“ **** For the Gruesome, Suspenseful Action Packed Book”
Black Hawk Down, by Mark Bowden, was a wonderfully graphic book. There are a rare few number of books that hold the attention of the reader, in such a riveting revealing manner. Although the story was gruesome and brutal, the vivid details can be pictured in the mind of the reader, creating emotional involvement with the men in the war, and still holding the soul of the reader. Mark Bowden was not in the midst of the fire and warfare, but the accounts of what was going on and what was being said in the intensity of war were so real it was as if he was there but just a ghost watcher.
The book shows the strong unity between the men, and what they will go through to save on another. The men in the Delta Task Force and the Rangers would literally go to hell and back for each other. Black Hawk Down lets us view a side of the Army we have never seen. It illuminates us to the danger of the special army regiments whose missions are always secret. It illustrates the struggle between good, bad and not knowing the difference. The Task force had to capture the leader of a group who messed with the United States and over course this was before September 11, 2001 and the U.S. had to stick its hand in fire. The forces has to deal, with disasters of the worst kind, possibly loosing men, the people of Somalia who hate them, pressure from the U.S. government to get the enemy.
The writing remains true to the events and the situation. The reader gets involved with the soldiers, and ties the soldier's feelings with their own, as they are our men, fighting in the dirt and blood. Hidden in the story were many signs of writing with patriotism feelings, in that how our men operated, the unmatched skill and talent, and their bond of the force, which was stronger then those of brothers.
The book showed pride and strength of the United States, and showed how the men truly were united and as one. “Their helicopters were flown by the crack pilots of the 160th SOAR, who dubbed themselves the Night Stalkers. They were expert at flying totally black. With night-vision devices, they could move around on a moonless night like it was midday. The unit’s pilots had been involved in almost every U.S. ground combat operation since Vietnam. When they weren’t flying they were practicing, and their skills were simply amazing. These pilots were fearless, and could fly helicopters in and out of spaces where it would be hard to insert them with the crane. Darkness made the speed and precision of the D-boys and Rangers that much more deadly.”
The book also demonstrates the talents of the Delta team and reveals how it implies a deeper meaning in patriotism,
These weren’t just any men, they were faster, stronger, smarter, and more experienced than any solider in the world. Point out a target building and the D-boy could take it down so fast that the bad boys inside would be hog-tied before the sound of the flashbang grenades and door charges had stopped ringing in their ears. Their could herd the whole mess of them out by truck or helicopter before the neighborhood militia even had a chance to pull on its pants. Garrison’s force could do all this and even videotape the whole operation in color for training purposes (and to show off a little back at the Pentagon)
Coincidentally the best and worst part about the book was the ending. It was the worst part because this was one of the most spellbinding books, and it was the best part because the gruesome, heart-wrenching story was over.
This book was a book definitely worth reading when so few are. This book is recommended to everyone old enough to handle the goriness and the tension and animosity of the difficult situations that our men were reluctantly put into. This book shouldn’t be recommended to all those in war situations like this, which may cause too many painful memories to come flooding back, however it is their choice to read it. Those who don’t know much about or have a minimal appreciation for our armed services, should defiantly read this book to gain a new perspective of how things really are.