We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah - Hardcover

O'Donnell, Patrick K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306814692 ISBN 13: 9780306814693

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2006

Synopsis

The platoon included four pairs of best friends. Each of the four would lose a best friend forever.Five months after being deployed to Iraq, Lima Company's 1st Platoon found itself in Fallujah, embroiled in some of the most intense house-to-house, hand-to-hand combat since World War II. Civilians were used as human shields or as bait to lure soldiers into buildings rigged with explosives; suicide bombers approached from every corner hoping to die and take Americans with them; radical insurgents, high on adrenaline, fought to the death. The Marines of the 1st Platoon (part of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment) were among the first to fight in Fallujah, and they bore the brunt of this epic battle. When it was over, the platoon had suffered thirty-five casualties, including four dead.This is their story.Award-winning author and historian Patrick O'Donnell stood shoulder-to-shoulder with this modern band of brothers as they marched and fought through the streets of Fallujah, and he stayed with them as the casualties mounted. O'Donnell captures not only the sights, sounds, and smells of the gritty street combat, but also the human drama of young men in a close-knit platoon fighting for their lives-and the lives of their buddies. We Were One chronicles the 1st Platoon's story, from its formation at Camp Pendleton in California to its near destruction in the smoldering ruins of Fallujah.We Were One is an unforgettable portrait of the new Greatest Generation.”With 16 pages of extraordinary photographs from the front lines of the Battle for Fallujah.

About this title

From the Publisher:

"Here in these gripping pages is the Iraq War's fiercest battle, seen from the adrenaline-charged vantage of a few Marine buddies who are part of the next "Greatest Generation." We Were One is feelingly narrated by an intrepid war historian who risked his own life to capture every raw minute of their story."--Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers

"A magnificent tale of combat--mixing valor, grit, love, blood and sacrifice. This book defines what it means to be a Marine grunt."--Bing West, author of The March Up and No True Glory

"We Were One is a dramatic tale of courage, hardship and the extraordinarily difficult challenges faced by a gallant Marine unit in one of the world's most deadly places. Patrick O'Donnell brilliantly and compassionately recounts the story of our American sons called upon to fight, bleed, die, and survive in a hostile land."--Carlo D'Este, author of Patton: A Genius For War

"Pat O'Donnell was with us on the ground in Fallujah--house to house. His story is historically accurate and describes the greatest personal and professional test of our lives. We Were One is destined to be a classic of urban close combat, and honors the memory of all who made the ultimate sacrifice for their brother Marines. I am deeply thankful that Pat kept his oath to Lima Company."--LtCol Willy Buhl, CO Task Force 3/1, Operation AL FAJR

"As an embedded journalist in an Infantry Platoon, O'Donnell paints an authentic picture of our Nation's most precious assets--the Marine Riflemen--engaged in one of their fiercest fights. We Were One is a gritty, boots-on-the-ground account that enables readers to witness the overwhelming will and courage of Marines as they move against the enemy."--J.N. Mattis, Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps, Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force

About the Author:

Patrick K. O'Donnell is the author of three previous books, including Beyond Valor, winner of the prestigious William E. Colby Award for Outstanding Military History. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0306814692
• ISBN 13: 9780306814693
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 280