 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Entertainment Review |
| By: Patrick O'Donnell Publisher: Da Capo Press |
No one can argue that the men and women that fight for our freedom are greatly appreciated for the work they do
overseas. However, many don’t realize the mental and physical scars many of them return with, many of which will
never heal in their lifetime. Patrick O’Donnell, author of “We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who
Took Fallujah,” brings to life the true horror of war with horrific realism because he had the guts to walk side by side
with the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, as though fought their way into and through Fallujah.
It is quickly realized that their battle was like no other in history. This group was put to the unbelievable task of
fighting through Fallujah by clearing the enemy out of one house and then moving onto the next, slowing working
their way through the streets with its maze-like labyrinth of back alleys and passageways between buildings.
The author description of clearing a house leaves very little to the reader’s imagination. The Marines would enter a
building on the first floor. A team of two would kick in a door and toss a grenade inside. A Marine would enter the
room and spray it with gunfire in hopes of killing or disabling any enemies in the room. Oftentimes the enemy had
constructed a barrier to hide behind and would be able to take out the first Marine to enter the room at point blank
range.
We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah” will prove to be a difficult book to read for
many because of the horrors that are told throughout. Readers will hear about bodies cut in half, men with missing
faces, decapitate and limbless soldiers, and soldiers that had to continue the fight after wiping bloody pulp from their
faces and weapons of another Marine who had just been hit by some form of attack.
The book is very well written and is easy to follow through, even though it contains many acronyms that only a Marine
would understand. Some readers will find it helpful to write down the acronyms and their meanings for later use in
the book. There are also several maps provided that will help the reader to visualize Fallujah and arrows that
indicate certain assault movements.
This book is highly recommended for not only those who want to read what it is really like to be overseas at war, but
also for the government in Washington, so they can read the real story of what is going on in the areas that they are
so easy to send troops to. It all is set in Iraq today where Fallujah-like battles are fought by U.S. soldiers and those
brave Iraqi men that are willing to fight beside the U.S. soldiers.
This book offers an unforgettable story about a group of boys who become men on the battlefield, whose objective
was to survive one day at a time. It is a story about men who created a unique bond that can only be formed in
battle, a bond in which each would make the ultimate sacrifice for the other, a bond that made them one.
overseas. However, many don’t realize the mental and physical scars many of them return with, many of which will
never heal in their lifetime. Patrick O’Donnell, author of “We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who
Took Fallujah,” brings to life the true horror of war with horrific realism because he had the guts to walk side by side
with the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, as though fought their way into and through Fallujah.
It is quickly realized that their battle was like no other in history. This group was put to the unbelievable task of
fighting through Fallujah by clearing the enemy out of one house and then moving onto the next, slowing working
their way through the streets with its maze-like labyrinth of back alleys and passageways between buildings.
The author description of clearing a house leaves very little to the reader’s imagination. The Marines would enter a
building on the first floor. A team of two would kick in a door and toss a grenade inside. A Marine would enter the
room and spray it with gunfire in hopes of killing or disabling any enemies in the room. Oftentimes the enemy had
constructed a barrier to hide behind and would be able to take out the first Marine to enter the room at point blank
range.
We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah” will prove to be a difficult book to read for
many because of the horrors that are told throughout. Readers will hear about bodies cut in half, men with missing
faces, decapitate and limbless soldiers, and soldiers that had to continue the fight after wiping bloody pulp from their
faces and weapons of another Marine who had just been hit by some form of attack.
The book is very well written and is easy to follow through, even though it contains many acronyms that only a Marine
would understand. Some readers will find it helpful to write down the acronyms and their meanings for later use in
the book. There are also several maps provided that will help the reader to visualize Fallujah and arrows that
indicate certain assault movements.
This book is highly recommended for not only those who want to read what it is really like to be overseas at war, but
also for the government in Washington, so they can read the real story of what is going on in the areas that they are
so easy to send troops to. It all is set in Iraq today where Fallujah-like battles are fought by U.S. soldiers and those
brave Iraqi men that are willing to fight beside the U.S. soldiers.
This book offers an unforgettable story about a group of boys who become men on the battlefield, whose objective
was to survive one day at a time. It is a story about men who created a unique bond that can only be formed in
battle, a bond in which each would make the ultimate sacrifice for the other, a bond that made them one.
