The Blood We Shed: A Novel of the Middle East War
William Christie
Apr 2014 · Open Road Media
3.0star
2 reviews
Ebook
258
Pages
About this ebook
In this novel by a Marine Corps veteran, a young lieutenant takes command of an unruly platoon just as the chaos of 9/11 sends them into the War on Terror.
The United States Marine Corps is a legendary fighting force. Literally thousands of books and movies have glorified its history. But now a Marine veteran has written a novel that opens up the curtain and provides a look deep inside the modern Corps: the good, the bad, and the sometimes just plain embarrassing.
Lieutenant Mike Galway takes command of his first platoon and it is not at all what he bargained for. What he anticipated was the challenge of training a unit of disciplined Marine infantrymen to go to war. Instead he finds himself responsible for a group of unruly American teenagers, for whom he has to become a combination of surrogate father, psychologist, high school principal, marriage counselor, financial advisor, conflict mediator, and drug and alcohol therapist. The results are frequently hilarious, always frustrating, and sometimes heartbreakingly tragic.
While Galway learns the secrets of leadership he and his men are overtaken by the events of September 11, 2001, and the time for playing war is over. Now at the place where Marines always expect to be, the tip of the spear, the men of Echo company deploy aboard ship and race towards the Middle East. There they find themselves fighting the first battle of a war that continues to this day, in a place none of them could expect.
The United States Marine Corps is a legendary fighting force. Literally thousands of books and movies have glorified its history. But now a Marine veteran has written a novel that opens up the curtain and provides a look deep inside the modern Corps: the good, the bad, and the sometimes just plain embarrassing.
Lieutenant Mike Galway takes command of his first platoon and it is not at all what he bargained for. What he anticipated was the challenge of training a unit of disciplined Marine infantrymen to go to war. Instead he finds himself responsible for a group of unruly American teenagers, for whom he has to become a combination of surrogate father, psychologist, high school principal, marriage counselor, financial advisor, conflict mediator, and drug and alcohol therapist. The results are frequently hilarious, always frustrating, and sometimes heartbreakingly tragic.
While Galway learns the secrets of leadership he and his men are overtaken by the events of September 11, 2001, and the time for playing war is over. Now at the place where Marines always expect to be, the tip of the spear, the men of Echo company deploy aboard ship and race towards the Middle East. There they find themselves fighting the first battle of a war that continues to this day, in a place none of them could expect.
Ratings and reviews
3.0
2 reviews
About the author
William Christie was born in 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. On April 13th, 1984, he graduated from Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant officer. After the Basic Officer Course and the Infantry Officer Course he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in January 1985.
He commanded 2nd Platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines from January 1985 to April 1986. This included a 6-month deployment to the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan from July 1985 to January 1986. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in April 1986, after graduating from the Marine Corps Winter Mountain Leader Instructor Course at Bridgeport, California.
He next served as executive officer (2nd in command) of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. He was then assigned to Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines as the Heavy Machine-gun platoon commander from July 1986 to August 1987.
During this period, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines deployed aboard ship to the Mediterranean as the ground combat element of the 26th Marine Amphibious Unit (Special Operations Capable) from January to July 1987. Current practice is to call these units Marine Expeditionary Units.
Leaving the Marine Corps in August, 1987, he began writing. THE WARRIORS OF GOD was published in January 1992. MERCY MISSION was published in August 2000. THE BLOOD WE SHED was published in January 2005.
He commanded 2nd Platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines from January 1985 to April 1986. This included a 6-month deployment to the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan from July 1985 to January 1986. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in April 1986, after graduating from the Marine Corps Winter Mountain Leader Instructor Course at Bridgeport, California.
He next served as executive officer (2nd in command) of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. He was then assigned to Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines as the Heavy Machine-gun platoon commander from July 1986 to August 1987.
During this period, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines deployed aboard ship to the Mediterranean as the ground combat element of the 26th Marine Amphibious Unit (Special Operations Capable) from January to July 1987. Current practice is to call these units Marine Expeditionary Units.
Leaving the Marine Corps in August, 1987, he began writing. THE WARRIORS OF GOD was published in January 1992. MERCY MISSION was published in August 2000. THE BLOOD WE SHED was published in January 2005.
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