Synopses & Reviews
The battle for Fallujah in November, 2004, was the most intense urban engagement fought by the United States since World War II. It was a battle unlike any other in recent history--civilians were used as human shields, or as bait to lure Americans into buildings rigged with explosives; suicide bombers approached from every street corner; and radical insurgents, high on adrenaline, fought to the death. The Marines were the first to fight in Fallujah, and the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (3/1) bore the brunt of this epic battle. Within the battalion, Lima Company's 1st Platoon saw the worst of it. At the end of the battle only fourteen of the platoon's forty-nine Marines were left standing. Award-winning author Patrick O'Donnell was embedded with this modern band of brothers as he marched--and fought--side by side with the soliders of the 1st Platoon, and he stayed with them as the casualties mounted. In riveting prose, O'Donnell captures not only the sights, sounds, and smells of the gritty street fighting, but also the human drama of young men from a close-knit platoon fighting and dying for each other. We Were One chronicles the 1st Platoon's story from its formation in February, 2004, to its near destruction among the smoldering ruins of Fallujah. It is a story of the next greatest generation--the valiant Marines who fought bravely and died in the fiercest battle in the Iraq War. As The Humvee Carrying The Badly Wounded Sergeant Conner and the lifeless body of Mike Hanks pulled away, a remarkably composed Corporal Bill Sojda assumed command of what was left of 3rd Squad. The men's faces were ashen, their eyes filled with tears. Lance Corporal Jacob de la Garza, the lastsurviving member of Hanks' fire team, covered his head with a brown scarf. Garza was spent. His face looked like he had aged ten years, and he said nothing to his buddies. Lane Corporal Steven Wade grabbed his hand and said, Garza, we'll get you home. The remaining men in the squad held hands. According to Derick Lowe, It was our way of silently saying, 'We came through this, we are going to make it out of here together no matter what happens.' The battle continued to rage, and 3rd Squad still had work to do. As they pushed on to clear the next house, Natasha, a D-9 armored bulldozer on loan from Israel, leveled the building where Hanks died. Natasha was said to be named after an Israeli woman, the wife of an army officer, who was killed by a suicide bomber. As the squad watched the destruction of the building, no one said a word. It was instant justice.
Review
Lieutenant Jeff Sommers
“We Were One captures every action, every thought, but most importantly every emotion that goes with victory, and the loss of friends in battle.”
Sergeant James Conner
“We Were One describes the hardships that our band of warriors endured as a family, and the sacrifices we were willing to make for each other when put to the ultimate test.”
Corporal Bill Sojda
“We Were One is a perfect, no-shit, first-hand story about a group of brave young boys, strangers to each other, molded into Marines, and the war that made us men. A unique bond made us brothers—we fought for each other to stay alive. Feel the heartache, the glory, and the agonizing pain of each Marine as we tell our story of the brutal bloody battle for Fallujah. It is war at its worst fought by young men at their finest.”
New York Post
“A real-time, eyewitness history …. The author’s most important accomplishment among many is to put a human face on the troops who are fighting against some of the fiercest enemies America has ever encountered …. Read O’Donnell’s excellent book and you will know that they are indeed, as were each preceding generation, “The Greatest.”
Marine Corps Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Army Times
First-rate reading…Admirably depicts the brutal realities of street-to-street, house-to-house fighting…Captures the sensory details and emotional drama of good men killing and dying for one another and their country.”
Military Illustrated
“One of the best books to come out of the recent conflict in the Middle East is this blistering account of fighting the toughest of Iraq’s insurgents…Riveting and frightening…In many ways this has the same intensity of experience as Mark Bowden’s classic Black Hawk Down. An exhilarating and instructive read.”
Air & Space Power Journal
“A blue-collar, in-your-face, real-life depiction of marines fighting an ingenious, determined, and radical mujahideen insurgency…This book’s perspective makes it stand out among others that deal with such battles. The author’s decision to write about Fallujah through the eyes and experiences of those who fought it—and to draw on his own observations—brings credibility and a real sense of truth to a compelling story of bravery, courage, and commitment to something greater than oneself.”
Military Heritage
“O’Donnell depicts in graphic detail the sights and smells of urban combat and the bravery of young leathernecks, whom he describes, with some justice, as the ‘next greatest generation.’”
Leatherneck
“O’Donnell takes the reader into the private world of a Marine infantry platoon…His descriptions of the Marines clearing houses, fighting the heavily doped-up insurgents, as well as the physical, mental, and emotional toll it takes on the Marines are among the most descriptive and heart-breaking accounts to come back from the Iraqi front…For those who want to begin to understand the deadly nature of fighting in an urban environment, the determination of the enemy, as well as the inherent problems in 4th Generation Warfare—as well to begin to understand the determination and dedication to their fellow Marines of those young men who are doing the fighting—then this is the book for you.”
Roanoke Times
“This is, being real, a more than harrowing tale…A graphic account…portraying in the starkest terms the infantryman’s war.”
H-Net.org
“Superbly captures the human dimension of war that is missing in so many books of this genre…It is an extremely powerful and personal volume that will dramatically impact both those who have experienced combat and those who have not.”
Military.com
“Cover[s] the war that the mainstream media neglects: the story of countless acts of courage and sacrifice among the young soldiers and Marines who tend to remain anonymous unless they make a mistake.”
“Politics & Patriotism Show” blog, 6/26/12
“The combat history that I’ve always wanted. It’s hot, sweaty, stinky, and honest without pandering. This author has documented the nuts and bolts of modern war, and the men who live through it. It’s one thing to do your homework and write a well-rounded after-action account of recent events. We Were One goes one step further in that it’s the culmination of research and observation that was done by the author, as it happened, in a fast moving war zone…O’Donnell is a keen observer and a skilled chronicler…We’re going to be dissecting what went on in Iraq for a long time. We Were One provides some badly needed clarification.”
Synopsis
Five months after being deployed to Iraq, Lima Companys 1st Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, found itself in Fallujah, embroiled in some of the most intense house-to-house, hand-to-hand urban combat since World War II. In the citys bloody streets, they came face-to-face with the enemy-radical insurgents high on adrenaline, fighting to a martyrs death, and suicide bombers approaching from every corner. Award-winning author and historian Patrick ODonnell stood shoulder to shoulder with this modern band of brothers as they marched and fought through the streets of Fallujah, and he stayed with them as the casualties mounted.
Synopsis
A Band-of-Brothers-like, first-hand account of the fierce battle for Fallujah and the Marines who fought there--a story of brotherhood and sacrifice in a platoon of heroes
About the Author
Patrick K. ODonnell is the author of three previous books, including Beyond Valor, winner of the prestigious William E. Colby Award for Outstanding Military History. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.