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

Kelly Kennedy

St. Martin's Publishing Group, Mar 2, 2010 - History - 336 pages

They Fought for Each Other presents a searing chronicle of the soldiers of Battalion 1-26 who confronted the worst neighborhood in Baghdad and lost more men than any battalion since the Vietnam War.

Based on "Blood Brothers," the award-nominated 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 safe and secure neighborhood.

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, leading to this riveting chronicle of an Army battalion that lost 31 soldiers in Iraq. 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.

Contents

• Second Platoon Meets Adhamiya: 1
• Adhamiya Moves from Acceptance to Hatred: 8
• Charlie Company Learns to Fight the Insurgents: 15
• Charlie Company Faces Its First Losses: 42
• The Commanders Wife Handles Adhamiyas Deaths at Home: 66
• Top Keeps Morale High in Hell: 73
• Ladue Earns Three Purple Hearts in Two Months: 85
• McGinnis Earns a Medal of Honor: 100
• The Mission Continues at Home: 114
• Charlie Company Tries to Play Nice with the Neighbors: 127
• Charlie Company Continues the Battle but Faces More Death: 142
• A Change of Command Brings a Taste of Progress: 162
• Charlie Companys Leaders Look for Signs of Combat Stress: 168
• Charlie Companys Mission Changes: 180
• Adhamiya Becomes a Gated Community: 189
• Charlie Company Beats Down Flames with Friendship: 194
• Alpha Company Moves to Old Mod: 207
• Charlie Company Senses a Storm and Tries to Remain Calm: 217
• Charlie Company Faces Its Worst Day: 232
• Charlie Company Pulls Back but Seethes: 246
• A First Sergeant Breaks Down: 253
• Charlie Company Responds to Alphas Catastrophic Loss: 264
• Charlie Company Mutinies and Is Torn Apart: 267
• The Battalion Faces Its Last Casualty: 277
• Charlie Company Works Toward Healing: 281
• Charlie Company Goes Home: 292

About the author

KELLY KENNEDY served as a soldier in Desert Storm and Mogadishu, Somalia. She has written for The Salt Lake Tribune, The Portland Oregonian, The Chicago Tribune, and Army Times. She lives in Virginia.

Bibliographic information

• Title: They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq
• Author: Kelly Kennedy
• Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2010
• ISBN: 1429910046, 9781429910040
• Length: 336 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Military; History / Wars & Conflicts / Iraq War (2003-2011)