Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War
Dakota Meyer Ā· Bing West
Sep 2012 Ā· Penguin Random House Audio Ā· Narrated by Zach McLarty
4.2star
118 reviewsreport
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5 hr 51 min
Unabridged
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āThe story of what Dakota did . . . will be told for generations.āāPresident Barack Obama, from remarks given at Meyerās Medal of Honor ceremony
In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out one hundred men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, twenty-one year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades.
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With a brave driver at the wheel, Meyer stood in the gun turret exposed to withering fire, rallying Afghan troops to follow. Over the course of the five hours, he charged into the valley time and again. Employing a variety of machine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and even a rock, Meyer repeatedly repulsed enemy attackers, carried wounded Afghan soldiers to safety, and provided cover for dozens of others to escapeāsupreme acts of valor and determination. In the end, Meyer and four stalwart comradesāan Army captain, an Afghan sergeant major, and two Marinesācleared the battlefield and came to grips with a tragedy they knew could have been avoided. For his actions on that day, Meyer became the first living Marine in three decades to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Ā
Into the Fire tells the full story of the chaotic battle of Ganjigal for the first time,Ā in a compelling, human way that reveals it as a microcosm of our recent wars. Meyer takes us from his upbringing on a farm in Kentucky, through his Marine and sniper training, onto the battlefield, and into the vexed aftermath of his harrowing exploits in a battle that has become the stuff of legend.Ā
Ā
Investigations ensued, even as he was pitched back into battle alongside U.S. Army soldiers who embraced him as a fellow grunt. When it was over, he returned to the States to confront living with the loss of his closest friends. This is a tale of American values and upbringing, of stunning heroism, and of adjusting to loss and to civilian life.
Ā
We see it all through Meyerās eyes, bullet by bullet, with raw honesty in telling of both the errors that resulted in tragedy and the resolve of American soldiers, U.S.Marines, and Afghan soldiers whoād been abandoned and faced certain death.Ā
Ā
Meticulously researched and thrillingly told, with nonstop pace and vivid detail, Into the Fire is the true story of a modern American hero.
Ā
āSergeant Meyer embodies all that is good about our nationās Corps of Marines. . . . [His] heroic actions . . . will forever be etched in our Corpsā rich legacy of courage and valor.āāGeneral James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps
In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out one hundred men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, twenty-one year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
With a brave driver at the wheel, Meyer stood in the gun turret exposed to withering fire, rallying Afghan troops to follow. Over the course of the five hours, he charged into the valley time and again. Employing a variety of machine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and even a rock, Meyer repeatedly repulsed enemy attackers, carried wounded Afghan soldiers to safety, and provided cover for dozens of others to escapeāsupreme acts of valor and determination. In the end, Meyer and four stalwart comradesāan Army captain, an Afghan sergeant major, and two Marinesācleared the battlefield and came to grips with a tragedy they knew could have been avoided. For his actions on that day, Meyer became the first living Marine in three decades to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Ā
Into the Fire tells the full story of the chaotic battle of Ganjigal for the first time,Ā in a compelling, human way that reveals it as a microcosm of our recent wars. Meyer takes us from his upbringing on a farm in Kentucky, through his Marine and sniper training, onto the battlefield, and into the vexed aftermath of his harrowing exploits in a battle that has become the stuff of legend.Ā
Ā
Investigations ensued, even as he was pitched back into battle alongside U.S. Army soldiers who embraced him as a fellow grunt. When it was over, he returned to the States to confront living with the loss of his closest friends. This is a tale of American values and upbringing, of stunning heroism, and of adjusting to loss and to civilian life.
Ā
We see it all through Meyerās eyes, bullet by bullet, with raw honesty in telling of both the errors that resulted in tragedy and the resolve of American soldiers, U.S.Marines, and Afghan soldiers whoād been abandoned and faced certain death.Ā
Ā
Meticulously researched and thrillingly told, with nonstop pace and vivid detail, Into the Fire is the true story of a modern American hero.
Ā
āSergeant Meyer embodies all that is good about our nationās Corps of Marines. . . . [His] heroic actions . . . will forever be etched in our Corpsā rich legacy of courage and valor.āāGeneral James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps
Ratings and reviews
4.2
118 reviews
Eric Swift
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October 11, 2019
The story is fantastic but the performance of the narrator is not good, need a way more serious tone. Ruined the book.
140 people found this review helpful
Sintu Raj
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November 14, 2020
This application is very most powerful , this story is both hard and enjoying this learning story so amazing, I really š¤š¤š¤ happy
46 people found this review helpful
Mohdayoub Khan
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April 30, 2020
bad storyššš
12 people found this review helpful
About the author
Dakota Meyer was born and raised in Columbia, Kentucky, and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2006. A school-trained sniper and highly skilled infantryman, Corporal Meyer deployed to Iraq in 2007 and to Afghanistan in 2009. In 2011, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his unyielding courage in the battle of Ganjigal. He now competes at charity events in skeet and rifle competitions. He also speaks frequently at schools and veteransā events to raise awareness of our military and remains dedicated to the causes of our veterans.Ā For the families of fallen troops, he has raised over one million dollars.
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Bing West, a Marine combat veteran, served as an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration. He has been on hundreds of patrols in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. A nationally acclaimed war correspondent, he is the author of The Village; No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah; The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq; and The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, West has received the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation award, the Colby Award for military nonfiction, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, and the Marine Corps University Foundationās Russell Leadership Award. He lives with his wife, Betsy, in Newport, Rhode Island.
Ā
Bing West, a Marine combat veteran, served as an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration. He has been on hundreds of patrols in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. A nationally acclaimed war correspondent, he is the author of The Village; No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah; The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq; and The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, West has received the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation award, the Colby Award for military nonfiction, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, and the Marine Corps University Foundationās Russell Leadership Award. He lives with his wife, Betsy, in Newport, Rhode Island.
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