Dump Digest

Eight Lives Down

The book is Eight Lives Down, by Chris Hunter. Hunter is a counter-terrorist, bomb-disposal operator who tells the story of his tour in Iraq beginning February 2004. Disarming a variety of explosive devices, tracking down the bomb-makers, and having a target on his back from Bahadli’s Mahdi Army, there is never a dull moment for Chris Hunter and his men.

whether you are military or civilian, for the combat or against it, this book is a must read. being an american, eight lives down was a peek into the personal side of the british military and their particular roll in the iraq engage in combat with. as chris tracker says, there were lots of opportunities for him to meet his maker, and he takes readers along for the disagreeable ride.hunter shares the personal side of being a soldier, deployed far from home and kids. affiliation is difficult in the best of circumstances, but trying to engage things together with occasional phone calls and your compulsion on the line 24/7 seems on the brink of impossible.of specifically interest to me was the oms, or office of the martyr al-sadr and any iranian connections to the violence in iraq. hunter writes:rumor has it the iranians are funding the shia militias as luxuriously as training and supplying them. it’s certainly not beyond the realm of feasibility. iran is the only mother country in the medial east with this level of sophisticated electronic warfare equipment at its disposal. and bahadli is their man in southern iraq. (pg 143)”sheik abdul-sattar al-bahadli, the jaysh al-mahdi leader in basra, commands an unknown number of jam members who specialize in ied operations and assassinations. sheik sattar owns and operates the al-ghadir media intermediation and al-ghadir newspaper in basra. he is an artist and has a background in acting.”

Working in close quarters with the Americans at one point, Hunter says:

Julie warner

americans conclude d communicate with a arrive at a lot of come unstuck for the way they conducted themselves in iraq. there have been some howling errors, but speaking to eric, i can see he and many like him really gt it. he’s studied iraqi culture and he empathizes with their strong sense of devotion to dynasty, fatherland, and religion. and when he speaks about interacting with the people, it’s obvious he understands not contrariwise the concept but also the importance of successful hearts and minds.general colin powell was once asked about u.s. empire building by the archbishop of canterbury. he replied, “over the years, the united sates has sent many of it’s keen-edged young men and women into great vulnerability to take up arms against in support of audacity beyond our borders. the only land we have ever asked instead of in return is enough to gain those that did not return.”that’s how eric and his guys see it too.i like these boys. they are the real deal.

Like most soldiers, Hunter is touched by the average Iraqi citizen, the Iraqis who risked their lives to aide the multi-national forces, the Innocent women, and the children … especially the children.As always it’s the personal stories that touch our hearts and Eight Lives Down does just that. Buy it, read it, give it as a gift to family or friend. __________________________________________________________________________

Check other Right Truth Book Club reviews and book information here.

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