Black Hawk Down MTI

Rating:
Summary: Duck, Move and Pray!
Review: The "play by play" accounts and real dialog make this a terrifing account of real combat. At once I wanted to be a Ranger or a "D-boy" and just as quickly, I was really glad to be in my living room! I found it a little disconcerting that the "D-boys" really taught the Rangers a lot that I felt they probably should have known. The Rangers really weren't as elite as I thought they were (but they still did a damn fine job). If we can get real special effects like in S.P.Ryan, this movie could be incredible. Hey, by the way, are the "sammies" nuts? I couldn't believe thier casualty rate and thier tactics.

Rating:
Summary: BLACKWAWK DOWN SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING IN BASIC TRAINING!
Review: I am a CW2 Blackhawk Pilot in the Army and I must say that this book is outstanding. Mark Bowden delivers a hard hitting, concise story of that fateful battle. Not only is it a page-turner but a very real eye-opening experience. Not only aviators must read this. If you serve our country in any capacity you should read this book. If I were a high school English teacher it would be on my required reading list. I will make all of my friends read it for sure.

Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Private Ryan
Review: This is the BEST nonfiction I have ever read. It rivals even my favorite novels. The storytelling is so intense, real, and dramatic that you feel as if you were there. The picture painted of Rangers and Delta operators is the best of any book I have ever read. I have heard that they are going to make this into a movie and if they, and follow the Private Ryan form, then this movie could be a modern day Oscar contender.

Rating:
Summary: A matter of honor
Review: Mr. Bowden paints an excellent picture of "Somalia's heat", also describes whit clear words the meaning of «honor» in combat: I've been in and there I've learned to respect those guys of Ranger regiment. "Black Hawk Down" it's a tribute to those men who fought in dusty streets of Mogadishu. A tribute of honor.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting and unforgettable
Review: I read this book in the course of less than two days. I would advise a reader to read the note on sources at the end of the book first, so you will realize that this book is carefully constructed, and the great amount of dialogue is not fiction. This is as close as one can get to real war sitting in an easy chair reading about it. If there was a way to give it ten stars I would.

Rating:
Summary: Intense, informative, chilling.
Review: Great book. Not for those with a weak stomach though. It gives you a revealing look behind the scenes as this operation went from a humanitarian one to one devoted to capturing the tribal leader Aidid. It also impartially analyzes who was responsible for that mission shift.

Rating:
Summary: An eye opener for people who never served in the military
Review: I am not a military man and this book was superb! Readers will develop insights into the fighting men of our armed forces and the politcal aspects of fighting a modern war. I now have a different take on our engagement in Somalia and my esteem for our military men and women has increased tremendously.

Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: Thought this was an excellent narrative of a desperate and bloody fight. Mark Bowden did a remarkable job of capturing and presenting this story... only wish he had done it sooner. As a young military officer, I hope our political and senior military leadership can take the lessons learned in this fight and successfully apply them to future Stability and Support Operations. NSDQ!

Rating:
Summary: Details of the USA in now and future conflicts.
Review: For anyone who has been under fire this is "the how it was" (and will be) book. Technology reigns through blood-on-the-ground action. On the flip side - angry armed citizens (i.e. - "the Sammies" with their Ak-47s and RPGs) make a formidable foe for any technological giant.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible
Review: It's like reading the newspaper