We Were One

Shoulder-to-Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah

By: Patrick K. O'Donnell

Narrated by: Richard Powers

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

The platoon included four pairs of best friends. Each of the four would lose a best friend forever.

Five months after being deployed to Iraq, Lima Company's 1st Platoon became one of the first American forces to enter Fallujah, where they encountered some of the most intense hand-to-hand combat since World War II. Civilians were used as human shields or as bait to lure soldiers into buildings rigged with explosives; suicide bombers approached from every corner hoping to die and take Americans with them; radical insurgents, high on adrenaline, fought to the death.

Award-winning author and historian Patrick O'Donnell stood shoulder to shoulder with Lima Company's 1st Platoon as they fought through the streets of Fallujah, their casualties mounting. This is their story.

©2006 Patrick K. O'Donnell (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Clearly reflects valor and courage." (Kirkus Reviews)

"This is, being real, a more than harrowing tale." (Roanoke Times) 

"[O'Donnell's] most important accomplishment among many is to put a human face on the troops....[An] excellent book." (New York Post)  

An important story

At first I felt as though this was an overly long 'newsweek' article.

I soon grew attached to the men who were going through an expereince I can't even imagine.

This book has stuck with me and has reminded me of the importance of the fight these men are engaged in.

It has also reminded me of how lucky I am to live in the United States and how important it is to 'live well'.

Some of the accents the reader attempts are terrible. It would have been better if he had just read the words. It would have been great if Blackstone audio could have produced it with a full cast.

If you're interested in a first hand account (by an author who was actually with the soldiers he writes about) then I can't recommend this book highly enough.

I learned as much from this as I did from 'One Bullet Away'.

The Greatest Generation you don't hear about....

I've read almost all the other books on the subject, and my only mistake is that I should have started with this one. It's well written, serious, and unblinking. It deliveres what it promises....you'll go shoulder to shoulder with REAL guys who go into a hellish and bizarro world we want to disbelieve. It's like the U.S. Marines against the international All-Stars of terrorism. This book and others like it show me that bad politics has left these guys oddly supported by the general public, but somehow unrecognized. We know they're out there, we see the yellow ribbon decals, but then you read this and you get claustrophobic with the insanity of Anti-American insurgents. These aren't armed citizens our soldiers are up against....the enemy comes highly trained, hopped up on adrenaline, armed to the teeth, and enthusiastically suicidal. These insurgents believe human life is cheap and disposable.....a U.S. Marines does not.

The reader need work

The voices the man reading seemed almost disrespectful to the Marines, changing his voice into a juvenile tone. Though I don’t think he meant any disrespect, I just didn’t like his performance.

FINALLY

I consider myself aware. I know what the troops sacrifice; life, emotional damage, phisical imparement, etc. But I never thought of the bonds they share with one another. This is a story of brotherhood, a story of friendship, a story of loss for the men of Lima company... and gain for the rest of us. If you do not consider yourself patriotic, this story will change you.

Was good until...

Was a good listen, and very engrossing. However I was appalled that a "historian" would not fact check himself before publication. The United States military does not use hollow points in war, as it's against all international agreements. The description of the female insurgent being shot with hollow point ammunition is falsified and calls the entire story into question.

Contemporary History

Whatever your position on the Iraq war, Patrick O'Donnel has brought us an amazing telling of the battle for Fallujah. Embedded with the 1st Platoon of Lima Company, 1st Marine Regiment, O'Donnel risked his life to bring us these first hand stories. If you support the war you will be inspired by the stories. If you oppose the war, you will come to appreciate what the Marines are doing and the personal sacrifices they are making.

The prose is not the most elegant, but O'Donnel has done a great job compiling the words of the direct participants. The reader is rewarded immediately and the greater telling and analysis of the conflict that is Irag can be told more fully later.

The reading is excellent.

Excellent Book

I have read hundreds of books on combat and I rank this one in the top 10. Patrick O'Donnel is consistently good with his oral histories. He comes as close as a journalist can to capturing the essense of combat at the platoon and squad level. We owe it to our valiant, current combat veterens to listen to this book and understand the best we can their sacrifice. The reader of the book also did an outstanding job. Now if the new President would just take the time to read or listen to this book and honor our military by better understanding how outstanding is their performance in protecting us.

Very Proud

A very moving account of the incredible job that our troops are doing in Iraq. I had no idea about how well the guys are trained and the level of dedication, self sacrifice, and brotherhood in the marines. It made me very proud of the incredible job that our troops are doing under almost impossible odds. It also make me even more proud to be an American.

reader makes the marines sound like sulky idiots.

struggle to finish as the narration is awful. when the reader quotes the marines, they sound like a sulky huck finn at 4 or 5 years old.

Incredible Courage!

A very heartfelt account of a battle by the toughest, most courageous US Marines ever!

How they did what they did is not easily put into words. Their story so accurately and emotionally told here borders on insanity! But it is held together by the honor and grit of the US Marines and their bond with each other. Uncommon Valour is a very common trait of these incredible Marines. They fight for each other, the Corp and thier Country in that order. This will leave you with your heart in your throat! Don McCall