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One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad
Viking
January 2008
On Sale: December 27, 2007
320 pages
ISBN: 0670018430
EAN: 9780670018437
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction Biography
How a ragtag National Guard unit found itself thrust into
the War on Terror and triumphed against impossible odds
On the eve of September 11, 2001, New York City’s
famous National Guard regiment, the Fighting 69th Infantry,
was not fit for duty. Most of its soldiers were immigrant
kids with no prior military experience and no intention of
serving their country any longer than it took to get a
paycheck or college credit. Once a respected all-Irish
outfit, the 69th was now a Technicolor mix of Puerto Ricans,
Dominicans, Colombians, African Americans, Russians, Poles,
Koreans, Chinese, and a few token Irish Americans. Their
uniforms were incomplete and their equipment was downright
derelict. The thought of deploying such a unit was
laughable. But that is exactly what happened.
With
a charismatic mix of irreverent humor and eye-opening
honesty, Sean Flynn, himself a member of the 69th, memorably
chronicles the transformation of this motley band of amateur
soldiers into a battle- hardened troop at work in one of the
most lethal quarters of Baghdad: the notorious Airport Road,
a blood- soaked strand that grabbed headlines and became a
bellwether for progress in postinvasion Iraq. At home on the
concrete and asphalt like no other unit in the U.S. Army,
Gotham’s Fighting 69th finally brings its own rough justice
to this lawless precinct by ignoring army discipline and
turning to the street-fighting tactics they grew up with and
know best.
The Fighting 69th is more than a
story about the impact of terrorism, the war on Iraq, or the
current administration’s failures. It is the story of how
regular citizens come to grips with challenges far starker
than what they have been prepared for. Flynn’s dark humor,
empathy, and candor make for a fresh look at who our
soldiers are and what they do when faced with their toughest
challenges.
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