Heroes | The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family

From War Eagle to Dirty Bird | The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family | Martha Raddatz

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	• The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family Martha Raddatz Tantor Media, 2007 average customer review:based on 67 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Finally a real reporter on Real life and death of a solder

This is a great book by Martha Raddatz.
The first real reporter to tell Battle like it is. I
couldn't put it down. I usually can't read in a bus
during my 4 hr rides to Buffalo's VA. This one grabbed
me. She wrote fluidly and knew the correct slang and
terminology. The book Talks about "Black Sunday", 4
April 2004. Incase you guys don't know this was the
day in Iraq that C company 2/5 was ambushed and left 4
dead and 47 wounded. It was the battle that allowed
Sheehan to come to the front of U.S. politics. The
book is not about her, although it touches on her.
Contrary to her statements Casey, her son, was on his
second enlistment and he was one of the first to
volunteer to go on the rescue mission that in the end
he died, The whole first Cav lost 8 men and nearly 70
wounded. It was C company's worse day since our
contact on 3 Jan 1972 (remember we had 1 dead and 26
wounded in an ambush).
The part that bothered me was the lack of air support
and the use of Humvies that were not designed for
urban combat. Worse, as a combat medic the battalion
aid station was not up to snuff.
Armour saved lives, and they had it - in spite of what
you may have heard. What did we have - a tree, a rock?
The problem was supply and that was governed by the
definition of the mission. The 1st Cav came as part of
a peace keeping mission not combat.
We, in the West, do not understand the inner workings
of the Islamic world - especially the infighting
between groups - we never have. Professors and
reporters paint the Arab world as some window to the
Biblical Life of 2000 and more years ago. Bull!!!
double bull!! They are of another religion but have
not got rid of the ethnic violence within the practice
of Islam. Christianity has just begun that journey and
we (my people) have had to reassess our use of force
to preserve our people.
Read the Book - if it id the only one you touch this
year.
Laura Ingraham, thanks for pointing it out to me

Rabbi Kuzriel Meir
"Doc Junkman"
The Last Head Medic of C 2/5 Vietnam

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Heroes

This book has brought so many tears to my eyes. It helped me understand what my son went through that day, seeing his buddies laying there dead. When he called home a couple of days later to talk, never realizing it would be his last phone call home, he was very much a changed man. Normally a very happy go lucky type of guy, he was a very animated man who acted like he was on speed...trying to cram that whole day into a 10 minute conversation...feelings, sights, experiences...just wanting to unload on Mom. He said he lost a good friend that day, Casey. In the picture part of the book, you will see a picture of him and Casey taken at Hood. Neither one of us realized that day he called that he would be killed by an IED only days later. This book helps the families understand not only what happened that day, but the way our guys felt afterwards and what so many of them are trying to deal with today, especially those back over there again. Thank you Ms. Raddatz for that.

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From War Eagle to Dirty Bird

My son fought this fight, on the first day of their arrival in Sadr City, with the 1st Cav's 2-5. As do many Soldiers, they will speak of combat primarily with those whom have experienced it with them. Such is the case with my career Soldier son.

The events that transpired during the afternoon of April 4, 2004, as chronicled in The Long Road Home, were far more intense than my son lead me to believe; his emails from War Eagle - or Dirty Bird as it was known by the troops - mentioned the painful loss of personal friends but little more. Not to worry family back home. Read this outstanding book and learn what motivates and sustains America's finest.

Within the next thirty days, my veteran will again return to Iraq. . . this time with a 1st Cav combat patch tatooed on his shoulder; beneath which is the action date, Sadr City, and his personal tribute, "Never Forget". Thank you to Martha Raddatz for sharing with us the events and memories that a fine Soldier will forever keep in his heart.

This review was written on the third anniversary of the 2-5s baptism in fire. Remember.

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The mother-in-law of a soldier mentioned in this battle

Thank you Martha Raddatz for writing this book, and giving us an idea of what our soldier went through on that awful day. I read it from cover to cover the minute I received it. I knew of many of the soldiers mentioned, in addition to my son-in-law, and it was done in a respectful and detailed manner that I very much appreciate. It gave a real sense of what they experienced, as well as a tribute to the fallen soldiers.

Why were we so dumb?

After serving 28 years in the Army's armored calvary I was dumb stuck at how army leadership could react in such a risky manner. This large unit had competed high levels of pre training before deployment to a war zone, so why so dumb? Its understandable that everyone was unprepared to deal with this event seeing they were given bad Intelligence before deployment. That noted why push young solders into battle in what everyone knew we unarmored vehicles? Any good officer in at this level of leadership reacts from his training not his emotions, these seem to rush into danger with little regard of the troops safety. I would love to hear why the rush when they could have sent their Bradley fighting vehicles which carry one squad each to the lost platoon. They are quicker, safer and more powerful then anything they sent in flatbed trucks. Just seemed the wrong call to me.

Lloyd Ashland
US Army retired.

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