Title: We March at Midnight
Series: Standalone
Author’s Name: Ray McPadden
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Genre: War Memoir
Page Count: 228 Pages
ISBN: 9781982691011
Author or Book Website: Ray McPadden – Author of And the Whole Mountain Burned
Link to Amazon purchase page: Amazon.com: We March at Midnight: A War Memoir: : Ray McPadden: Books
Link to Goodreads: We March At Midnight: A War Memoir by Ray McPadden | Goodreads
Release Date: N/A
How I Got the Book: Gift
Summary of the Book:
What would the war do without me?
We March at Midnight is award-winning author Ray McPadden’s chronicle of his experience as a highly decorated Ranger Officer leading some of the most dangerous missions during the height of the Iraq and Afghan wars. In 2005, Ray joined the army in search of what he calls ”the moment” — a chance to prove to himself and his brothers in arms that he is a true leader. His job is to establish the first outpost in the Korengal, Afghanistan’s deadliest valley, and his decisions and mistakes will have a permanent impact on the men he commands. During the fifteen-month tour, his unit receives numerous decorations for valor while suffering nearly 50 percent casualties, ultimately accomplishing their mission in a land considered unwinnable.
Prowess with a rifle platoon soon earns Ray a position in the world’s premiere raiding force, the 75th Ranger Regiment, an accomplishment earned by less than 1 percent of the officers in the US Army, and during the most combat-heavy period of the twenty-first century. Ray spearheads the first joint-strike force of Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, in a shadow war against the agents of a foreign government, where lightning raids by helicopter, armored vehicle, and foot are his nightly routine.
In 2009, when Ray returns to the same corner of Afghanistan where his military career began, he suddenly finds himself tasked with leading Rangers against a target he knows all too well: the home of friends from his first tour. As he leads one last raid, Ray is at war with himself. Conquering this unexpected enemy proves the greatest challenge of all.
We March at Midnight is a blood-spattered tour de force of growing up, leadership, the nature of war, and its aftermath.
My Personal Review: I got this book as a gift from my sister who is a college-level librarian. She brought several copies home from a conference she went to. I told her I would read and review it for my blog. I have a lot of family in the military or retired from it. This book was one of the best I have read in this genre and thank Ray for sharing his story and experiences with the world. Thank you for your service.
My Rating of the Book: 4 Stars
From the Book Reviewer's Desk 