They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq [Hardcover]

Kelly Kennedy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 2, 2010

Charlie 1-26 confronted one of the worst neighborhoods in Baghdad and lost more men than any battalion since Vietnam

Based on “Blood Brothers”, the Michael Kelly Awardnominated series that ran in Army Times, this is the remarkable story of a courageous military unit that sacrificed their lives to change Adhamiya, Iraq, from a lawless town where insurgents roamed freely, to a secure neighborhood with open storefronts and a safe populace.

Army Times writer Kelly Kennedy was embedded with Charlie Company in 2007, went on patrol with the soldiers and spent hours in combat support hospitals. During that period, one soldier threw himself on a grenade to save his friends, a well-liked first sergeant shot himself to death in front of his troops, and a platoon staged a mutiny. The men of Charlie 1- 26 would earn at least 95 combat awards, including one soldier who would go home with three Purple Hearts and a lost dream. This is a timeless story of men at war and a heartbreaking account of American sacrifice in Iraq.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Journalist and former soldier Kennedy makes a solid contribution to a growing body of frontline reportage from Iraq in this account based on her series of articles in Army Times. The book tells the story of a rifle company's fight against long odds in a Baghdad neighborhood. Adhamiya was No One's Land, a place of random violence dominated by insurgents and criminals. The 1/26th Infantry did 15 months there, took more casualties than any U.S. battalion since Vietnam, and completed its tour with at least a simulacrum of civil order restored. Kennedy's account of Adhamiya's costs to Charlie Company is shaped by her own military service in Desert Storm. Urban combat, counterinsurgency, and civic action combined in a toxic brew that made mental health injuries more prevalent than physical ones. But to endure the fears, nightmares and grief, men had to look out for each other. That mutual caring brought Charlie Company through. It gives Kennedy her title, informs her work, and above all reaffirms the scars war leaves on those who fight. 8 pages of b&w photos. (Mar. 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This better-than-most Iraq story deals with a company of the 26th Infantry Regiment that in the 2007 surge suffered heavier casualties than did any other such unit. It was engaged in one of the most hostile sections of Bagdad; one popular NCO committed suicide; one platoon effectively mutinied; and altogether, the company passed through a grim year. About all that kept the men sane and fighting was a rare degree of unit cohesion, which we see through the eyes of a number of key people, well-characterized by embedded Army Times reporter Kennedy, who despite her service ties paints the Iraq War warts and all. An honorable addition to Iraq War literature. --Roland Green

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312570767
• ISBN-13: 978-0312570767
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > History > Military > Iraq War

More About the Author

Kelly Kennedy served in the United States Army from 1987 to 1993, including tours in the Middle East during Desert Storm, and in Mogadishu, Somalia. After earning her journalism degree at Colorado State University in 1997, she began her writing career as an education reporter for the Ogden Standard-Examiner in Utah, a criminal justice reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune, and a family and education reporter with the Oregonian in Portland. While earning a master's degree in journalism at the University of Colorado, Kennedy taught journalism classes at both her alma mater and the University of Northern Colorado. After completing her master's degree, she worked an internship at The Chicago Tribune before arriving in 2005 at Army Times. She began work as a health policy reporter in 2010 at USA TODAY, where she continues to cover health issues in Desert Storm veterans, as well as health issues associated with burn pits and dust in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2010, she received an Honorary Mention John B. Oakes award for her reporting on burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Disabled American Veterans' Bugle Award for the burn pit stories and her book, They Fought for Each Other. In 2008, she was named a finalist for the Michael Kelly Award for a series about a unit she embedded with in Iraq. She is also a 2008 Ochberg Fellow, sponsored by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma; and a 2008 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Foundation Fellow. She serves as president of Military Reporters & Editors. In her spare time, she dances ballet and completely loses her military bearing. You can find her at [e-mail].

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars blue spader March 9, 2010

By Adam L. Small

Format:Hardcover

this book was a very difficult read, having been a part of this unit, 1-26 Blue Spaders. Everyone in this book was a friend and brother to me and reading this brought back my own fears. Kelly did a fantastic job painting the picture to everyone who reads this as to what exactly we went thru, what all combat soldiers go thru, things that don't get shown on the 5 o'clock news. Thank you Kelly for writing our story, and thank you to all the guys of 1-26

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Brothers" March 7, 2010

By "Doc" Roth

Format:Hardcover

This book was very difficult to read, fighting back tears, and repressing memories better soon forgetten. I try everyday to remeber the "brothers" lost in combat, and everyday I try to forget the horror.
Kelly is a wonderful person, who wrote a wonderful book that vividly portrays the actuality of war.
Thank you, Kelly, for writing this. Thank you, 1/26...Charlie Company are Warriors...
Let us not forget that many were lost during that fifteen months...Much love to my fellow Blue Spaders!
"Doc" Roth

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A true look into what a unit in combat goes through to survive and take care of each other March 4, 2010

By AT

Format:Hardcover

Outstanding book that takes a hard honest look at the realities of Soldiers in combat. It also shows the struggles that they faced after loosing so many of there brothers in arms. Amazing book. A must read for those who want to see what our Soldiers sacrifice every day.