Letās face it, every combat soldierās worst nightmare is to get his dick blown off. Getting killed is on the list, but not at the top, and list is generally comprised of various forms of disfigurement, amputation, and loss of capabilities. In his book, āBlindsided by the Taliban,ā war correspondent Carmen Gentile describes how he miraculously survived being hit in the face by an RPG (surely on the list), then refused to allow that horrific experience to steal away from him his then-life mission of bringing the experiences, fears, and privations of our combat troops in Afghanistan to our reluctant attention.
And in a classic case of Life āpiling on,ā his tortuous medical ordeal ran in parallel with one of the ugliest engagement breakoffās in recorded history.
The incident at the center of this book took place on September 9, 2010 in Kunar Province, Eastern Afghanistan. Gentile ā on assignment for CBS news - was embedded with an Army unit on patrol when his life was brutally changed in -I hate to say it ā the blink of an eye. The story recounts, in gruesome detail, how he reacted to, survived, and convalesced from an injury that would have had most people quickly moving to another profession.
Many people wonder why anyone would voluntarily risk his life day after day, in the role of combat journalist. Combat soldiers, it is acknowledged, have to be at least a little bit crazy, so their choice is understandable, though fewer and fewer young men are willing to accept that burden as time goes by. For Gentile and others like him, they are not kids; they know exactly what they are getting themselves into, and the process of embedding often involves begging for rides and accommodations from people who probably donāt want you there in the first place.
Gentile combines a journalistās curiosity, communication skills, and a not-unexpected dormant death wish, not only in his journalistic endeavors but also in his personal life. In addition to placing his life in peril professionally, he recounts numerous incidents of devil-may-care thrill seeking on his motorcycle, in the surf, and elsewhere, even as he is still recovering from his death-defying injury.
The author artfully conveys the gratification that comes from seeing and reporting exactly what goes on in a combat environment from a number of different viewpoints ā the soldiers, the ābrass,ā the local villagers and farmers, and his readers across the pond. His position gives him access to everyone from the lowliest buck private to the exalted General Petraeus, and he retains the foot-soldierās distrust of The Brass.
Gentileās tale is not told in strict chronological order (which he explains and apologizes for in the Introduction), but the sequence is always clear from the context, and it is easy to discern why the material is presented in the order given.
He is completely candid about his own thoughts, emotions, reaction, and faults, which makes this an enjoyable ā if sometimes cringe-worthy ā read. I highly recommend it for Veterans and other interested persons. And the book is refreshingly non-political, believe it or not.
And in a classic case of Life āpiling on,ā his tortuous medical ordeal ran in parallel with one of the ugliest engagement breakoffās in recorded history.
The incident at the center of this book took place on September 9, 2010 in Kunar Province, Eastern Afghanistan. Gentile ā on assignment for CBS news - was embedded with an Army unit on patrol when his life was brutally changed in -I hate to say it ā the blink of an eye. The story recounts, in gruesome detail, how he reacted to, survived, and convalesced from an injury that would have had most people quickly moving to another profession.
Many people wonder why anyone would voluntarily risk his life day after day, in the role of combat journalist. Combat soldiers, it is acknowledged, have to be at least a little bit crazy, so their choice is understandable, though fewer and fewer young men are willing to accept that burden as time goes by. For Gentile and others like him, they are not kids; they know exactly what they are getting themselves into, and the process of embedding often involves begging for rides and accommodations from people who probably donāt want you there in the first place.
Gentile combines a journalistās curiosity, communication skills, and a not-unexpected dormant death wish, not only in his journalistic endeavors but also in his personal life. In addition to placing his life in peril professionally, he recounts numerous incidents of devil-may-care thrill seeking on his motorcycle, in the surf, and elsewhere, even as he is still recovering from his death-defying injury.
The author artfully conveys the gratification that comes from seeing and reporting exactly what goes on in a combat environment from a number of different viewpoints ā the soldiers, the ābrass,ā the local villagers and farmers, and his readers across the pond. His position gives him access to everyone from the lowliest buck private to the exalted General Petraeus, and he retains the foot-soldierās distrust of The Brass.
Gentileās tale is not told in strict chronological order (which he explains and apologizes for in the Introduction), but the sequence is always clear from the context, and it is easy to discern why the material is presented in the order given.
He is completely candid about his own thoughts, emotions, reaction, and faults, which makes this an enjoyable ā if sometimes cringe-worthy ā read. I highly recommend it for Veterans and other interested persons. And the book is refreshingly non-political, believe it or not.
