Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War

First off, I want to be clear about the focus of my review. Book reviews should center on the genre (type) of book, the content as it is expressed within the genre, and the quality of the writing itself (and how that writing meets or does not meet the demands of its target audience). In case you hadn't already guessed, I am both an English teacher and a writer, so I would like to think I have a bit of experience in this area. First, genre. This book is an autobiography, centering largely on Meyers' experiences at the battle of Ganjigal and its aftermath. As a result, you are going to hear strong opinions, raw emotion, and bloody accounts. You may not agree with them. That is fine. But do not be shocked that this man, this Marine who came as close to Hell as the living can, has a lot to say about it. Again, this is an autobiography, written by the author about himself. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the author will have definite opinions about his own life, and that they do not always please the masses. That is not the point of an autobiography. If bloody imagery, angry recriminations against military leaders, and honest portrayal of personal attributes don't appeal to you, that is also fine. But autobiography is then not the genre for you. For rip-roaring accounts of military bravery where the good guys always win (and are perfect), the bad guys always lose, and no one dies, I suggest the fiction section. For everyone else, if you can handle the description above, you will probably appreciate this young man's account. It satisfies the requirements for an autobiography quite well. I would have liked to know more about the author's early life, but being that he seems naturally to be a man of few words--and that the book is about his combat experiences--I can easily overlook that. As for the content, in the context of military literature, Meyers sums up the key points without becoming verbose. He does repeat certain points, but if you read the entire book, it is quite easy to see why! Some readers will find his lack of explanation of some of the acronyms frustrating. However, this problem is easily remedied by a Google search of any term not understood (just as you would look up words with which you were unfamiliar in a dictionary). I hope the possibility of encountering unfamiliar words will not discourage anyone from reading the book. There are maps and full-color pictures included in the book. I found the first confusing and the second illuminating. You may feel differently, but either way, these extras in no way detract from the reading. As far as actual text is concerned, while Meyers spends a lot of time downplaying his own actions, he simultaneously gives credit to those who helped that day. Those who appreciate fairness and humility in an autobiography will most likely enjoy this book. Some readers may find some of his comments about killing disturbing. That is understandable. I view these comments as coming from a grieving heart that has been trained for combat. I may not agree with every single thing the man says, but nor do I judge him for it. Finally: writing meeting the target audience's requirements. Some books are written for children, some for adults, some for specific segments of the population, and some for everyone. This book was written for everyone. Meyers wants people to know what happened (in hopes it will never happen again) and to honor his friends. It is not written by an academic; it is written by a young man who signed up for the Marines at 17 years old. The writing is of a simple and unsophisticated style. Bing West, the acclaimed journalist who helped Meyers write the book, makes very clear that the words are Meyers', not West's. If simple, unpolished writing is not for you, that is fine. But choose a different book. I enjoyed it precisely because Meyers, the man who was actually there, is the narrator. This book is uncompromising in its candor and unapologetic in its pathos. It is not pretty, sanitized, or neatly wrapped up at the end. Life isn't always that way, either. And that is what an autobiography is: the story of someone's life. In this case, it is the story of a combat veteran, and as such, it meets the requirements for a good story. Furthermore, if this man can live through these experiences and be brave enough to share them, I feel that the least I can do is respectfully and thoughtfully listen to what he has to say. I can consider the large-scale effects of war, as well as its effects on individuals, without lapsing into hasty judgments. My advice for potential readers is to focus on the story itself, for that more than meets the requirements for compelling autobiography.

This is one of those books that shows both the best and worst of humanity. War is so horrible that it always manages to bring out the worst, but often it also brings out the best. Dakota and Rod charged into a situation where death could be reasonably expected to result. They did so five times. One lucky round, one RPG or rocket, and they are dead or worse, incapacitated to be captured and tortured to death. Without them, probably no one escapes. We all like to think we’d be that guy, but I can admit I would come up short. These aren’t just good people, these are the absolute pinnacle of humanity.This book also serves to illustrate how the US hampers itself, especially by not understanding our foes and our erstwhile allies. Sure, be too liberal with artillery and the Afghans will hate us, but at least they would respect us. By not supporting our own, we telegraph that we are weak. As a seventh century culture, the Afghans despise weakness, and having beaten the Soviet Union (and earlier, the British Empire) by simply being tougher, they have no doubt that the Taliban will ultimately win. This battle also vividly displays our paucity of planning. Our military commanders failed to clearly establish a chain of command, which in itself is an often fatal flaw that any amateur can see. They established a platoon as a QRF for a company, even though conditions of terrain prevented that platoon from having its multiplier effect. And ultimately that platoon chickened out, refusing to do its job. For a company intentionally going into a perfect ambush situation, the QRF should have been a second infantry company reinforced with that light armored platoon. And worst of all, they established a strong artillery force with ROE that intentionally neutered it. Artillery wins battles, but only if one uses it. Before sending in Americans, commanders have an absolute moral duty to evaluate conditions, reaction forces, and support according to the ROE and the potential threat rather than what the enemy usually does. It’s just like Benghazi, and it’s only because Meyer is The Pitbull that anyone received even the tiniest reprimand. It also shows our failure to properly use our technological advantage. Given that circumstances gave our seventh century foe ample time and Intel to set up the perfect ambush, that area should have been under constant electronic and optical surveillance. Then the Allied force would have been forewarned and the ambushers could have been surrounded and annihilated. THAT would have gotten the locals on our side.One lone happy note: Swenson finally received his much-deserved Medal. Just as without Rod and Dakota likely no one would have been saved, without Swenson likely there would have been no one left to save.Bing West has done an excellent job with this book. Rather than make war porn, he has described Meyer’s actions succinctly, enough detail so that everyone can get an idea (to the extent non-combatants can understand) the scope of the danger and valor without glorifying the violence, and used the balance of the book to show us who is Dakota Meyer, what made him what he is, what was the situation, how it reached that point, and the aftermath. It can’t have been easy for Dakota to not expound more on the betrayal, but together they present it factually, even showing how this betrayal was set up by higher higher. Excellent job, guys. Highly recommended.

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Great read, very interesting.

Dakota Meyer schildert in seinem Buch seine Rolle und seine Erlebnisse während der dramatisch verlaufenden Operation Dancing Goat II im Jahr 2009 im Ganjigal-Tal in der afghanischen Provinz Kunar, die beinahe in einem völligen militärischen Fiasko geendet hätte. Für seinen Mut und seine Tapferkeit während dieser Kämpfe hat der Autor die Medal of Honor erhalten.Der Autor schildert zunächst kurz seine Kindheit und seine Jugend auf einer Farm in Kentucky, seine Ausbildung zum Infanteristen beim US Marine Corps und seine anschließende Scharfschützenausbildung beim Corp. Es folgt ein Einsatz im Irak, den er aber schon nach kurzer Zeit wegen einer Verletzung abbrechen muss. Im Sommer 2009 erfolgt die Verlegung nach Afghanistan um dort als Berater/Ausbilder für eine Einheit der afghanischen Armee (ANA) Dienst zu tun. Vom Combat Outpost (COP) Monti aus nimmt Meyer an ersten Einsätzen und Scharmützeln teil und wiederholt wird der COP von Aufständischen beschossen.Danach beginnt der Hauptteil des Buches mit der Operation im Ganjigal-Tal. Die Operation steht von Beginn an unter einem schlechten Stern, so dass die Einheiten schnell in einen gut geplanten Hinterhalt geraten, der zum dramatischen Kampf um Leben und Tod mit vielen Opfern wird. Hier übernimmt der junge Soldat Meyer eine unglaubliche Verantwortung und zeigt einen ebenso unglaublichen Mut, um seine vermissten Kameraden zu suchen und zu retten. Mehr möchte ich von der Handlung nicht mehr verraten, um niemanden die Spannung beim Lesen zu nehmen.Nach dem Einsatz und der Rückkehr in die USA hat der Autor mit einer posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung zu kämpfen, die ihn an den Rand des Zusammenbruchs bringt. Das Buch ist ein subjektiver und emotionaler persönlicher Bericht des Autors, wie er die gesamte Operation erlebt hat, was er dabei empfunden hat und auch eine schonungslose Kritik an Vorgesetzten, Strategie, Taktik und Rules of Engagement, die seiner Meinung nach dieses Debakel praktisch vorprogrammiert haben. In der Tat sind viele Entscheidungen nicht wirklich nachvollziehbar und der ganze Afghanistan-Einsatz an sich erscheint in einem äußerst fragwürdigen Licht, was Vorgehen und anhaltende und nachweisbare Erfolge angeht. Außer vielen Opfern auf beiden Seiten wurde in den letzten 14 Jahren tatsächlich wenig Zählbares erreicht.In jedem Fall ist dieses Buch eine sehr dramatische Lektüre und ein ehrlicher, subjektiver und authentischer Bericht eines jungen Soldaten, der für seine Kameraden unglaublichen Mut bewiesen hat, der aber auch die ganze Misere des Afghanistan-Einsatzes an sich evident werden lässt. Von mir volle Leseempfehlung.

Great book.. Well written about the ugly side of the war.. The author received a medal for his bravery and it shows why

This has all that a good book needs: short, intresting and a good reading. The author does no attemt to sound super clever and that works very well.