1. In as few words as possible, what is this book about? The book is called “WE WERE ONE” written by Patrick K. O’Donnell, a historian that wanted “…to do something, and in some small way, out of patriotism, make a difference.” (pg. 219, O’Donnell.) He wanted to record the stories of those fighting in the Battle of Fallujah, but to do so he experienced the battle shoulder to shoulder with the Marines. The author of this book starts off by explaining how Lima Company’s First Platoon started. Fresh new boots out of the SOI (School of Infantry) that were trained to fight in combat as well as open up to each other and create wonderful bonds with one another. After training, they were finally sent to AFG where they spent months patrolling and …show more content…
They weren’t capturing the real thing. O’Donnell on the other hand, he stayed with the Marines every step of the way. Marines fought, they got injured, some even died and fell in front of him, but he never backed away. 4. Did you learn anything new? If so what? During boot camp, we were taught about the Battle of Fallujah, but after reading this book, I was able to understand so much better. I was able to picture their tactics, strategies, their emotions, and why the Marines were called the “Greatest Generation.” 5. Which part of the book did you find most interesting? This question is honestly the most difficult to answer. The entire book was intriguing from start to finish. I would say that what I liked the most about this book is all the pictures he placed on there. He captured every image with so much meaning. It is as it’s said, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” I got to see the faces of the fellow heroes in Fallujah. 6. Did this book inspire you to want to do more research on the subject? Why? Why not? This book got me interested in the citations of the marines in 1st platoon. I would also like to know if the author got injured during the battle. The battle itself is very tragic and horrible, but just knowing how these men had each other’s back was enough for me to want to their about their backgrounds. 7. Would you recommend it to a friend or another Marine? Why? Why not? I would definitely
An expectation that is shattered on his very first night when during the operation he ends up killing two Taliban gunmen. He tells the story of that night, and then the next, and then goes on to tell stories of the more complex operations that he ended up being involved with throughout the deployment. Each of the stories is told from a very personal point of view which is what makes this book work and work very well. We are told of his feelings towards his comrades, his attitude and approach to the others, and those little anecdotes of daily life that are either humorous or poignant. He experiences his comrade’s deaths as well as various injuries and he also experiences plans that go awry and situations where nothing happens. I think that the author sat down with his co-author and relived each event in his own words. These recordings (probably) ended up being transcribed and then arranged and edited into this book. This approach works very well in this case. Because of the "war story" nature of the narratives and the naturalness of the writing, this book is a very quick read across its 310
Originally this book was given to me by on of my combat instructors in Marine Combat Training(MCT). I wanted to read it but soon found it impossible due to certain time constraints. I lost the book during the transition from M.O.S. school to my current residence. Just recently, I obtained another copy of this book from a fellow Marine who currently works in the same shop.
My opinion on this book is that it is a great and interesting read that captures the attention of the reader and ties in ideally to our Marine Corps values. It depicts perfectly on what it is to be a warrior whether it is past, present, or future. I think that every Marine should read this book or at least look into the history of the Spartans and their dedication to their way of life and culture of war fighting. I strongly believe the book
60 veterans were interviewed threw out this story , so the author gets all of the experiences in their own words. we learn about their reasons for enlisting; their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received there; their lives in a segregated military. A very great bio of one of the characters was the one of Herman Darden Jr. He begins to talk about the reputation of the marines at the time which was marines were rough and ready to go. He then talks about his reason for joining which was "because marines are supposed to be the first to battle and the first ones home, so I don't want to stay out that long". Even though the racial barrier between the blacks and whites was big alot of these black men still found it in them to join the marines and fight with honor.
This book is about 1stSgt. Kasal’s life leading up to his most honorable moment while in the battle of Fallujah. The book starts out by telling how 1stSgt. Kasal grew up in Afton, Iowa. He grew up on farm like most other families in his hometown. But with farming becoming obsolete in the shadow of large corporations, Brad Kasal already knew by junior high that he didn’t want to slave on a farm to barely scrape by like his father. He already had the Marine Corps in his sights. January 1984, Kasal left his hometown of Afton, Iowa and got a plane destined for MCRD, San Diego. Kasal shined right away and became a squad leader and was meritoriously promoted to Private First Class by graduation and instructed
Personally, the book taught me a lot about how people deal with situations when under pressure, people’s need for power and how easy it really if for a war to break out and I found that in my mind I could easily link what was going
Beginning my love of reading an early age, I was never the type of child who was drawn to fictional stories. As an 8 year-old child in West Virginia, I was recognized by the local library for my love of biographies, autobiographies and recollections of world events. This love has continued throughout my adult life, desiring to read novels such as “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore rather than watch the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” starring Mel Gibson. Even though the motion picture received multiple awards, when reading the recollection of Mr. Moore’s accounts, the feeling of loss, distress, anxiety and fear can be felt in each word that he has written while reliving this horrendous war.
Owen states that he has altered some names, and that since he is human some events may have played out differently. Lt. Owen also informs that he used help from his coworkers to make sure he retells the tale with utmost honesty. “All the men portrayed here are real, and the substance of their stories is faithful to the actual events depicted.” (Preface, xvi) It is with this precaution we are introduced to the first Chapter. Lt. Owen gives the readers information not only about his background, but also the background of his coworkers. He speaks of the pride a marine should have, and the bravery of Baker-One-Seven. “We were under way. There were tears, but Marines and Marine wives aren’t ashamed of tears when their hymn plays.” (Chap. 3, pg. 46) This memoir serves as a tribute to the Marines of Baker-One-Seven. The events and facts depicted in Owen’s memoir contains historical
I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a realistic account of the Marines who fought in the final stages of the Vietnam War. This book is extremely powerful to anyone who knows someone who fought in Vietnam. My uncle was a Corporal who fought in Vietnam so it defiantly hit home for me. James Webb did an amazing job of capturing just how violent and different this conflict was, and makes it personal with his development of the books two protagonist. It is obvious that the events described in this book were directly influenced by Webb 's personal experience as a combat veteran and Marine officer in the Vietnam War. Webb 's credibility is unquestionable due to his experiences and level of realism. This book is a must read if you know any USMC Vietnam veterans, or just want to know more about the Vietnam war. I highly recommend this
The most powerful part, I felt, was on page 263, where there was a soldier who did not recognize his own brother. The conditions were so terrible that one could not even recognize someone with whom they had lived with for years. It was also shocking to see that kids the same age as me and even younger going with their parents to fight in a war. If you could not even recognize your own family how could you recognize if someone was on your side? The conditions were gruesome at several times, especially the weather. The summers were hot and humid, and the winters were cold and windy. The ways the soldiers kept warm such as gathering around candles, lanterns, and even mounting on top of a canon for warmth were very interesting to me. Washington's skills to move an entire army within a few short hours without being noticed also grabbed my attention. Then at the battle of Trenton, where the Americans completely surprised the British was shocking. Throughout this book there were many well written accounts, and spellbinding parts to this
In this story Tim O’ Brien, the author, is the main character. What a little bit strange is, is the fact that he is the protagonist but also the antagonist. In this story Tim O’ Brien must decide between 2 things. He can choose to do something honorable and report for the war or he must obey this conscious and either go to jail in Canada. This process teaches him a lot about himself and he learns that people who do brave things are only motivated by embarrassment of shame. After a certain period O’ Brien goes to Vietnam and carries a new sense of shame with him. Once there he found a war where soldiers carry all manner of weaponry. They carry fear, hate, guilt, love, dreams, and blame. They used tough, coarse, language to make the war seem less real. Most of all, as they marched from village to village, they carried the question ‘what’s it all for?’ Looking back now, he realizes that the war is now reduced to stories. Stories put a spin on the war, make it seem less painful, less real. Tim O’ Brien is a member of Alpha Company and they have a lot to carry for. The men of the Alpha Company march, fight, camp, joke, dream, and die. Those elements came all back in this book. The book tells the story of those men before and after the war to give the reader a picture from how the situation was during the war and how the war affected them later. An important major event is the death
The subject of this book has affect my life by serving as a reality check of what my Marine predecessors went through in order for me to be able to obtain the deep-rooted fighting tactics today. I will never have to deal with and survive the adversities that the Marines of Fox Company did. It also affected me by teaching me that as a Marine, no matter what struggles may present themselves, I will always thrive and keep fighting.
Many people don’t comprehend how traumatic the life of a young fighter in World War I was. In my opinion, this book will especially help you understand this. The descriptive language describing the wounds and unpleasant content made me feel queasy at times, but also forced me to feel compassionate for the military troops. In this book, limbs are lost, animals such as horses are killed, starving soldiers dig through garbage for food, the troops are destroyed by poison gas, munitions, and bombs. The conditions the fighters went through in the war was dangerous and disturbing which makes me realize how fortunate my life is and causes me to feel compassion for the fighters because of what they had to struggle with.
Following the aircraft and shells came the Marines, fighting anyone that stood in their way, taking back the city. The people they spoke with told them not to get them wrong. They were happy with the actions of the Marines because they cleared out most of the gangs or ran them off. Life had been easier and safer since they came. They also told the three soldiers that several hundred Marines remained in the city and were securing the port and refineries. The Marines were being supplemented by the Army, possibly the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Fields of Fire by James Webb is a historical novel first published in 1978 that takes place in the year 1969 during the Vietnam War. Although there are many characters that are significant to the story, the novel focuses mainly on three marines who find themselves in a platoon with each other; Robert E. Lee Hodges, “Snake,” and Will “Senator” Goodrich. Webb gives the reader a great, detailed background of each of these characters through a combination of both direct and indirect characterization. As the novel progresses, major events that occur include battle and violence, loss and coping, and learning. The themes that naturally