Michael J. Durant

Wow! If the entire book had been written at the level of the description of the battle at Takur Ghar, this would easily have been a five star read. There are enough people, places, time frames, aviation history, and military acronyms to satisfy most flying-action geeks - especially rotor heads. But the story telling is rarely linear and character appearances often get a little confusing.

Helicopter pilot from the Mogadishu shoot down credits 5th Group Green Beret Colonel Nick Rowe for his SERE (Survival School Training) which allowed him to survive being taken prisoner by the Muslim terrorists in Somalia. Rowe himself was a Vietnam POW and escapee and wrote an excellent memoir of his time in Vietnam. The best part of this book is his crash landing which he survived, others did not, and the arrival of posthumously awarded Medal of Honor Green Beret winners Gary Gordon and show more Randy Shughart. The number of kills they had was unknown since they were shooting from their own helicopter while in the air and then on the ground to rescue the flight crew of Durant's chopper. Durant says that Shughart alone had 25 Kills just around the downed helicopter before he was killed. I thought this was good but not great writing. show less

Five stars to these warriors and their brave deeds. 2.6 stars for workmanlike prose that at times turns purple.

Fantastic book. Will be purchasing additional books by this author. Book is written in a manner that non-military personnel can easily understand. It covers a wide range of events spanning several decades. Makes one appreciate the dedication of America's military personnel and their families. It was nice to read about several branches of the military and other government agencies working together as a team.