- Joined
- Jun 2, 2008
- Messages
- 1,231
Author: Kelly Kennedy
A friend of mine was a contractor working at USAG Schweinfurt in Germany at the time this took place. She was hoping to get some insight at what the boys went through and why the command was relieved and picked up this book in order to try and satisfy her curiosity. And then passed the book on to me.
"The triumph and tragedy of the hardest hit unit in Iraq"
This book was kind of a hard read, not because of the writing style, but because of what was written on the pages. It was an emotional trip through a tough deployment. Throughout most of the book, I felt almost as though I was listening to a (much needed) group therapy session.
The book chronicles the time 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division went to Iraq back in October 2006. The focus was primarily on Charlie Company's stay in Adhamiya. While most of the book looked at the brotherhood and what lead to a platoon reaching it's breaking point, it also touched on successful and problematic leadership and actions that lead to PFC Ross McGinnis receiving the MOH.
It was nice to see both sides of the coin (Army thinking vs human nature) for people outside the military that may not understand why some decisions are made to the detriment of some people. The book touched on "normal" reactions to warning signs that someone may be in trouble.
Overall, I thought this was a very good book, but I don't know if it is one I would read it a second time.
A friend of mine was a contractor working at USAG Schweinfurt in Germany at the time this took place. She was hoping to get some insight at what the boys went through and why the command was relieved and picked up this book in order to try and satisfy her curiosity. And then passed the book on to me.
"The triumph and tragedy of the hardest hit unit in Iraq"
This book was kind of a hard read, not because of the writing style, but because of what was written on the pages. It was an emotional trip through a tough deployment. Throughout most of the book, I felt almost as though I was listening to a (much needed) group therapy session.
The book chronicles the time 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division went to Iraq back in October 2006. The focus was primarily on Charlie Company's stay in Adhamiya. While most of the book looked at the brotherhood and what lead to a platoon reaching it's breaking point, it also touched on successful and problematic leadership and actions that lead to PFC Ross McGinnis receiving the MOH.
It was nice to see both sides of the coin (Army thinking vs human nature) for people outside the military that may not understand why some decisions are made to the detriment of some people. The book touched on "normal" reactions to warning signs that someone may be in trouble.
Overall, I thought this was a very good book, but I don't know if it is one I would read it a second time.
