The Silence of War

An Old Marine in a Young Marine's War

By: Terry McGowan, Bill O'Reilly - foreword

Narrated by: Pete Larkin

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

With a foreword by Bill O'Reilly, here is the incredible memoir of a former marine who returns to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan three decades after leaving the corps.

Terry McGowan had been a beat cop, a marine captain, and a special agent for the FBI before retiring at the age of 50. But when tragedy struck the United States on September 11, 2001, Terry felt an undiminished sense of duty to protect and serve his country.

Six years later he was in Iraq as a member of a team of high-ranking retired and active-duty military working for the highest level of marine military intelligence. His success in Iraq led to a position as a law enforcement professional with the marines in Afghanistan. There he found himself the oldest member of a platoon on the front line - a platoon that was understrength and under fire. While an 18-year-old marine can't look at a crowd of Afghans and pick out the guilty party, with his years of experience in law enforcement, Terry had developed an eye for the "felony look". His training as a marine officer, combined with his experience as an FBI agent, made him a unique asset as he struggled to keep up with young marines while they humped over the mountains.

In The Silence of War, Terry recounts the many trials of his life of service, providing an intimate glimpse into the horrible realities of modern military conflict.

©2016 Terry McGowan (P)2016 Penguin Audio

War

War, may we never have them again nor shall we ever lose one. may I Warriors always be able to kill and destroy things better than the other guy.

A story that needed to be told.

Where does The Silence of War rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As a member of the 2/7 unit that was deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan
this book is very close to me, for me and my brother Marines this is the first and probably only outlet we have to let America at large hear our voice about our war. If one has been searching for a source to get a sense of perspective about the war in Afghanistan, I recommend this book first and foremost.

What other book might you compare The Silence of War to and why?

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger.

Which scene was your favorite?

Probably the one where Terry get's shot at by about 4 RPG rockets, then gives the shooter the finger and tells him "Fuck you!!! You can't hit shit!!!!"

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

All I can say I have said it is my sincere hope that Americans seeking to understand a bit better what their veterans have experienced read this book.

How it really is

As a 75 year old, conservative, pro-military, and wife of a disabled veteran, I was surprised to find that I was enjoying hearing about how life really is in a war and battle situation. My husband was a blue-water sailor in Nam and the first Persian Gulf War. So he did not experience battles and skirmishes as described in this book. Movies are ok, and some are an excellent retelling of true warrior experiences. I enjoyed the narration about the so-called "normal" living conditions as well as the battles as seen and experienced by the subject of the story. war is hell; and freedom is costly. Thank you for your service.

Respectful, Heartfelt, but Writing is Dry

I mean absolutely no disrespect to those who have served when I say "The Silence of War" is not the best. McGowan obviously has nothing but devotion and love for those he served with, shows us what an honor it was to know them, to fight with them, to suffer their losses.
But his writing style is not riveting. Firefights are almost dictated, very detached. Mostly his writing is one long (WELL-Deserved!!!) thank you to those there. It is emails and letters of recommendation for medals; it is emails to a group back home of the valor of those around him. It is a running commentary of the stupidity and lack of foresight of others.
But no, not riveting.
Further, while I admit I'm twitchy about lengthy pauses in narration and thus listen to almost everything at x1.25, this needed x1.5 speed to flow into anything that moved the action. Larkin's tone was nice, could be wry, but he reads very, very slowly.
If you have only one credit and you want breathless, while I respect the man and his service, this book isn't it. There are so many out there: "Lions of Kandahar", "Outlaw Platoon", "Hammerhead Six", and the recently released, "Red Platoon".
If, however, you want a book about day to day nobility and service, suffering in the heat, without water, at the mercy of commanders and the enemy, this book does indeed do that.

2/7 Marine

what a trip reading this YEARS after and it is crazy I still remember the faces the heat the freaking dust. I was able to make some life long brothers from my time with V2/7

Honorable service personnel working next to Hell

After 3 decades ex Marine Corp. Captain Terry McGowan returns to the Marine Corp. as a police advisor. The story of events had to be much more exciting than the way the story was written. This book is informative, interesting, but far from exciting.
What this story is : relates to the selfless actions of many young people in this current decade, that display honor, creative thinking and their devotion to each other, their country, and a willingness to go the extre mile to create a safe haven for everyone around them.
The book also points out that individuals that only care about themselves, at the cost of others remain represented in this theater.
So we continue to have the good, the bad, and the.... Well representative.
The book is more like a non emotional report of a tour of duty in Afganistan, and I was looking for a blow by blow account.
So if you are looking for a calm cool recollection of experiences in a war time setting this is a book for you. On the other hand if you are looking for no stopped action and suspense. Well choose wisely.

Great book

If you served in the Global War on Terror you should read this book Semper Fi

great story for the youth of our country.

more people would respect their freedoms if they understood the sacrifices made to obtain and preserve it.

Overly Friendly Bumbling Has-been Goes to War

He is reluctantly tolerated because the Marines are obligated to do so.

Even with the first person spin his retelling of these events inevitably generates, it's apparent that he was a constant burden, embarrassment and inconvenience to the Marines and Contractors he managed to get himself embedded with. To be fair I only got about half way through the book before I lost my patience.

I saw too many variations of this guy while working overseas. I didn't care to finish reading yet another chow-hall warrior's tall tales.