Into the Fire Into the Fire

Into the Fire

A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War

    • 4.6 • 902 Ratings
    • $4.99
    • $4.99

Publisher Description

“The story of what Dakota did . . . will be told for generations.”—President Barack Obama, from remarks given at Meyer’s Medal of Honor ceremony

In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out one hundred men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, twenty-one year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades.
           
With a brave driver at the wheel, Meyer stood in the gun turret exposed to withering fire, rallying Afghan troops to follow. Over the course of the five hours, he charged into the valley time and again. Employing a variety of machine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and even a rock, Meyer repeatedly repulsed enemy attackers, carried wounded Afghan soldiers to safety, and provided cover for dozens of others to escape—supreme acts of valor and determination. In the end, Meyer and four stalwart comrades—an Army captain, an Afghan sergeant major, and two Marines—cleared the battlefield and came to grips with a tragedy they knew could have been avoided. For his actions on that day, Meyer became the first living Marine in three decades to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
 
Into the Fire tells the full story of the chaotic battle of Ganjigal for the first time,  in a compelling, human way that reveals it as a microcosm of our recent wars. Meyer takes us from his upbringing on a farm in Kentucky, through his Marine and sniper training, onto the battlefield, and into the vexed aftermath of his harrowing exploits in a battle that has become the stuff of legend. 
 
Investigations ensued, even as he was pitched back into battle alongside U.S. Army soldiers who embraced him as a fellow grunt. When it was over, he returned to the States to confront living with the loss of his closest friends. This is a tale of American values and upbringing, of stunning heroism, and of adjusting to loss and to civilian life.
 
We see it all through Meyer’s eyes, bullet by bullet, with raw honesty in telling of both the errors that resulted in tragedy and the resolve of American soldiers, U.S. Marines, and Afghan soldiers who’d been abandoned and faced certain death. 
 
Meticulously researched and thrillingly told, with nonstop pace and vivid detail, Into the Fire is the unvarnished story of a modern American hero.

Praise for Into the Fire
 
“A story of men at their best and at their worst . . . leaves you gaping in admiration at Medal of Honor winner Dakota Meyer’s courage.”—National Review
 
“Meyer’s dazzling bravery wasn’t momentary or impulsive but deliberate and sustained.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
“[A] cathartic, heartfelt account . . . Combat memoirs don’t get any more personal.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A great contribution to the discussion of an agonizingly complex subject.”—The Virginian-Pilot
 
Black Hawk Down meets Lone Survivor.”—Library Journal

GENRE
Biographies & Memoirs
RELEASED
2012
September 25
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
256
Pages
PUBLISHER
Random House Publishing Group
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
12
MB

Customer Reviews

Magers979 ,

Spectacular

This book is like watching a great movie
But based on a real story and better because you imagine the screens in your head there is no limit to how good this book is.

Bobnmo ,

Into the fire

Cried while I felt such tremendous pride In the character of this fine, young, brave serviceman. People like him and his team keep American strong yet we rarely get an opportunity to hear first hand their amazing and heroic stories so well told. These men are born with something good and (often) great that not all of us have. I envy Dakota his ability to care so deeply and to experience such a great love of his country and his soldiers. A fast and absorbing read! I wish everyone could read it so they know what goes on and what kind of people serve the US in these countries that seeming will take another two hundred years to come close to any vague understanding of the west and what freedom and self determination are about. Bless you Dakota Meyer and you entire fire team. RIP those who did not make it.

CP0728 ,

Amazing book

An excellent read. Very emotional at times. I am no soldier and could never do what Dakota did for his team and for those with whom he served. I have nothing but respect for him and his team and those who fought and died on that tragic day. More stories like this need to be published to help the American populous understand what these soldiers, no, these heroes, go through, fighting and dying for what is right and just.

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