnplished by drone and similar attacks as in Pakistan what is the future of the army?
   
   3. How will the army's proposed role of fighting in space and cyberspace relate to its other duties?
   
   4. How will fighting responsibilities be divided between regular army and paid mercenaries?
   
   5. How will the changing duties of the army relate to the Army being organised into several major units each with responsibility for a large part of the globe?
   
   These and other questions are barely touched on.



3. This book was straightforward and very insightful. I highly recommend that everyone read it to understand how the current leaders of the U.S. Army came to be and what we can expect from the next generation of U.S. Army leaders.



4. I am an active duty Soldier and found this book to have a lot of background information and is a great took for professional development for any military officers.



5. This book provides a great inside look into how the US Army has developed for those not already in or closely watching. Tracing the careers of four eventual four star generals from their commissioning through various assignments over the last 30 years that had the highest impact on their futures, Cloud and Jaffe provide a good history of how a few generals from differing backgrounds have developed their mindsets. How these generals then reacted to the unfolding situation in Iraq through 2008 is the subject of the second half of the book, much of which has been reported elsewhere. However, the book is still valuable for highlighting certain aspects of army life, such as the role combat leadership, interaction with the Social Science department at West Point, and experience in the Middle East shaped how these careers were made and how each commander reacted to Iraq.
   
   My only question for the authors is why these four? General Petraeus is an obvious choice. Same goes for General Casey. But why not Generals Odierno, McChrystal, or even Franks?
   
   Overall, this is a good effort at peeling back the onion of the 21st century army. I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man.

1. Now if the politicians, both civilian and military, would just get out of the way, we may survive this war to the death (which is what the jihadists have made it). Great book!



2. This book covers fascinating material from a first-person perspective in a way few other books can, but the failure is in the writing. Everyone described is the "baddest" this or the "smartest" that and slang is thrown around in a way that doesn't serve as style - but rather merely serves to show that the author didn't use the services of any other author. This means that all nuance is lost and the descriptions of all personalities in the book are boxy and lack nuance, clarity, or anything resembling detail in the way I would hope someone who worked on the ground would be able to convey.
   
   In short, the material is amazing, but I do not embellish when I say that the writing resembles that of a 7 year old boy writing about his most recent war adventure with his friends in the woods out back. This is not an indictment of the author or his experiences, rather it is a plea that someone with this great material use another author and strong editors to get their message out clearly and in a way that adds value.



3. The book is well written and the heroic stories of our guys way upfront again illustrates the true warrior spirit is alive and well within our mil system. Although, I am near the end..I come away from reading the book with the opinion, our people did the best they could under the circumstances to eliminate the bad guys at Tora Bora. But, the strategic planners failed the mission..to provide enough resources and boots on the ground to not only allow UBL to escape, but allow the foreign fighters to sustain themselves against the United States..a true military superpower.
   
   What we did not learn at Tora Bora...came at us again during Operation Anaconda. Frankly, another "screwup" or FUBAR..why did we not learn not to depend upon the locals...why did the strategic "thinkers" allocate another force when our people were prepared to do the job. Tora Bora, Operation Anaconda..atop Takur Ghar..the Tilman incident and many others are glaring examples of "what went wrong". I could include Wanat or Kamdesh, as well as current examples.
   
   When one places an historical perspective...winning World War II against two military powers of the 20th century (Japan and Germany)..compared to the nearly 9 years in Afghanistan and 7 in Iraq...one can only "blame" the leadership, both civilian and military.
   
   But, for the Soldiers, Special Forces troopers, Delta, CIA and others..they did their best under the circumstances and will continue..
   
   Paktia/Khost-2003



4. If you have ever questioned the need for a clandestine military force read this book. You'll begin to understand why these soldiers do their jobs without fanfare or acknowledgment and why the president calls them first. We owe these soldiers a debt of gratitude that cannot be paid. If you'd just like to understand the beginnings of the war on terror and just who the enemy really is this book is a MUST read.



5. The author of this lame read runs his mouth a lot about how his hands were tied, but they seemed pretty free to me. Dalton Fury was given a broad mission-type order to 'kill Bin Laden' and instead he just acted like a diva and then wrote a boring book. Boring from the lack of action in addition to the bland language.
   
   Delta Force NEVER assaulted the Al-Qaeda positions at Tora Bora even once, according to their commander in this book. To illustrate how close they even attempted to get to him, their entire unit never fired even a single shot(!) throughout the 'battle,' and they were all trained snipers. If this is America's dedication, then the situation is definitely hopeless because the Taliban aren't afraid to die. The supposed 'best of the best' didn't even man up to charge Bin Laden when it was their given mission to kill him.
   
   I had a miserable time reading this garbage. The author sure seemed to think him and the D-Boys were really bad dudes, but it sure seems like they just blew it big time. I thought all the language of, "Hey, we do it different because we're Delta" and "We're not operating on a pre-9/11 mentality. We're going at 'em!" was really just laughable.
   
   As much as I'd like to blame the knucklehead planners at the Pentagon or the bungling government, I think this book is basically a confession that Delta Force was primarily responsible for failure. Maybe the Green Berets at Tora Bora had their hands tied, but Delta was left to go to work. These guys are supposed to be so tough, but all they did was call in a bunch of airstrikes and had friendly Afghans do most of the actual fighting.
   
   Calling in airstrikes is only going to do so much, and it's shocking to see Delta Force pursuing such an important mission with such haphazard amateurishness. This is all by their own account! I think any infantry force would have actually assaulted. Maybe they should send Rangers or Marines next time because it's not worth another Dalton Fury dropping the ball (well unless...) .

5 comments about Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit.

1. Eric Haney does a great job telling the surprisingly rough history of Delta Force, which is the highest and most secretive unit in the U.S. military. I get the feeling there were some things he wasn't allowed to talk about in this book for security reasons, but what he does talk about is very informative and interesting. Not only do we get to see what the strenuous training is like, but we also get a look at what some of the missions were like for Haney and some of the other soldiers who were part of Delta Force's original unit. It sounds like he worked with a great group of guys who were very likeable. Unfortunately some of these men are no longer living becuase of the risks they took to protect America and other countries from terrorism.
   
   The missions these soldiers take part of are very dangerous, and sometimes many lives are at stake, but these guys are capable of completing the missions without any harm being done either to themselves or to the hostages they might be trying to rescue. It's a good feeling knowing we have soldiers of this caliber protecitng our country in such a dangerous world. Overall, this is a very well written book. Haney's writing is very smooth and straight forward. I felt like I got a good feeling of his personality in his writing, which made this book more interesting to read. I enjoyed every chapter, and am now curious to learn more about Delta Force and to read more stories about the U.S. military and its elite units.



2. This book gave a lot of info but i felt that it left a lot of unanswered questions. I thought the details of how Delta Force came about was fascinating but after that it got a little boring. I would have liked more information and stories like the one about the very first and disastrous delta force mission.



3. Excellent job. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any more information than there was but it was still a good read.



4. Haney tells the story from his experience and it is great. He describes in detail his Selection and training to become an operator. Obviously, he doesn't tell everything but what he does makes it an interesting read. He was there during the disastrous rescue attempt of the hostages in Iran and tells what happened. He also talks about other missions is Latin America as well. The hit TV show "The Unit" was based off this book and you can tell. I recommend this book because it gives great insight to the forming and early years of this elite unit. I am going to read it again.



5. I read this after watching the unit on television. I really liked the tv show. The book was even better. If you are looking for a glimpse inside our special operations forces I would highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated].

1. This book is extremely well written and researched. It is a MUST read for all Americans. Eric Prince and his colleagues are a scary addition to the modern armed forces. Congress needs to hold them all accountable for the atrocities they have committed.



2. Point of view unfortunately biased from the extreme left, with glaringly anti-Cristian and anti-American leanings. Descriptions of "torture" and lack of understanding of American interaction with Islamic extremism can only be the
   thoughts of an individual who has clearly never been shot at.



3. I picked up this book this weekend excited about reading it. It didn't take too long to realize that the point of view on it was very biased. The writer is definetly anti-Blackwater. I am not sure where to stand on the group but reading it from a very liberal point of view did not add to my clarity. It would have been a decent book if it was the facts and informative from an open mind.



4. This book delivered basically what I was looking for, and that was a description of how this company got its start, what its role is in the War on Terror and who are the main players behind it. However, If you are bothered by left leaning beliefs to the point of distraction you may want to look elsewhere for the story of Blackwater. As far as I was concerned, it was a decent book but could have been much better with at least an effort made by the author to be objective.



5. This gives a history and account of various misdeeds by Blackwater and their born ultra-rich right wing Christian kook founder Erik Prince. It goes in depth with the infamous Fallujah incident where "civilian contractors" (actually they were former Special Forces guys working for Blackwater) were ambushed, yanked out of the car, burnt alive and their corpses were hung from a Fallujah bridge. It looked like an inside job set up to me when I first saw the incident in the news a few years back and now I am even more convinced. Between it being a last minute assignment, at least one of the guys was in the doghouse with higher ups, the Iraqis not only had a camera there to record the whole event but they had an anti-American sign written up in ENGLISH all ready to show. Plus Bush was on the campaign trail so this would fire up all the dumb rednecks in the States and they needed this as propaganda to justify going full bore into Fallujah. Sorry but the Blackwater/Fallujah incident was a blatant Psy-Op.
   
   Another shocking thing was how politically clueless some of these Blackwater mercenaries seemed to be. There was one where he thought Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11 and another was quoted as saying if he was going to die it would be "out with a bang", "defending his country". Somebody please explain to me what the hell shooting at a bunch of Arab hillbillies on the other side of the world has to do with defending America? Put Blackwater on the Mexican border might be of use for defending America but that will never happen because they are really a globalist goon squad that pimp patriotism to morons when its convenient.
   
   Probably the scariest thing is Blackwater is angling to be some sort of global mercenary "peacekeeping" force for the United Nations. If there is a problem area, instead of sending in Nato, or UN forces to the Sudan or where ever they send in Blackwater. But really corporate goon squads for the "elite" are nothing new (ever heard of the Pinkertons?) but Blackwater may end up like America as a whole, a snake eating its own tail out of their lust for short term greed. They already are using a significant number of soldiers from third world nations because they are cheaper to hire. This book does have a big left wing bias but I actually think only a leftist would write a realistic book on Blackwater. I can only imagine the garbage a book about Blackwater would be if it had been written by a Neo-Con Republican.

5 comments about US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76.

1. product came as advertised and in a timely manner. The manual has basic survival information, and I keep it in my pack for when I go on long distance hikes.



2. I actually own both this civilian and the army issued version of the DM 21. There is really no difference between them and if there was, like I would tell, right? But really, it is a good manual for those who have been trained hands on for what the manual covers as reference in the field. Exp, la de da dah- I am a little soldier having to survive alone in the wilderness---I'm hungry---those two flowers I know I can eat one of them because instructor said I could---O' yeah, I have the DM 21---I'll look and see which one---crap both are poisonious---glad I had this book to go along w/ my training.



3. MANY MANY GOOD TIPS FOR SURVIVAL EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WRITTEN FOR THE MILITARY,YOU CAN USE THESE TIPS.



4. It has some good stuff in here. Some basic stuff to get you around if you had "woods" it



5. The U.S. Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76 although written in 1970 is still a valuable resource if you are able to decipher the valuable information from the not so valuable. A word of caution that some of the material is outdated and there have been significant advances in technology and gear. Many of the drawings aren't too bad although color photographs would be a very beneficial update to replace the drawings.
   
   Chapters 1 and 2 on the Will to Survive and Survival Planning are a good introduction that really doesn't change much with time. Gear and technology may change but the fundamental principles remain intact even with the passage of time.
   
   Chapter 4: Survival Medicine would really benefit from being updated. There have been significant changes in medicine and medical procedure since the writing of this book. I would recommend skipping this chapter and instead taking either a first aid course or an emergency medical technician (EMT) course to learn the latest and most effective medical procedures available.
   
   The chapter on Wild Plants for Food is a bit short in length and detail. This is one of those areas that you don't really want to make a mistake or you may pay a hefty price with gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration or severe stomach pain. Skip the plants and go for meat as it is much more nutritious, provides better caloric intake and valuable protein.
   
   The chapter on shelters is good although at times you may feel that some information is lacking and you need more specific detail. This chapter will expose you to many different types of shelter that are commonly used in survival situations. Most are still very relevant and useful today.
   
   Overall, I would recommend this book as a starting point to obtain basic information. There is a lot of information although you will need to conduct further research and practice to see what works, what does not work, along with the ins and outs of the minutia of survival. Good luck.

5 comments about Chosen Soldier: The Making of a Special Forces Warrior.

1. This was a great read for anyone who is interested in joining the army for the purpose of becoming a green beret. This book really illustrates what make the Army Special Forces the worlds finest warriors. The in depth descriptions of how the cadre test the candidates as well as what they look for can help any prospective green beret get ahead with preparing himself.



2. This is a great book. Very credible considering he is the only author to ever go through from start to finish. Would be nice if he had the Infantry OSUT portion included. I couldn't put it down.



3. I picked up "Chosen Soldier" on a recommendation from a friend, and actually read it before I attended Selection myself. Although Selection is an ever changing process, I think that Mr. Couches "Chosen Soldier" is/ should be a MUST READ for anyone interested in Selection themselves.
   
   As a former Navy SEAL, Mr. Couch has a unique insite into the Special Operations world. He does an outstanding job of setting up the entire book w/ a chapter to explain all the acronyms and jargon used in the book, not to mention the differences between Special Operation and Special Forces. He goes on to give the reader a special look at the men going through the course, which he follows from start to finish, by doing personal interviews with them. Asking about where they went to school, their families, and why their reasons for being at Selection to begin with. As I said, Mr Couch follows the students from beginning to end. He does an great job breaking down the specific jobs of each team member into their own dedicated chapters.
   
   Long-story-short, overall, this book is a great read. I read it before attending Selection myself and I thought it was a lot of help in helping me prepare. Afterwards, I found it to be very accurate. When I left, my wife picked it up and read it. When I came home, she asked me, "How was the Nasty Nick?" ... that was the last thing I wanted to think about.
   
   I can see myself reading this one a couple more times, as well as keeping within reach as a reference as I make my own way through the course.
   
   Thanks for a great read, Mr. Couch!



4. A rare and interesting glimpse into the journey of becoming a S.F. soldier. The book gets a little bogged down with acronyms, in addition to speling erors, which detract from the readability. Overall, the underlying message is clear- these guys are tough, intelligent, and adaptable. If you want to know what it takes to qualify for S.F., this is a must read. Thanks to Dick Couch and all those that serve our country.



5. Covered everything it should from start to finishm with the exception of the stuff he couldn't write about. All in all a very good book for anyone thinking about going SF

5 comments about The Mission, The Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander.

1. I am thirty three years old and worked for a time at a Bible College in upstate New York and then returned to my home state to finish my four year degree. I had ACL reconstruction in 2007. Now I am looking to go into the army as an officer in the next few months. This book really resonated with me and has inspired me to a higher level. I just wanted to thank the author for the book. This book caused me to ask several questions.
   
   What is my motivation? Love of country, desire to help others. Am I committed to being the warrior athlete? I'm pretty sure the author would say it is my duty. The principles are freeing when you get a chance to evaluate and get above the clouds and see life as patterns. I'll definitley read this book several more times. Thanks, Mr Blaber. I'll shoot for the highest goals and remember that life is complex, so I need to be ready to adapt.



2. I was involved in much of the action in the area of operations in which the majority of the story takes place. After reading reviews here, I thought I was going to find it hard to put down and learn lessons to apply in this "after life." Not so. I kept waiting for the good part, the details of what training and life was like as a Special Forces soldier in the 2001-2007 time frame. The stories need to be told, but I felt it came up short on the details of what it was like... unlike so many Nam books. In those, you learned the ramifications of having a cold while on patrol as a squad, the utility of a p-38, and interrogation technics used against POWs, for example. 'It's in the details.'



3. It's got plenty of patting himself on the back. Maybe a good editor could have made it a "management" book, by cutting out the self-congratulations and sticking to the theme, but, in the end, i'd recommend it. You can use the ideas, and the stories are interesting.



4. I realy injoyed this book. I has some interesting pricipals for all aspects of life. Informitive and insightfull, yet plesent to read. I would definatly reccomend this book.



5. The Mission, The Men, and Me; in that order. Through compelling stories about his time as a commander with the U.S. Army's Elite Counter Terrorist Unit - DELTA FORCE, Pete Blaber illustrates battle tested leadership principles used in the most intense situations in the world. If these principles work for the Unit, they will work for you. If you have any interest in leadership that works you owe it to yourself, and more importantly to your team, to read this book.

5 comments about The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan.

1. This book puts you right along side ODA-574 5th Special Forces Group as they make their way into Taliban held areas of Afghanistan 2001. It is the type book that once you start you don't want to put it down. AWESOME and MOVING READ!
   
   HOOAH!



2. A wonderful book that shows who the real heroes are. Too bad they are interfered with by the sometimes dumb brass.A must read if you are interested in the politics of the service and who the real soldiers are.A very reflective book on Afghanistan also.Too bad Bush got bored and went to Iraq instead of finishing the job in Afghanistan!I highly recommend the book.



3. Eric Blehm is a marvelous and immensely talented writer. He lays out the background story of The Only thing Worth Dying For in the beginning chapters, quickly running through a huge number of people's names and military jargon.
   
   Blehm's talents are many and difficult to describe in a review - much better to read in person. But #1 amongst his talent is Blehm's ability to concisely interpret interviews and reports into a coherent whole. His depiction of events involving evaluation of wounded soldiers is graphic and real. Blehm is a researcher who digs deeply into his subject, reading and interviewing and tracking every bit of information to its source.
   
   Another of Blehm's talents for those of us without a military background is the way he takes military jargon and reduces it to just the important concepts. He also succeeds in helping readers follow the ever-expanding cast of characters.
   
   Nothing in Blehm's writing is extraneous. Nothing is wasted.
   
   The best part of The Only Thing Worth Fighting For is that, though written in the genre of creative non-fiction, Blehm is scrupulous in keeping himself out of the story. He lets the ODA team, and what happened to them in Southern Afganistan, stay front and center throughout the book.
   
   Eric Blehm is writer we should keep an eye on. He is young, though experienced. He is talented. His next project will be greeted with much anticipation. I'm sure it will be as great as The Last Season and The Only Thing Worth Fighting For.



4. Incredible. I hate reviews that spoil the story, so all I'll say is that this book is not pro-war or anti-war. It tells a story of brave men and some terrible things that good people go through.



5. Have not had a chance to read this yet, but it's the next one I plan to read!

5 comments about ASVAB For Dummies.

1. I just took the ASVAB last week. I scored an AFQT percentile score of 90. I'm currently going Air Force and the scores were:
   
   M 73 did not study for it at all, hardly gave any effort and still scored 73
   
   A 91 my recruiter said that this part is always easy
   
   G 88 The book helps a great deal
   
   E 81 The book helps a great deal too except the electronics sub test
   
   So here are my recommendations concerning those going Air Force. Study this book if you need high scores in the AFQT, general, and electronics. I would supplement this book with the online tests on [...] and a specific book concerning electronics. Hardly any of the electronics material from the book was on the test, so you may have to buy a Electronics for Dummies. Take all 3 of the full tests on [...]. That's it! You will need nothing else except 7-8 hours sleep, a hardy breakfast, some coffee, and self confidence. Remember, you are being scored on how well you do against your competition. Most of the tests were only 16 questions and you will have ample time to answer. Just stay calm and be confident. Make sure to have a small snack, like an oatmeal bar, and use the restroom before going to take the test. It is a freakin' cake walk!
   
   Oh, and one more thing some of the military people there are rude. You think they would have some decent manners.



2. This ASVAB Book is very detailed and really goes into everything you would like to know for the test.



3. I borrowed a copy of the ASVAB for Dummies from my local library. While I used other study guides after this, I enjoyed this guide the most. I completely forgot all of my highschool mathematics and needed the review. The for Dummies series makes light of dense and boring subject matter and actually encouraged me to enjoy studying! *gasp* For an overall review this is a great book and it makes studying several entirely different subject matters fun and easy. If you need a serious mathmatics review like I did I recommend this book and picking up another ASVAB study guide to make sure you cover all theories and practices. I received an 80 on the ASVAB and am very happy with my score.



4. My husband said this book was excellent, its really helping him study for the ASVAB, he hasnt taken it yet so we dont know what his score will be but he studies everyday using this book.



5. THIS BOOK IS AWFUL. The cutesy little jokes and wisecracks can't hide the fact that there are a HUGE NUMBER OF ERRORS in the tests and in the review sections. It's obvious on many test sections that the answer is for a different question...how can you trust ANY information in this book? Very sloppy! PLUS, the questions are WAY TOO EASY--like training with matchsticks when you're going to have to move tree trunks! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!

5 comments about They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq.

1. Outstanding book that takes a hard honest look at the realities of Soldiers in combat. It also shows the struggles that they faced after loosing so many of there brothers in arms. Amazing book. A must read for those who want to see what our Soldiers sacrifice every day.



2. This book was a difficult read. I had a loved one serve in this unit and lose many brother, so knowing the ending made it all the more difficult. I wish it was listed under fiction and that the events that unfolded were not true experiences these young men and women went through. I felt that the author should have spent more time describing the soldiers characters (and some of them were characters)and although I understand that there are limitations when writing a book I felt it would have been better to have shown some more of the other struggles the soldiers were going through as well. The personal life struggles (which they still had to deal with amidst their grief). Wives leaving husbands during the deployment, babies being born without the support of the fathers, financial burdens being placed on the families when pay was an issue. Also, some of the every day living conditions these guys had to go through. There were some good ones touched on but a lot that were left out. Again, I know that there were limitations when writing the book. I think the readers will get a really good look at the personalities and struggles the Commanding Officers went through but I think a lot of the soldiers get left out of the story. Too many to cover all of them in the book but not enough was touched on in regards to them. It really felt more like a story about the leaders and not the soldiers. I can almost see a screenplay now and can visualize how it will play out. A story about the courageous leaders and all they went through to try to sculpt and mold their men into the soldiers the army wanted them to be. Basically avon ladies selling avon door to door but soldiers selling peace to a society that seems to me, would not know what to do with it. When things go so very wrong and too many lives are lost and they truly have had enough they are accused of mutiny and this tight knit family of brothers is seperated. The many lives lost was the true tragedy here but so is what remains of the post war soldiers. Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injuries, amputations, severe burns, etc. The thing I hope the reader takes away from this book the most is a deeper understanding of the American soldier's sacrifice and service. Of the unfathomable sacrifice he/she has made. This book is a good step towards opening the eyes of Americans. I hope to see more stories like this offered in the future.



3. This book was very difficult to read, fighting back tears, and repressing memories better soon forgetten. I try everyday to remeber the "brothers" lost in combat, and everyday I try to forget the horror.
   Kelly is a wonderful person, who wrote a wonderful book that vividly portrays the actuality of war.
   Thank you, Kelly, for writing this. Thank you, 1/26...Charlie Company are Warriors...
   Let us not forget that many were lost during that fifteen months...Much love to my fellow Blue Spaders!
   "Doc" Roth



4. this book was a very difficult read, having been a part of this unit, 1-26 Blue Spaders. Everyone in this book was a friend and brother to me and reading this brought back my own fears. Kelly did a fantastic job painting the picture to everyone who reads this as to what exactly we went thru, what all combat soldiers go thru, things that don't get shown on the 5 o'clock news. Thank you Kelly for writing our story, and thank you to all the guys of 1-26



5. I was in Baghdad as part of the surge, arriving about six months after the Blue Spaders with a brigade from the Big Red One, so I certainly identified with those in the 2nd "Dagger" Brigade and kept tabs on what was going on in their sector.
   
   We heard about Adamiyah and just about all of it was bad. Kelly Kennedy does a very good job of capturing how difficult an area of operations it was, while writing a poignant tribute that effectively tells the story of one particular company of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry.
   
   I remember standing in our TOC and looking on in horror at the UAV feed both days when the Bradleys in Charlie and Alpha were destroyed. As a former armor officer, my greatest fear was being burned alive in my tank, and seeing that become a reality for those brave men kept me awake a night for days afterward.
   
   Kelly is a brilliant author. She was supposed to embed with our brigade, but the schedule changed and she couldn't make it. I wish now that she had, because she brings great credit to her profession. Her own experience and understanding of military and medical topics makes her an ideal person to write this book.
   
   Based on the positive comments from the Blue Spaders alone, she did her best and got it right.
   
   It's a tough story, but these men and women continued to serve with honor even in the darkest of times. Not every unit can say the same, and unfortunately, I've experienced the depravity of men pushed too far that they snap and destroy their own lives as well as the lives of others to include innocents and their loved ones all in the pursuit of an "eye for an eye."
   
   Thank you, Kelly for telling the Charlie Company and the rest of the Blue Spaders' story. Even those of us who were over there can't really comprehend how devastating those losses were, and how much strength and courage it took for those Soldiers to pick themselves up every day and continue to go out there when it all seemed so futile. I lost a good friend to an EFP and found myself questioning the mission a lot. But the book does a great job of putting it into perspective and making sure their sacrifices will not be forgotten.