Rating: 
Summary: WHY
Review: JUST FINISHED READING YOUR REVIEWS AND A QUESTION COMES TO MIND. I AM ASSUMING SOME ONE IN CHARGE OF POSTING READS THIS STUFF BEFORE IT IS POSTED SO HERE IT GOES...I WAS AN AIRBORNE RANGER FOR 4 YEARS SO I TOOK THIS STORY TO HEART. I HAD NEVER HEARD IT IN SUCH A WAY BEFORE AND I FELT A GREAT PRIDE IN THIS BOOK, THE WAY IT SHOWED MY FALLEN COMRADS TO BE THE HEROS THAT THEY WERE. SO I HOPE THAT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHEN I TELL YOU HOW DISCUSTED I AM THAT YOU ACTUALLY POSTED THE ARGUMENTS THAT SOME OF YOUR CUSTOMERS HAD FOR NOT BEING IN SOMOLIA IN FIRST PLACE. I WAS EVEN MORE AMAZED THAT A READER THOUGHT HIMSELF SUCH AN EXPERT ON URBAN WAREFARE THAT HE SUGGESTS THIS TYPE OF WAR HAS OCCURED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. TO HIM I SAY IT IS TOO BAD THAT THE RANGERS HADNT KNOWN OF YOU SOONER, FOR IT WAS IN FACT THE EVENTS IN SOMALIA THAT SHAPED MY MODERN RANGER TRAINING. EVEN MORE APPALING YET WAS THE SECOND GUESSING BY A READER OF THE DICISIONS MADE BY DELTA AND THE RANGERS ON THE BATTLE FIELD! WHO IS THIS PERSON TO THINK THAT HE IS A GREAT WAR STRATIGEST, BETTER EVEN THAN THE MEN, NO, WARRIORS OF DELTA AND THE RANGERS? ABSURD! LET IT BE KNOWN THAT A ONE CERTAIN READER IS NOT, AND WILL NEVER BE A "BROTHER IN ARMS" TO ANY RANGER. PLEASE, LETS STICK TO POSTING THE REVIEWS AND LET OUR HEROS REST IN PEACE.
Rating:
Summary: the mold for urban warfare
Review: to read this book is to learn of the actions of the greatest warriors to ever walk the earth. this is a story of the united states army airborne rangers as they are droped into what was suposed to be an easy mission in a poorly equiped third world country. the rangers thought they would be facing nothing more than a local milita but what awaited them on that day was a city the size of new york, and those not firing on them with ak-47s where willingly using themselves as human shields. this is a rare look into the best light infantry unit in the world. in this book you will move through the streets of this urban jungle with true american heros as they battle to complete a mission gone terribly wrong. your heart will become auidible as the men to your flanks take rounds to the chest and continue the fight. read BLACK HAWK DOWN and find out what the rangers mean when they say... READILY WILL I DISPLAY THE INTESTINAL FORTITUDE REQUIRED TO FIGHT ON TO THE RANGER OBJECTIVE AND COMPLETE THE MISSION THOUGH I BE THE LONE SURVIVOR
Rating:
Summary: The Peacemakers vs. The Warlord
Review: This is an excellent piece of modern American history. Black Hawk Down is also a wake up call to any policy makers who have taken the Gulf War as proof positive that Military intervention will always work in the new century. Mark Bowden manages to give the reader a good impression of the overall situation in Somalia in addition to the electrifying events of that ill fated mission in October. This is a very good aspect of the book, because it is here that the general reader and future policy maker will gain the most insight. Technological superiority does not insure an easy military success. Gunships and night vision goggles do not equal victory. As the battle rages through the streets of Somalia, you will find yourself having to take some time off, in order to catch your breath. Bowden's writing is as telling as Spielburg's directing in Saving Private Ryan. Not only is there an honest and smooth account of combat, but the humor that manifests itself in these terrible situations is also brought out with ease. I did find myself fliping to the index when a name came back that I recognized but could not remember exactly- that is one of the few shortfalls Bowden's tale posesses: an amazing quantity of characters. They are hard to keep track of. I needed to remind myself that I was reading history, and not an adventure novel. It shamed me to think that I could read like that, but you might find yourself falling into the same trap that Bowden's prose led me. All in all, I am glad that Bowden has give us the story the way he has, with as few as possible ommitted details and in a way that is so easy to access.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible account of modern infantry warfare
Review: I've delayed reading this book since its first release, ut I could no longer held out and read it recently. I was never a Ranger or a SpecOp type. Just an old-fashioned airborne infantryman who partook in the invasion of Panama and the Persian Gulf. International and international politics aside, this book shows all the aspects of ground warfare that could date back to the beginning of times. The weapons may change, but the blood and gore remain the same. This book is a must-read for politicians who want to rattle sabers for votes, for liberals or conservatives who wanted to meddle into another sovereign nation's civil business via projection of US military, and for kids who watched too many Hollywood action movies who wanted to sign up to serve with the creme de la creme of fighting forces. War; or specifically combat, is not a pretty business even in this day and age of "Nintendo" warfare. Illiterate fighters from Third World nations don't care one wit of you are there for their own protection, or you are suppose to be a chest-thumping "American Warrior." They kill you just as dead as you kill them. That's the essence of combat. Kill or be killed. Us or them. Too bad about innocent bystanders. Too bad about collateral damage. Too bad about orphans and widows. Bullets don't have your name written on them. They are simply addressed "to whom it may concern." This is a tale of tragedy for both American soldiers and Somalis who got caught in the whirlwind of international politicking. I am not a soldier turned peacenik, but I have grown to despise politicians because of what they have put me and my brothers in arms through. We swore to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies; foreign and domestics. Not to be policemen of the world, or pawn for international policies.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: As a person whose closest experience to warfare has been watching 'Saving Private Ryan' I nonetheless found this book absolutely captivating and compelling. You certainly do not have to have any familiarity with the military to apprecciate the extraordinary human drama and fast-paced narrative. I found the book to be truly exceptional in portraying the many different ways the soldiers psychologically dealt with combat and what was happening to them. All in all, a terrific book.
Rating:
Summary: An Old Combat Paratrooper's views "beyond self"
Review: Battle is the only event in Life that brings out the worst in Man and the BEST in Man: the Greatest of all mysteries! This is not Henry V but it is as close as prose can come to it.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK IF......
Review: 1. You want to know the Real Deal HEAT of Battle. 2. You want to understand the MEN of Special Operation. 3. You every, want to lead men in battle. 4. You're a politician, from dogcatcher up. 5. You just want to read a well written Book This book is a KEEPER, I'm getting a Hardback as well!
Rating:
Summary: War Is Hell
Review: Read "Black Hawk Down," "Rumor of War" (Caputo), "We Were Once Soldiers, and Young" (Moore). You will understand what war is, and ponder why we can't end it. Once you begin, prepare for some sleepless nights. It's hard to put these books down, whether you are a soldier or civilian.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping tale of modern warfare
Review: Being a military variable wing aircraft enthusiast, I have read a number of books written by Vietnam veteran helicopter pilots and was amazed at their acts of heroism performed for their comrades on the ground. One of the elements of this story, which, by the way, makes a rather chaotic 24 hours very comprehendible for the reader, is about the equally heroic deeds performed by men on the ground for their downed pilots. One can't help but feel pride for the men and women of the armed forces, who put their lives on the line for the United States and everyone within its borders. An aside to that is that one of the funniest things I have ever read was the part in this book about the soldier's matter-of-fact approach to...um...self-gratification. It's a short paragraph...but absolutely hilarious.
Rating:
Summary: Former 1/75th Ranger
Review: This is THE definitive modern infantry warefare book. I spent some time as a Ranger in the 1/75th and a year in the Persian Gulf with 24th Infantry Division during Desert Storm. I can tell you that this is the best book I've found on Delta or the Ranger Battalion. This should be required reading for anyone about to volunteer for service in the Rangers or any other Special Ops unit. It amazes me that the author has no military background. I would hope that our countries future leaders would put this on their short list of required reading.
| 
