William Christie 03 - The Blood We Shed

This is the gripping story of Marines bonding together as they learn the art of war. It is a story of leadership, brotherhood in battle, and courage in the midst of chaos. Second Lieutenant Michael Galway is the commaning officer of 2nd Platoon, Echo Company. He has inherited this misfit outfit and during the training that turns these men around, he restores their pride, makes them once again believe in themselves. On September 11, 2001, in the middle of a combined operations field exercise, they receive news that the unthinkable has happened. The attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center changes forever their thoughts about what they do and why they do it. Now it's real--and personal. Weeks later they receive orders that their battalion will deploy overseas. It is when their ship is in the Red Sea that they receive a change in orders. Intelligence has learned that ten of the top Al Queda leaders are in a village in Yemen. It is a rare opportunity to strike an important blow against a dangerous enemy. But for it to succeed, they must strike immediately. They have only one day to plan. It is a dangerous mission, calling for a helicopter flight deep into enemy territory, a night-time drop into the middle of a hostile village, capture and/or kill the Al Quaeda leaders, gather as much intelligence as possible, then return to the helicopters in an even quicker extraction over territory suddenly aware of the aerial invasion.But this is what the Marines of Echo Company trained for. And, in the ensuing combat, Galway's Marines succeed against all odds, and with minimum casualties. Mission accomplished, they return to their ship, proud of their success. It is then that things take a terrifying turn for the worse.
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