In the Mail: The Fighting 69th

By Charlie

One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad, by Sean Michael Flynn.

fighting 69th.jpg

Flynn's book narrates the recent history of the 69th Infantry Regiment (Light), New York Army National Guard, which is part of the 42nd ID.

The regiment, like most National Guard units, is reflective of its community and has a gloried past. Flynn does a great job of “painting the picture” of what the unit looks like –the personalities, the leaders, and the troops. What Flynn does (and what I like most about the book) is show how the rich history of the 69th upheld by the present day troops, despite the obstacles they had to overcome.

The 69th served in the 9/11 recovery effort, and due to their armory location, it was one of the first units to respond. The unit did heavy lifting during Noble Eagle, guarding sensitive sites, including West Point. The 69th played a major role in OIF, which takes up most the book, and Flynn gives an outstanding depiction of combat and the stresses it imposed on the men.

Here’s the Amazon blurb:

With a charismatic mix of irreverent humor and eye-opening honesty, Sean Flynn, himself a member of the 69th, memorably chronicles the transformation of this motley band of amateur soldiers into a battle- hardened troop at work in one of the most lethal quarters of Baghdad: the notorious Airport Road, a blood- soaked strand that grabbed headlines and became a bellwether for progress in postinvasion Iraq. At home on the concrete and asphalt like no other unit in the U.S. Army, Gotham’s Fighting 69th finally brings its own rough justice to this lawless precinct by ignoring army discipline and turning to the street-fighting tactics they grew up with and know best.

It’s a great book, so get it for a Guardsman in your family for Christmas!

December 17, 2007 06:50 AM National Guard

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Comments

And the unit is now about to deploy to Afghanistan, according to the NY Daily News.

Doug (old Army Corporal) · December 17, 2007 08:05 AM

1940 flick "The Fighting 69th" The 69th in WWI. Not a great war movie but ok. Good peformance by James Cagney. Also stars Pat O'Brien, who makes a credible Irish chaplain.

possum · December 17, 2007 12:36 PM

And wasn't William J. Donovan, MOH recipient in WWI and later founder of the OSS, in the Fighting 69th?

LtCol P · December 17, 2007 05:28 PM