Rating: 
Summary: A gripping account of modern war - a must-read!
Review: Sadly, modern warfare is "fed" to the American public in a very sanitized, video-game sort of fashion. We don't see some of the horrific images our parents and grandparents saw. As a result, unfortunately, the ordinary soldier gets overlooked. "Black Hawk Down" bucks that sanitized look at war by dropping you into the midst of a horrifying battle.I read a lot of historical works, and this book is sure to go down as one of the classics of military history as time progresses. Very few historians are able to capture an account of battle in all its confusion, horror, and other emotions. But thanks to a tremendous amount of research, a journalist manages to pull it off. This book has the effect of a punch in the face, because it does show the risk our soldiers faced in Somalia, and how lucky they were not to rack up more casualties. My only criticism of the book is that the author seems to make no judgments in his lengthy conclusion and afterword. While making judgments are not always a good thing in documenting history, this operation screamed for some fault to be doled out to any variety of people - from Clinton on down. There were tactical errors aplenty, a doomed policy (trying to settle a centuries-old clan war), and other things that contributed to the outcome of this incident. To have pointed them out throughout the book, then not hold anyone/anything accountable in nearly 30 pages of personal opinion (the conclusion and afterword) seems to be a glaring omission. That criticism aside, the account of the battle itself is outstanding and reads very quickly. Once the action gets rolling, it's hard to put this book down. I would recommend it as a must-read, because it is operations like this need to be factored into future situations where men are called into combat. Not that it be an excuse not to go to war; simply so that as technology advances, we don't forget the human aspects of warfare.
Rating: 
Summary: An American Isandlwana
Review: First of all, it is important to understand what this book is, and what it is not. It is a good oral history of what the soldiers of TF Ranger felt like during what was for most of them, their first taste of combat. It is a very accurate portrayal of young men at war which, is why I gave it three stars. However, I was looking for a little more than that from this book. I was hoping for an accurate military history of the firefight of Oct. 3rd and 4th which, it is not. 99% of this book is about the pinned down SOF which, was really only half the battle. The other half was the rescue attempt by the QRF and UN allies which, is totally ignored in this book. The Malaysian soldier who died was no less brave than any American soldier who died. In fact, he should be eulogized more, because he died trying to save the soldiers of another country whom he had no obligation to. I realize the soldiers who fought in Mogadishu consider this book to be their "monument," but that shouldn't blind us to the inescapable truth of what really happened that day. Although the veterans claim that they were up against "thousands of Somalis," this statement has to be qualified. In a Congressional Review, US Army officers have said that there were only 300 trained SNA soldiers in that part of the city. The rest of the Somalis were an untrained and undisciplined mob of men, women and children. This mob was largely unarmed and had to wait for one of their own to get killed, so they could then pick up the weapon and fire wildly in the direction of US soldiers. Their lack of accuracy can be imagined, as the low death toll of US soldiers attests to. If the Somalis had been in any way tactically competent, they would have caused many more casualties then they did. Let's face it, the US Army wasn't exactly up against the quality of the Waffen SS here. Obviously, the firefight was not as one sided as it has been claimed. Although the Spec Ops were a little outnumbered in men, that was made up for in air power. TF 160 and QRF gun-ships simply hosed down all moving targets in the city. If it wasn't American, it was dead. The majority of the killing was done by the gun-ships. This book tries to make Oct. 3rd sound like it wasn't a total US defeat by using the "Vietnam yard-stick of victory" which, is the body count. Playing the numbers game does not make this a victory. The truth is that a few hundred pathetic Somalis managed to shoot down five helicopters from our best aviation unit, kill 19 soldiers from our best combat units and wound almost a hundred more. In 15 hours, the Somalis rendered TF Ranger and the QRF "combat ineffective." Immediate replacements for TF 160, Delta, Rangers and 10th Mtn. were brought in-country to make up for the loss. This battle was a tactical and strategic defeat for America, as we had to depart from Somalia with our tail between our legs just like we did in a similar situation in Beirut ten years before. I got the impression that the author was trying to turn this humiliating defeat into an American Dunkirk, when in fact, it as more of an American Isandlwana. And of course, whenever the US Army fails, it starts throwing medals around like they were going out of style. Napoleon was right about baubles. My critique of this book was meant in no way to take anything away from the individual soldiers who saw action that day. You guys are the real thing. Although, I wasn't in Mogadishu myself on October 3rd, I did spend a few months on QRF in that hellhole and so have an inkling of what it was like. Overall, a good book...but the truth of Oct 3rd has still yet to be written.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant - Sobering - Vivid
Review: This is simply a brilliant study of the downing of two American Blackhawk Helicopters in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 and the fight between the American rescuing forces and the Somalian militia. Bowden did a stunning job of gathering personal stories from both sides, rebuilding the fight on a minute by minute basis and writing it with a vividness worthy of a best selling novel. It is a very sobering and very realistic reminder of how dangerous war can be, how easy it is to become overconfident with disastrous results, and how different standards and experiences can be in other countries. Anyone who would like to better understand the modern world and the role of violence in our times would learn by reading this book. Every serious citizen of American survival should read it.
Rating: 
Summary: one hell of a read...
Review: A mind blowing account of international intervention gone horribly wrong. My heart goes out all those who died on those streets and the families that lost them. I had to force myself to wade through the arrogance and the frequent hoo-ra!centric world view of the narrator to fully experience this truly sad and graphic story of modern war. The blaise way in which US soldiers shoot other human beings with little evidence of remorse or relfection is something I struggled with as I read. But I would be hard pressed to find another novel that is as edgy and aggressive, that at times I had to remind myself that I was not reading fiction. I never knew that bullets could do so much different damage to the human body. Oceans to blood...oceans of tears.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it--with reservations
Review: There's quite a bit to admire about Mr. Bowden's work--his attention to details, his willingness to Get It Right, the pacing of the book. All of these things make reading this book a not unenjoyable process except for one nagging thing: IT'S A WAR! People are dying and suffering. The Sammies--might I add that this is not a bit dehumanizing--the Rangers, the Rangers' families. They're all in the middle of life and death struggles and no one seems to want to stop it. These are, in fact, what our men are trained to do in fact. They want to bring the long arm of the U.S. military down on whoever gets in their way because they've been conditioned to want this. Despite what we know about Third World diplomacy and the futility of dealing with conditions like Mogadishu, Bosnia, etc. our response is to blow everything to bits, most of the time. "We're just soldiers and just doing out jobs," seems to be the rationalization that propels men into battle and which they throw over their conduct while in battle and yes, thank God so many have done this, but when is it going to stop? The answer, I know, is never. But the fact that the movie rights for this book have been optioned by a man who's reponsible for the most successful military agit-prop ever ("Top Gun") bothers me even more. People will make war with or without "Top Gun" but must they look forward to it? While in the middle of battle must they feel as if they've stepped into a movie? Because their real lives feel like movies are they more inclined to continue wars and thus keep the movie going indefinitely? I hope we never find out.
Rating:
Summary: The Saving Private Ryan of Books
Review: This book is one of the most graphic and intense military reads of all time. No other book I've read has captured the intensity of combat like this one. From start to finish, the reader actually feels like they are in the the thick of things. A five star great read.
Rating:
Summary: Story of Modern Warfare
Review: This book is truely amazing. It tells of how the elite soldiers of the US fought against an entire army of Somali soldiers. Even though the US soldiers were greatly outnumbered, most of then survived. The book also shows you the sacrifices of the soldiers, and horrors of modern weapons. If you ever wanted to know anything about what kind of missions Delta Force, and Task Force Ranger goes through, this is the book to read. A Great Book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent narrative, just a few editorial problems
Review: I found this book to be a gripping account of the Battle of Mogadishu. The story is well written, with character development and an honest attempt to show both the American and the Somali perspectives of the battle. I have not read much about modern warfare, and this was an amzing peek inside the dynamics of the modern military, the ethos of soldiering, and the competition between special forces and regualr units. Plus, it was a both an exhillarating account of modern battle and a heart breaking story of tradgedy. My only criticism is of the editing. There are many soldier's stories to follow, and mush of their character development took place early. So I often found myself flipping to the index to reference where I had read about this soldier or that one, etc. The index, however was incomplete and innacurate. Some of the page listings did not reference the topic at all, others were mis- numbered, etc. As far the book goes, though, it was great and I highly reccomend it!
Rating:
Summary: Never Forgotten!
Review: All Highschool and College students must read this book. The sacrafices made will NEVER be Forgotten. Being a Firefighter/Paramedic I especially admired the dedication and heroism of all the combat medics and how they continuously cared for their fallen brothers during the thickest of battle. YOU ALL ROCK!
Rating:
Summary: Mogadishu massacre.
Review: Mr. Bowden has done a fantastic job of re-creating the October 1993 firefight between mostly U.S. forces and militia loyal to warlord Mohamed Aidid which left almost 2 dozen Americans and hundreds of Somolians dead. He does not focus on the political aspects of this nightmare any more than needed, this is most truly a war story. Mr. Bowden explains how he was able to interview so many combatants and provides copious amounts of notes to back things up. Mr. Bowden went so far as to visit Mogadishu to interview Somolian combatants (who tried to sell him the helmets of downed American aviators) which must have been a story in itself. Equipment, tactics, personel and weapons are described in depth. There are parts of this book that I imagine the government would not have made public if it were up to them. The description of the fight in downtown will have you ducking as Somoli gunmen fire AK-47s and RPG rockets from crowds, alleyways, windows and rooftops, helicoters swoop in guns blasting, shellcases falling like rain as one by one American soldiers are hit. I really wish some of the decision makers that have deployed American forces to other hot spots around the world would read this. It's a great book, but it's so sad.
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