Customer Reviews

Friends for Life: Strangers Brought Together by the War in Iraq

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I think you've done a good job of describing the home front and provided much useful information for the next generation of those-who-stand-and-wait. Have a son who was in the Deuce Four and now serves with another unit in Iraq.

Find it interesting that the blurb for your book has now decided the batallion was "infamous." I have never seen anything at all that suggests they did anything to earn that designation.

I particularly admired your chapter on CPT Jacobson and his family.

Deuce Four Dad

This book provides a unique point of view on a modern war. It combines the emotional perspective of a mother and a sister. It chronicles how two young men became instant soldiers and entered the war in a city and at a time that was one of the most dangerous of the war. One of the things that made this war different was the constant access through technology. This book shares the sometimes daily communications available through instant messaging and email. This mixed blessing of being in frequent communication allowed these families to maintain a lifeline and provide frequent consoling and advice. It also meant that the dangers were all too real and in real time. This book also shows how people thousands of miles apart can forge close friendships when brought together by a common bond. If you're interested in the stories behind the war this book is an excellent way to understand the families and how they deal with the stress of having their loved ones in harm's way.

I never realized what goes on within a soldier's or his/her family's lives when they are serving our country. This book made you "feel" what they were going through. It was well written and you would read about the same incident through four different mindsets. Reading this book makes one feel closer to anyone in the service and the friends and families that are here worrying every day. Our servicemen/women still need our prayers and packages and we should never forget their sacrifices...good ideas in the book on how to continue supporting them in Iraq and Afghanistan and even here in the United States.

I really didn't know what to expect when reading this book. Not being close to anyone who has been involved with the war I felt I was quite removed from it. Just information passed on by the newspapers and television. This book opened my eyes to how families try to deal with the situation of their loved one away in a hostile enviroment and then again to deal with the ongoing hope that they will return home. I loved the conversations they had with the soldiers and the information provided to the families of the soldiers. Its a great resource for everyone, not just military families.

This book is a must read for anyone that has been touched by the war in Iraq. It provides insight into the thoughts and feelings of those left at home while their loved ones served in the Gulf. --R.R. MackInday

Something in common unites many, but when war is involved, that union is even stronger. "Friends for Life: Strangers Brought Together by the War in Iraq" tells the story of Patti and Jenn, who were united by their sons and brothers going to war. Having little else in common, the two women developed a bond through it all, and they give readers a positive message. "Friends for Life" is something to be considered by all relatives of military people.

Excellent Book!!! The Authors were able to convey the extreme raw emotion that is associated with having a loved one in Harm's Way. This is the first generation of family and friends who have had instant communication with their soldiers ( in some cases), who are on the front lines. They can communicate thru e-mails. IMing, phone calls, and web cam. Many of the soldiers, especially in Afghanistan now, do not have these amenities and some of the soldiers do not have the time or the desire to stand in line for two hours to call home, or use the internet. if it is available. I don't know which is harder, the knowing or the not knowing what your soldier is experiencing. In each, case, the key work is waiting. Fortunately, for these two authors, the waiting is over and their loved ones came home. God Bless Patti and Jennifer for taking the time to share their story. As hard as it was for me to read portions of it, as the memories of my son being deployed ( twice) flooded back, I know that we must always remember the cost of Freedom to our soldiers and their families. We learn that the experiences do not always stop upon their return,and they still need our support thru the VA and other associations. Our Military is one of our greatest resources. PJA-