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Summary: Black Hawk Down
Review: Although the mission went wrong right from the beginning, the soldiers didn't give up. They were brave and stepped up. Even wounded soldiers volunteered to go back and help after their retreat. Alot of lives were immediately lost, but it was amazing how no man was left behind. This book shows how our some of the young soldiers learned the true meaning of what war was all about and they are in fact real heroes of our country.
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Summary: Black Hawk Down
Review: Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden might be one of the best war stories I have ever read. Iv'e always enjoyed reading novels about past wars but this book was so shockingly descriptive that it gave me chills. Bowden along with soldiers who fought in Somalia take you step by step from the invasion to the miraculous rescue with stories about the brave marines who were fighting. I had seen the movie that was made from this book and I thought that the movie was awesome but once I started to read this book I liked it more than the movie because I could create my own picture of what it was like even though the movie helped me to create a more realistic setting in my mind. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading detailed war stories. However if you dont like bloody war books this is not the book for you. I would give this book 4 starts because I loved reading it and it was very well put together.
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Summary: Example of the strengh of the American Fighting Man!
Review: Black Hawk Down is one of the greatest examples of the strengh of the American Soldier ever! If you want to read about how the US military soldiers overcome struggles this is the book. The book has some errors in it but that is understandable with the time period between its publication and the battle. I would highly recomend reading through the book at least five times before watching the movie.
George Lask
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Summary: Night Stalkers Don't Quit
Review: Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden, is an in-the-streets account of the now infamous seventh mission of Task Force Ranger and Delta Force in Mogadishu, Somalia. Militarily, the mission was a success; politically, it was a disaster.Black Hawk Down was recently released as a major motion picture. I haven't (yet) seen the film, but even to those who have I strongly suggest reading this book. In addition to being made as a movie, an even earlier version of this book appeared as a series of articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Additionally, there is a "companion documentary" (Somalia: Good Intentions, Deadly Results), a shorter version of which has appeared on CNN. Of course, the most famous media related to this story is the news footage of the dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets by angry mobs; second to that would be the image of Black Hawk pilot Mike Durant's smashed face in the video made of him by his captors. Both of these are around; if you really need a reminder, try Google. In the 1990's, the United States found itself in three separate conflicts in (at least partially) Muslim lands. The Gulf War was a conventional military venture, the UN missions in the former Yugoslavia represented a basic-albeit convoluted-peace-keeping venture. The nation-building force in Somalia after the initial famine-busting mission heavily involved special operations. The first sent ripples among the military theorists of nations across the world; the second involved the civilizationally odd American preference to support the Muslim community over that of Orthodox and Western forces; the third was seen as a victory of sorts by Third Worlders and Islamists who drew from it the lesson that America could be shocked into backing out of a conflict. Understanding each of these conflicts-militarily, politically, and culturally-is important to understanding this greater conflict we are now in. Black Hawk Down does much to shed light on the personal and tactical elements in the Somlian campaign's bloodiest battle. While Mark Bowden is a journalist and is quite clear about saying he has no background or experience in combat tactics, covert operations, military strategy, etc., this book is very illuminating. Since the book's publication, Bowden has been invited to address the Military Operations Research Society, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (Ft. Leavenworth), and the Central Intelligence Agency. The book been personally recommended by the U.S. Marine Corps commandant and is part of the mandatory reading curriculum at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. So how did this journalist write something that garnered so much respect among military professionals? Quite simply, he tells the soldiers' tales and he tells them straight. The political backdrop, the larger strategic military picture, the command decisions made outside of Mog-these he treats lightly and only as much as needed to provide context for the first-hand accounts of the Americans and Somalis that were actually there. This is a street-level, blow-by-blow narrative of some of the most intense combat American forces have faced since the Vietnam War, and nearly every word of it is drawn either from interviews with combatants, from transcripts of radio traffic, or from video footage shot by U.S. military personnel. I read this book over Memorial Day weekend this year. It was extremely appropriate. Overall I really enjoyed this book and feel I've learned quite a bit from the experience. I had already read a shorter account of overlapping events-from the CIA perspective-written by Vernon Loeb for the Washington Post, titled "After Action Report", but this book fills in details that the other perspective lacked. (At the same time, I strongly recommend you read "After Action Report" as well.) I've heard criticisms of the film that said it was often hard to tell one character from another; I could say the same for the book. At the same time, the sense of confusion that sometimes creeps into the narrative is, in fact, a natural consequence of the fact that this is combat, as experienced by modern soldiers. By the time you complete the book, you'll have enough information to get a remarkably complete picture of the "Battle of the Black Sea"; while in the midst of it, though, you may well find yourself flipping back through the book to remind yourself which unit and which part of the city you are currently reading about. All in all, this is a book well worth reading, and have added it to my Warblogger's Bookshelf. It is an insight into the terrible human experience of modern warfare, set within a significant series of events whose importance were not fully understood in their own time. If it were fiction, I'd say it was a brilliant, thrilling "page turner"; it, however, is not. It is the story of a handful of American soldiers who really lived and (some of them) died, often in stunningly heroic ways. To understand a part of what emboldened enemies such as Al Qaeda, to learn what modern unconventional combat can be like, to renew your faith in the courage and skill of the folks in America's armed forces, read this book.
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Summary: I read it twice!
Review: I read this book about 2 years ago when it first came out and decided to read it again in light of what is going on in Afghanistan. I enjoyed it very much both times. It is the true story of the attempt by U.S special forces to capture some "bad guys" in Somalia in 1993, but it reads like a fast paced novel. As soon as the Rangers and D-boys hit the ground, they are met by far more resistance than they anticipated, and things go wrong right away. Bowden quickly puts you right there in the midst of the fighting and chaos, and you will have a hard time putting this book down. Be forewarned, some of the descriptions of the injuries and deaths are very graphic. Although the main thrust of the book is the ongoing battle, I was also intrigued by the depiction of Delta Force. These guys are amazing; the elite of the U.S. military, living by their own rules. They look down their noses at the Rangers, yet every 1 of the Rangers wants to become a D-boy. Bowden does a good job of showing the friction betwen the "operators" and every one else. Another fascinating side show is the mind set of the Somalis. Several times Somali citizens are described as curiously wandering into the middle of the fighting as though trying to get a better view of a car wreck. Or rushing into the middle of the street in an attempt to retrieve a weapon from another Somali, who just seconds before had been riddled with bullets and killed. Did they think they were invisible, invincible, or didn't they care if they lived or died? Overall, a very entertaining book!!!!
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Summary: A Classic on Battle History and Do-Gooder Intervention
Review: I read this powerful book over the 4th of July and could not put it down. It reads like a true-life Saving Private Ryan and brought tears to my eyes. All of the extremeness of war is here-horror, bravery, honor, confusion, sacrifice, camaraderie and even humor. The coffee clerk becomes a fighting machine! It is meticulously researched and reminds the reader what our men and women in the armed services do for us with too often little appreciation. I would make this book required reading for political do-gooders who are eager to have American soldiers lead third world countries into democratic prosperity. There are few books that go into the actual workings of the Delta Force and this book can now be added to their mystique. Delta Force by Charlie Beckwith and The Commandos: The Inside Story of America's Secret Soldiers by Douglas C. Waller are other books that readers might enjoy. The "D-boys" come across as everything we would hope and expect from our elite soldiers-cocky, able, and willing to do whatever it takes to get the mission accomplished while taking care of every man on the field. The fact that one of the wifes' of a dead "operator" believed that her husband was in telecommunications demonstrates the level of integrity (and yes, even humility in civilian life) of these men. Since the ending is probably known to most readers who follow world events, I would suggest that they start with the epilogue first to get the political history and background. The book sadly shows that President Clinton does not know the meaning of the word "honor" and had no concept of what the soldiers died for in Somalia when he immediately cancelled their mission after this battle. The book reiterates that the objective of the mission was successfully accomplished. President Clinton dishonored the men who fought and died in this battle by removing all forces soon afterwards and returning all prisoners within several months making their victory and deaths sadly in vain. (The father of a dead soldier tells Clinton that he is not fit to be Commander in Chief, long before Monica). The Somalia of today is due to Clinton withdrawing after the first touch of heat. My only criticism-the pictures and maps are in different places in the book. When this is printed in paperback I would hope that all the maps are in the front and all the pictures in the middle.
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Summary: Simply an Excellent Well Researched and Well Written Book
Review: Many people do not understand but this was a successful operation in which Aidid's lieutenants were arrested at a meeting in Mogadishu, Somalia, and this was during a UN mission in October of 1993. Aidid was a tribal war lord who controlled much of Somalia, and who opposed the UN intervention. During the arrest, the US troops were surrounded by thousands of armed Somali civilians and militia who resisted the US entry into the city. These were regular civilians and members of Aidid's militia, the Habr Gidr, a combination mafia and rag tag defense force using cell phones and small arms including rocket propelled grenades and AK-47's. As the troops landed they were met by small arms fire, road blocks, and burning tires to signal a call to arms for the militia. The resulting battle killed hundreds of people, but most of the US troops survived with their prisoners. President Clinton was shaken by the casualties and withdrew the troops from Somalia about a month later. This withdrawal after a successful operation - but one with casualties - was a factor in emboldening Bin Laden to attack America on 9/11. He thought that we do not have the will or moral courage to fight for something that we believe in, if we have to take casualties.
Both the movie and this book are highly underrated and I would recommend both reading the book and watching the DVD. The movie is excellent and gives a condensed picture of what happened and how the operation was executed. I have one minor gripe with the book, and that is the title. This is no longer modern warfare per se, it was the warfare of the early 1990's. Already the munitions and special operations have evolved away from heavily armed ground troops backed by helicopters, which really came out of the Vietnam experience. The war in northern Afghanistan was carried out by highly mobile special forces without helicopter gun-ships using small groups of special forces, with Predator drones, lots of satellite intelligence, and with special operations troops on the ground with laser illuminators for precision guided Air Force munitions. Also the troops in Afghanistan worked with existing armed groups to leverage their power. This Somalia operation probably is closer to the mechanized invasion of Iraq. In any case it is an excellent and detailed story of US Rangers and Delta forces in action.
The book and the movie are in many ways quite different. The movie is excellent. The photography is good, as is the directing. The dialogue is so so but not bad. Without using any name actors it gives a generally authentic recreation of the Delta force and the Rangers attempting to arrest some of Aidid's lieutenants in Mogadishu. It shows how the force works as a cohesive team with Rangers coming in on helicopters, some in Humvees and trucks, and some Delta forces using both. It is story about highly trained young troops, some very green, in "Operation Irene" to arrest Somali leaders in Mogadishu coordinated by older leaders and backed by armed helicopters. The main problem with the movie is that it is short, and really the operation was actually much larger than depicted in the movie. That is where the book is useful. According to the book, there were almost three times as many aircraft were actually used in Operation Irene as shown in the movie - presumably for movie cost limitations. Plus the management and planning was more complicated. There were 18 killed and almost 100 casualties, dozen serious in addition to the killed, and by some estimates over 1000 Somali civilians and militia fighters were killed.
The book has a whole new level of detail on the operation. It presents a step by step, minute by minute, account of the action with many details on the soldiers, and the opposing fighters. It has much more detail than the movie booth on the planning, fighting, and stories on the individual soldiers. It is more graphic than the movie in describing the injured. Also, the author provides a great deal of political background information that is missing from the movie. Finally the book has a lot more detail and the specific fighters with their names and homes and has a number of photos of the troops. Actually once you read the book the movie makes even more sense.
The book is about 400 pages in small font and takes about 2-3 days to read. It has a nice selection of about 20 black and white photographs plus many maps and notes. The back of the book contains an epilogue plus about 60 pages or so of sources. Generally the book is what one would characterize as a comprehensive effort.
Suggestion: get a copy of a map of Mogadishu so you can follow the action street by street as you read.
Excellent read. Easily 5 stars.
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Summary: Black Hawk Down worthy of all praise
Review: Mark Bowden delivered an excellent novel destined to be a classic in the non-fiction community. The level of journalism and reasearch involved in writing this book must have been amazing, as was described in the back. Finally, an accurate account on modern war and a look at what a soldier truly is. A person who well trained, is still a human with a past, with a mother, and a life. Bowden shows that the American military in the modern world is capable of winning a battle and losing the war as it did in Vietnam. Bowden also delivers a phenomenal look at what it means to be an elite soldier, and the fear and bravery that flows through the veigns of those called to do America's worst.
The book is an honest and detailed look at the Battle of the Black Sea, which erupted in Mogadishu, Somalia when the United States sent the elite Army Rangers, and almost mythical Delta Force to begin a campaign of bringing down Somali warlords tearing the fragile African nation apart.
A must read for anybody who is, was, or plans to be apart of the greatest military in the world.
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Summary: An excellent book!
Review: Mark Bowden has done an outstanding job of telling the story of the battle of Mogadishu. U.S. army rangers and delta forces were in Mogadishu trying to kill or capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a local warlord, leader of the Habr Gidr clan, who was preventing international relief agencies from properly distributing food in famine-decimated Somalia. Trying to pluck one well-hidden person from the midst of a very sympathetic populace is not so easy, as we learned then and have re-learned in the case of Ossama bin Ladin. The U.S. began to settle for picking off top Aidid aids. This battle bagan when U.S. forces learned that two Aidid lieutenants were meeting in a building near the center of the Aidid-controlled section of Mogadishu. The plan called for Delta forces to take the building and capture the men, for army rangers to secure the corners of the block containing the target building, and for black Hawk helicopters to provide overhead cover for the rangers. It was a reasonably good plan, but it had one very serious weakness. It turned out that the Black Hawks were very vulnerable to fire from rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), a cheap and reliable Soviet made weapons system. RPGs are as common as dirt in third world countries, and Aidid's forces had plenty of them. Two of the Black Hawks were shot down by RPG fire, and two more were damaged so badly that they had to crash land back at the U.S. base. In trying to retrieve the downed Black Hawk pilots and crews (or their bodies), the rangers and Delta forces got shot to hell by an extremely hostile city full of AK-47-toting Somalis. It is an amazing story, well told by Mark Bowden. Part of the irony and horror of the situation is that we were only trying to help, we were only trying to do good. Yet we ended up getting 19 of our own boys killed and 70 others wounded, and killing perhaps (no one knows for sure) 500 Somalis. The moral to the story is that if you're trying to do good, send missionaries. The army is not a missionary force. The purpose of the army is to kill people, and it should never be deployed unless U.S. national security is implicated, which it was not in Somalia.
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Summary: Honoring Fallen Heroes
Review: Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down finally pays the due respect to the fallen members of America's military. Thanks to Bowden, and of course Hollywood, the horror story of the battle in Mogadishu was taken from being hidden under a veil of defeat and embarrassment to finally pay the respects to those who deserve it. Bowden's ability to describe each character with such detail and energy brings the reader into an emotional bond to them, bringing the reader in as if they were stranded on the streets of Mog too. The background and thoughts expressed during the story give another dimension that was impossible to present in the actual movie. The true horror, loss, and pain experienced by each and every member of the task force was brought to life by Bowden and his skillfully written novel. One of the most important aspects was to be able to honor those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom and safety of others. The real stories of each Ranger or Delta Force operator that gave his life are finally presented in the book. Their heroics during the mission, even in the direst situations, just goes to show how elite and honorable they are. Bowden's novel brings the horror of battle in Mog to life, finally presenting what really happened and honoring those who gave their lives. Great novel.
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