The Fighting 69th: From Ground Zero to Baghdad

Description

One of the most celebrated units in the military for more than a century, by 1990, New York City’s Fighting 69th Infantry Regiment of the Army National Guard was scarcely fit for duty. Its equipment was derelict, its discipline nonexistent, many of its leaders inept, and its ranks filled with kids barely out of high school who had little intention of serving their country for any longer than it took to get their paycheck, college credit, or job training. Then came the attacks of September 11 and the invasion of Iraq. In The Fighting 69th, Sean Michael Flynn, himself a member of the unit, chronicles the extraordinary transformation of this band of amateur soldiers into a battle-hardened troop at one of the most lethal sites of war.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-27
Summary: "Learning to respect the line drawn in the desert"

I wanted to give this review less stars, but the Author's honestly was just too compelling. This book is an example of how details, no matter how tedious are key to getting the whole story. What I got out of this book, is a new and better understanding of the insanity, the masquerade, the futility of engaging in a mortal conflict without a clear plan..., the means... or understanding of the mission. How many times do we have to re-invent the wheel ?. What disturbs me the most is the unchecked incompetence of our National leaders and their tolerance for more casualties then what got us into this reality in the first place. Especially since this war has turned out to be ( using the public's emotional anguish and anxiety to escalate ) an exercise in energy security. Oh epiphany, our conventional forces and the enemies unconventional forces don't mix well, perhaps less toys and more brainpower ?. This book won't be a bestseller, because it wasn't meant to be... the poor man's burden in War, but is.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-05-28
Summary: "The Fighting 69th."

This book is an excellent view of a National Guard and their tour in Baghdad. It is serious, and funny. A great read.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2009-11-23
Summary: "Proud Tradition and Resilient"

This book is about their NYC origins, response on Sept 11, and the transition of the modern 69th from a marginal National Guard unit to an effective fighting force in Iraq. As a Civil War reenactor, I was thrilled to learn more about the awesome tradition. In 2000, I slept overnight on the floor of the Regimental Armory and marched in the St. Patrick's day parade. The old place is gritty and the roof looks like its wrapped in duck tape. But all the battle streamers were there in a grimy display case, still proud after all those years; more decorations than any unit in the world, but for the Black Watch. The history is mostly in the first disk, then it gets into a tactical chronology. The unit is only about 13% Irish now, but, as expected, still mostly immigrants. As they say "If anything forlorn, insane or desperate was needed, then they called for the 69th". Faugha Ballagh !

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-11-13
Summary: "A must read for any American"

This is the real deal on the National Guard. Having served in the National Guard during its transformation back into an effective fighting force, I was relieved that someone explained honestly, what it's like in a guard unit. It made my heart swell with pride as it is perfect example of the American dream come true. ANY American can achieve true glory and honor through dedication and courage.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-08-18
Summary: "Should be read by people interested in Iraq War"

This book, as its subtitle indicates, is about "one Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad." It is a well-written and interesting remarkable tale of human and group growth. It is the story of one of the nation's worst military units with soldiers who could not give a damn about virtually anything, who became patriots who fought for our nation, many of whom sacrificed their lives.
Although unstated by its author, the phrase "Ground Zero" has two meanings. The first is the unit's soul-piercing experiences in New York at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. The second meaning is a description of the unit's low level of morale and military preparedness for several decades until that date.
The Fighting 69th is an army battalion. A battalion is composed of 500 to 700 soldiers led by a lieutenant colonel. The 69th was founded in New York in 1851 and was originally made up of Irish Americans. It had a remarkable heroic history. In fact a movie, The Fighting 69th staring James Cagney, was made about the battalion. However the unit deteriorated in the mid twentieth century.
Hardly any of the 69th's members were now of Irish descent. Most of its soldiers had joined the unit for selfish unpatriotic reasons, for money and to get away from their wives, to spend time drinking alcohol. The unit became a bad joke.
National Guard units are generally used only in the US to respond to hurricanes, ice storms and other natural disasters. They are low priority units outside the US, and used outside the US only in near emergency situation, and are funded, trained, equipped and manned accordingly, very poorly. As bad as most National Guard units are, the 69th had deteriorated to be at the very bottom rung.
However, when Ground Zero was attacked on 9-11-2001, the battalion's commander called his soldiers to the site to help the survivors and to secure the area. The soldiers found that they were the first National Guard unit to respond and they felt proud of the help they could give. The experience sparked a sense of patriotism among the 69th. This experience began their slow climb back to respectability.
President Bush declared that the US was now at war. Various units of the National Guard were mobilized to active duty. After helping at ground zero, the 69th was called to active duty for a year-long security mission to help secure West Point Academy. This was the unit's first wartime mobilization since World War II.
Then, to the utter surprise of this "homeland defense force," the 69th was mobilized again to go to Iraq. Thus the unit that had been at the very bottom of the pile in the military served in Iraq until September 2005.
The unit's first mission was to suppress enemy fire against Camp Cooke, twenty miles from Baghdad. When the 69th hit the streets, the mortar fire that had devastated the US troops for many months, ceased. The other soldiers at Camp Cooke lauded the wok of the 69th. Now they felt safe. They did not have to wear the heavy body armor any more at the base. Then the 69th fought at Taji where they captured more than a hundred insurgents in just a few months.
Among many other events, Sean Michael Flynn tells the story of how and why a member of the 69th accidentally killed an important senior officer in the Italian military intelligence and security service who had been kidnapped by Iraqi insurgent forces and had just been ransomed for five million dollars. This event was widely publicized in newspapers and TV. Flynn describes the event and shows why the 69th was not to blame.
The 69th left Iraq on September 10, 2005, exactly four years after 9/11, the day that America was viciously attacked, the day that the 69th came back to life. But rather than bask in their glory, many members of the 69th rushed down to New Orleans to help the beleaguered city that had been struck and almost destroyed by a hurricane.
The unit acted heroically in Iraq, but they suffered greatly. Nineteen members of the 69th were killed in Iraq and eighty-six others were wounded. The nineteen soldiers who were killed left behind sixteen children.
People who want to learn something about the inner workings of the military and what was happening in Iraq, will want to read this book.