Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda Review

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(More customer reviews)Mr. Naylor is a reporter with Army Times who has covered the military for many years. He displays an insider's understanding as to how military organizations plan and fight. This book is unique in the degree to which the author was able to get the participants to be interviewed; there are a great many details here you won't find anywhere else. He does a great job on the account of Anaconda, a large raid into a mountain stronghold in southeast Afghanistan, conducted in early 2002.
The author covers the planning for Anaconda, the infighting among different organizations, and the significant impact the Secretary of Defense's office had as the numbers of conventional forces were limited due to political considerations. Special operators, generals, infantrymen, apache gunship pilots, all have their voices heard. What happens when plans fall apart and soldiers have to pick up the pieces? It's all in here.
This is the best account of the Army post 9/11 that has been written, and it is highly unlikely you'll find one better anytime soon. A must read. If you have any interest in the military or national security, pick this up.

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Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this book over a weekend and was pleasantly surprised by it. I read "Not a Good Day to Die" a couple months ago and was waiting for this book to be published so I could compare the two. Of course, "Day" goes into much more detail regarding Operation Anaconda while "Ridge" focuses on the events on a single mountaintop, but I think both were well-written.
I prefer MacPherson's writing style in that he doesn't personalize the story at all. There is no reference to "me" or "I," only the story as told to him by the people involved. I feel that adding one's own voice to a work of non-fiction just makes the writer sound like a braggart and sometimes even discredits the account.
I do think that the target audience for this book is either military-related, or just very quick, because much of the terminology is not explained, especially when it comes to the "slang" style terms and phrases that the branches use in so much of their work.
As a book focusing on the events of Takur Ghar, it was great. However, if you have no idea what Operation Anaconda was about, I would recommend reading "Day" first, because "Ridge" does not go into the set-up of the Operation at all. "Ridge" is a wonderful way to delve further into the seventeen hours of combat operations of so many service members, and the characterization is much deeper than "Day" simply because there are fewer players involved.
I highly recommend this book, but read "Not a Good Day to Die" first if you have no frame of reference for Afghanistan or Operation Anaconda.

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Mogadishu: Heroism and Tragedy Review

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(More customer reviews)This book has many glaring mistakes and does little to explain why the QRF took a 25 mile long detour to the airfield, deployed out of the same site as the Ranger Convoy, or why the QRF ended up going the wrong way and got into an extraneous fire fight near the Digfer Hospital/Old Russian Embassy. I will address just one glaring inaccuracy. It credits 1SG Dooty of Company C, 2-14th Infantry with rescuing SGT Carroll who was injured in the Quick Reaction Forces initial attempt at rescuing TF Ranger. 1SG Dooty was not there and SGT Carroll was a Specialist that afternoon. 1SG Dooty was about 150 meters up the road with his Company Commander CPT Whetstone. Those who did go out and bring SPC Carroll back were SFC Eddie Ricord (a Special Forces Medic attached to the 2-14th as part of a Civil Affairs Team), 1LT Flaugherty (sp?) (the Battalion Physician's Assistant) and PFC Jackson (a Medic from 2-14th). They applied initial treatment to SPC Carroll and moved him back to the Civil Affairs HUMVEE for transportation. When I read this book I passed tthe copy along to SFC Ricord who of course was incensed that someone else was taking credit for other's work (particulary since 1LT Flaugherty was quoted on the previous page). The authors did little to double check claims of action and took at face value that one interview. This type of investigation tends to lead to unsubstantiated claims and inaccuracies.

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