The beginning of the book was a walk down memory lane for me. It was fun to hear about all the training I went through and the challenges and the schools, from the point of view of this other private who had to do it in 2003 or 04.
RIP, Airborne School, Infantry School, etc etc. Now, when I went through them, I didn't think they were "making me into a killer" the way that Blum tends to think of it. Sure, it was tough training, and they were conditioning me to be a better soldier, but "creating killers" . . . hardly.
Plus they make it sound as though I was a complete bad ass. Never really felt like that big a bad ass, but I guess I was. Looking back at it from this perspective, I was a tabbed out Ranger team leader and squad leader, a part of the Spec 4 Mafia for a time, a Bull or Buck Sergeant. Hell, I aced every school and them some. I was far more bad ass than I ever give myself credit for.
I was very intrigued to find out how Blum was duped into being a get-away driver for a bank robbery without his knowing he was doing something wrong. There is a lot about the lifestyle at the Battalion and how Privates and non-Tabbed Rangers are treated by the Tabs. Hell, I had Specialist Taylor as my team leader. He was a crazy! He wasn't evil per se, but he was pretty damn mean. I remember going back to Battalion with Lana and Duffy and Luker told me how when we were all new to Battalion how they had felt bad for me and the shit I had to put up with from Taylor.
The good news is that Taylor was counter-balanced by Johnson. Sergeant Johnson, he who had his scrotum ripped open during Pre-Ranger and kept moving forward and completed the land nav course despite the pain, was a consummate professional. Plus Sergeant DeNova was a great squad leader. I wonder now how much they kept Taylor in check. BUT, the big question was, for me going into this book, would I have been a get-away driver for Taylor and Buck?
I don't think I would have.
I got to a part in the book where I gave up. I remember hearing this or reading it years ago and even back then I gave up on the story.
At one point Private Blum is asked to drive his team leader to the bank. So, of course he says yes. When he gets into the car there are others in the back seat. Three others. They're all wearing black fatigues. As he drives he looks in the back seat and sees that they have weapons.
That's where it all falls apart for me.
I can see that a Ranger private would sit there quietly while a bunch of tabbed out Ranger leaders are in the back seat with weapons. That I could see. But the second they got out of the car, I'm moving out and finding a pay phone or a place to call the police. Blum even sits there and watches them cross the street and enter the bank with weapons. Sorry, I don't buy that. Even I who was in daily fear of Taylor, if he had gone and robbed a bank, I'm ducking out and calling the cops.
Then again, I was 22 or 23 and Blum was 19. Even if he was a dupe, he should have exfiled ASAP and called the police. Gave up on the book right there. No amount of brainwash can account for people running into a bank with weapons loaded and just hanging out there to give them a drive away afterward.
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