As a fellow Marine, I would love to serve with a man of this character. He is a true warrior and defines the word leadership. This book was great and recomended to all who want to know the truth about the war our men and women are fighting.

This is a great story about one of our marines. His dedication is so sorely needed in this country. A wonderful book on his courage to continue to live a normal life.

First, this is one of the few books among many on leadership that truly defines what a leader should strive to be, and how he/she gets there. Kasal's snippets and caveats are concise, to the point, and hard-hitting. Paper leaders need not apply in Kasal's Marine Corps.

Second, it's about time an honorable, unapologetic account of the Marines combat participation in Iraq came out. While in Baghdad I met and worked with superb Marines, from the lowest enlisted rank to 06 and a better bunch could not be found. Kasal's book does them proud.

Wonderfully written, unabashed in its patriotism, a good reminder about those who serve and maintain the brotherhood of the combat veteran, Marine or otherwise.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice, SGM, and for instilling the core of the Corps in so many courageous young men and women.

A Marine's (X2) Dad

This is a book about a living hero and yet he is humble. this book should be read by all, only then will you truly understand the war.

As the full title of this book would indicate, it not a comprehensive narrative of the battle for Fallujah in November of 2004, but rather a biography of Brad Kasal throughout his life and into his time in the Marine Corps. I think it does a good job of creating a familiarity with the man who has gone on to personify contemporary Marine Corps leadership.

For any Marine, military member or someone that loves a good story, this book is worth reading. This story is about a humble Marine, doing what he does best - being a Marine. Awesome story and great photos. Highly recommend.

This book truly defines what a Marine stands for, Semper Fi.
Cpl Oden, J.C. 0331
Lima 3/7 Wpns Plt. 1985-1989

As I haven't even received this product it is difficult to review. I ordered this book on 11/27/07 and it was due for delivery on 12/24/07. It was not delivered. My contact with Amazon since then has been an appalling experience with mistake after mistake. Mistakes were made on the original delivery. I was then told that a part shipment had been made ( 3 books in total). Mistakes were made on costs and on refunds and I also have 2/3 different delivery dates. In fact they made mistakes on just about everything and I will never use Amazon again

SgtMaj Kasal was my platoon leader in the school of infantry at Camp Pendleton. He was someone who I somehow remembered everything about years later. A friend of mine in Fallujah showed me the book and I was amazed to see Brad Kasal, but I wasn't surprised. This book is a very fast paced and easy to follow, although you may never fully understand. Brad Kasal is one in a million and I am proud to have served with him; albeit briefly in 1992.

All to often the real heros are overlooked because they look like you and I. You really don't know the sacrifices they have made. This is one story that people should read. Not for the feint of heart, but then you probably wouldn't be viewing this item if you fit that description. Brad Kasal is a face, a picture of valor, for all those who go unnoticed and unappreciated.

Nathan A. Steeves

Enjoyed the book. I like the writing style and found it easy to read. Found it to be a quick read especially at the end when the action picked up. The beginning of the book detailing Brads early years gives one an idea about how thousands of young men live their lives much like the sons of an earlier age. They still love this country and show it by joining the Armed Services.

I just finished a very tough read: "My Men Are My Heroes - the Brad Kasal Story." A tough read because it is pretty unstinting about what battle really is like but Kasal is such an inspiring fellow, uncompromising Marine material, besides being very handsome! I feel like he belongs to all of us now.

As a child I was fascinated by TV series such as "Victory at Sea" and "Crusade in Europe" and suppose I've seen most every documentary on war and warriors done since. I've read the dispatches from Ernie Pyle and, of course, watched a multitude of movies with military themes. But nothing in any of these gave more than a sanitized glimpse of combat.

The book actually has a photo of what Kasal's shot-up leg looked like when he was at the aid station. Not knowing the photo would be there, I literally yelped when I saw it and quickly closed the book and laid it aside. Then after a few minutes I opened it again because I thought to myself, "No, he did this for you and you must look." Really powerful stuff. Kasal is completely deserving of being awarded the Navy Cross.

This old gal is going through a major case of hero worship at the moment and I went on the Internet to find more about him and found photos of his Navy Cross ceremony. What a great guy. He is so respected and loved by his men and the other marines at Camp Pendleton. And I love all our men and women who are giving everything for us. As a nation, we are really not doing enough for them or giving them the respect they so richly deserve.

When you finish the book you know you've been in the presence of an extraordinary man and Marine. Absolutely throw aside the thought that the writing could have been better and get into an appreciation mode for the kind of warriors our nation is producing at this critical point in our history and stand up and salute.

This book was very nice reading. I read it in one sitting and I was left very impressed with 1stSgt Kasal's harrowing experience fighting in Al-Falluja. As a former Marine I am biased towards the special mission of our Marines. However, the story of the fine men that were involved in this battle, was riveting.

As 1stSgt Kasal explains that the Marines haven't been involved in urban warfare since Vietnam's battle of Hue city, the Tet offensive. As Marines, or any trained ground combat forces know, fighting in close quarters is the most dreaded situation any combatant can encounter. And as always, it is up to the ground pounders, the grunts, to weed out the enemy and destroy them. No bomb from the sky(conventional anyways),ever works completely. It didn't work in Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo, or Okinawa, history has shown that to be true. That is why Marines, are all trained to be marksmen or riflemen, meaning, learned men/women that set their sights on the enemy and shoot to kill in every situation.

The best at this profession are the highly trained and motivated Infantry units of the Marine Corps. And 1stSgt Kasal, along with his men, where doing just that in Iraq. Killing insurgents, who for the most part are a threat to the security of The United States Of America.

Al-Falluja was a show down ready to happen, and the Marines were ready and willing to fight it out with the Jihadist who were taunting and killing Marines, service men, and foreign contractors in and around that area.

If we don't fight them in their territories then they will bring the fight to the States, it's just that simple. It happened during 9/11 and it will not stop until radical Islamist conquers the world for their form of Islam. History is full of these examples, like the Almohades in Sefarad (Spain) during the 13th Century. That is why we should all thank G-D that their are Marines willing to suffer, kill the enemy or be killed, so that we can keep our way of life.

1stSgt Kasal, through his heroism, has entered into the annals of Marine Corp lore that only a select few can be proud to be remembered by. Men like, Chesty Puller, John Bastilone, Dan daily, who with their extraordinary acts of heroism have fulfilled the mission of being called United States Marines.

When I first saw that famous photograph of 1stSgt Kasal being helped by his Marines, all bloody, but defiant holding his 9mm Beretta, I almost lost it. Why, because I know that they are over there fighting and dieing for our freedom. This by no means is an easy job, nor one that should be taken lightly. Being shot at and hated, for the sake of differences of opinion and lifestyles is no easy mission. The Marines go to the troubled areas of the world, because they are sent and they follow orders. They represent the American people, in more ways than one. They represent freedom, democracy, and the American why of life. For that, they are despised and bloodied every day by people who hold little value for our ways of life.

In this book you see the real depravity of war, as seen through the 1stSgt's eyes. He shares with us the professionalism, the high standards of American fighting men. Yet, you also hear about the boredom, the ceaseless loneliness, the fatigue of being deployed overseas in a hostile area. I found this book to be a real heartfelt attempt to verbalize the agony of combat in the 21 Century. The pain of recuperation after you been maimed for your Countries sake. The fighting spirit of the American way of life that says, no matter what I will not quit, my men and my country need me, and I need to get up for my own sake and for theirs. I proudly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know about what it takes to be a Marine.

Semper Fi and G-D bless the Marines!

I just finished a very tough read: "My Men Are My Heroes - the Brad Kasal Story." A tough read because it is pretty unstinting about what battle really is like but Kasal is such an inspiring fellow, uncompromising Marine material, besides being very handsome! I feel like he belongs to all of us now.



As a child I was fascinated by TV series such as "Victory at Sea" and "Crusade in Europe" and suppose I've seen most every documentary on war and warriors done since. I've read the dispatches from Ernie Pyle and, of course, watched a multitude of movies with military themes. But nothing in any of these gave more than a sanitized glimpse of combat.



The book actually has a photo of what Kasal's shot-up leg looked like when he was at the aid station. Not knowing the photo would be there, I literally yelped when I saw it and quickly closed the book and laid it aside. Then after a few minutes I opened it again because I thought to myself, "No, he did this for you and you must look." Really powerful stuff. Kasal is completely deserving of being awarded the Navy Cross.



This old gal is going through a major case of hero worship at the moment and I went on the Internet to find more about him and found photos of his Navy Cross ceremony. What a great guy. He is so respected and loved by his men and the other marines at Camp Pendleton. And I love all our men and women who are giving everything for us. As a nation, we are really not doing enough for them or giving them the respect they so richly deserve.



When you finish the book you know you've been in the presence of an extraordinary man and Marine. Absolutely throw aside the thought that the writing could have been better and get into an appreciation mode for the kind of warriors our nation is producing at this critical point in our history and stand up and salute.

I just finished a very tough read: "My Men Are My Heroes - the Brad Kasal Story." A tough read because it is pretty unstinting about what battle really is like but Kasal is such an inspiring fellow, uncompromising Marine material, besides being very handsome! I feel like he belongs to all of us now.

As a child I was fascinated by TV series such as "Victory at Sea" and "Crusade in Europe" and suppose I've seen most every documentary on war and warriors done since. I've read the dispatches from Ernie Pyle and, of course, watched a multitude of movies with military themes. But nothing in any of these gave more than a sanitized glimpse of combat.

The book actually has a photo of what Kasal's shot-up leg looked like when he was at the aid station. Not knowing the photo would be there, I literally yelped when I saw it and quickly closed the book and laid it aside. Then after a few minutes I opened it again because I thought to myself, "No, he did this for you and you must look." Really powerful stuff. Kasal is completely deserving of being awarded the Navy Cross.

This old gal is going through a major case of hero worship at the moment and I went on the Internet to find more about him and found photos of his Navy Cross ceremony. What a great guy. He is so respected and loved by his men and the other marines at Camp Pendleton. And I love all our men and women who are giving everything for us. As a nation, we are really not doing enough for them or giving them the respect they so richly deserve.

When you finish the book you know you've been in the presence of an extraordinary man and Marine. Absolutely throw aside the thought that the writing could have been better and get into an appreciation mode for the kind of warriors our nation is producing at this critical point in our history and stand up and salute.

This book was very nice reading. I read it in one sitting and I was left very impressed with 1stSgt Kasal's harrowing experience fighting in Al-Falluja. As a former Marine I am biased towards the special mission of our Marines. However, the story of the fine men that were involved in this battle, was riveting.
As 1stSgt Kasal explains that the Marines haven't been involved in urban warfare since Vietnam's battle of Hue city, the Tet offensive. As Marines, or any trained ground combat forces know, fighting in close quarters is the most dreaded situation any combatant can encounter. And as always, it is up to the ground pounders, the grunts, to weed out the enemy and destroy them. No bomb from the sky(conventional anyways),ever works completely. It didn't work in Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo, or Okinawa, history has shown that to be true. That is why Marines, are all trained to be marksmen or riflemen, meaning, learned men/women that set their sights on the enemy and shoot to kill in every situation.
The best at this profession are the highly trained and motivated Infantry units of the Marine Corps. And 1stSgt Kasal, along with his men, where doing just that in Iraq. Killing insurgents, who for the most part are a threat to the security of The United States Of America.
Al-Falluja was a show down ready to happen, and the Marines were ready and willing to fight it out with the Jihadist who were taunting and killing Marines, service men, and foreign contractors in and around that area.
If we don't fight them in their territories then they will bring the fight to the States, it's just that simple. It happened during 9/11 and it will not stop until radical Islamist conquers the world for their form of Islam. History is full of these examples, like the Almohades in Sefarad (Spain) during the 13th Century. That is why we should all thank G-D that their are Marines willing to suffer, kill the enemy or be killed, so that we can keep our way of life.
1stSgt Kasal, through his heroism, has entered into the annals of Marine Corp lore that only a select few can be proud to be remembered by. Men like, Chesty Puller, John Bastilone, Dan daily, who with their extraordinary acts of heroism have fulfilled the mission of being called United States Marines.
When I first saw that famous photograph of 1stSgt Kasal being helped by his Marines, all bloody, but defiant holding his 9mm Beretta, I almost lost it. Why, because I know that they are over there fighting and dieing for our freedom. This by no means is an easy job, nor one that should be taken lightly. Being shot at and hated, for the sake of differences of opinion and lifestyles is no easy mission. The Marines go to the troubled areas of the world, because they are sent and they follow orders. They represent the American people, in more ways than one. They represent freedom, democracy, and the American why of life. For that, they are despised and bloodied every day by people who hold little value for our ways of life.
In this book you see the real depravity of war, as seen through the 1stSgt's eyes. He shares with us the professionalism, the high standards of American fighting men. Yet, you also hear about the boredom, the ceaseless loneliness, the fatigue of being deployed overseas in a hostile area. I found this book to be a real heartfelt attempt to verbalize the agony of combat in the 21 Century. The pain of recuperation after you been maimed for your Countries sake. The fighting spirit of the American way of life that says, no matter what I will not quit, my men and my country need me, and I need to get up for my own sake and for theirs. I proudly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know about what it takes to be a Marine.
Semper Fi and G-D bless the Marines!

What a great story!! I would most definately recommend this book to anyone that wants to read a true story about a true american hero.
We use the term hero far to often in American society, but Sergeant Major Kasal is the real deal, not only in Combat but in his outlook on life in general and through his recovery.
Again a wonderful story.

This book is very poorly written. I's say its the reading level of someone in middle school. I was very disappointed by this book. SgtMaj Kasal is no doubt a cream of the crop leader and Marine and this book almost plays him down and doesnt give him enough respect because all it does is excessively praise him. The book should just tell it like it is, and leave the reader to judge SgtMaj Kasal's character. No one needs some random person's opinion on SgtMaj Kasal.

Great book about our great young men who are all heroes making it possible for me to live in a free Country.

Very inspirational! Real heroes are among us! In the world where everyone appears to be looking out for oneself, it's refreshing to see someone who is - so readily - willing to sacrifice his own life to safe another. The mere existense of such people gives me hope and faith in humanity. In my opinion, this book is a must-read.

This book certainly had potential, but failed. The writing is quite poor, page after page of platitudes and more platitudes--give me a break! I am a Marine veteran myself, and even I couldn't take all the contrived gung--ho after a while! Instead of telling us over and over how great someone is, its best to just tell the story and let us decide. Actions should speak for themselves. Dry writing and examination of one combat situation ad nauseum. I'm not questioning Sgt. Kasal's courage for one moment--but this book certainly does no favors for him or his story. I couldn't even finish this book--I was very disappointed and regret the money I spent.

The story doesn't touch how amazing this man is, his dedication to his men, his country. He has the love and respect of his men because of the man that he is. Strong in so many ways, and an inspiration to us all. Read it to get a glimpse into the life of a Marine. Are hearts are with you all.

Everyone should read. It is quite a story. Soldiers are my heros! Thanks for serving the USA!

Brad Kasal is a Marine, and Marines don't like to be called soldiers. This is the story of the war from a Marine's eyes, one we are particularly proud of here at Camp Pendleton. My husband is a Cpl. in the USMC stationed here also, who has also done his time in Iraq. The media never gets the distinction, but the Marines are a part of the Navy (hence the amphibious nature, i.e. the name Marine), and they like to make sure people know who they are. Semper Fi, devil dogs. 3AAB, 1st Marines.

I served with SgtMaj Kasal both in Fallujah and in the states with 3rd Bn, 1st Marines. He was a outstanding leader, stern, fair and always cared about his Marines. This book is a great account of the sacrafices made not only by SgtMaj Kasal but that of the men that fought and died on the streets of Fallujah with the Thundering Third. OOORRRAAAHHH! and Semper Fi.

Cpl Hill
3rd Bn, 1st Marines
Combat Vet Operation Al Fajr

The book a story about a great man, but in an extremely dry fashion.

A sober account of the marines battle to take Fallujah from islamic extremists. The view is from the street as seen through the eyes of American soldiers. The story includes interesting accounts of small unit actions in urban environments. The dedication, bravery, and never quit attitude of our all-voluteer military is highlighted. Brad Kasal is a true American hero. He and his men are the backbone of our country. They carry the traditions of previous generations of marines right up to present day.

Compares well with other battlefield stories like "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" by Sledge.

I highly recommend it.

Doug Santo
Pasadena, CA

The battle of Falluja by the eyes, ears and thoughts of a solid US Army Marine. A Must-Read if you are interested in your European or American freedoms of speech, freedoms of expression and modern life in general.

This book is one of THE BEST EVER WRITTEN.

IT should be REQUIRED READING for Enlisted Ranks of Staff Sergeant and above. I don't know Brad Kasal, but I do know a former Marine who left the Corps as a Captain.

He now has a training company, and trains in the same manner as Kasal. You are never yelled at, never belittled, and you yearn to do the correct thing to please him.


The book is very easy to read, and explains a lot of questions I had about Fallujah.

Sgt Major Kasal was my son's First Sgt. He served with him in Fallujah. I had heard all about him before his name even became famous. I had the honor of meeting him two times. The first time I met him was at Camp Pendleton when "his men" returned from Fallujah. He was in a wheelchair. The second time I had the honor of seeing him was when "his men" came home from their second tour in Iraq. This time he was walking with a cane. He made it for both homecomings even though he was going through extreme physical therapy. This book just tells it all. I couldn't put it down. The only disappointment I found was that First Sgt. Kasal should have received the "Medal of Honor" instead of the Navy Cross. He is one true American Hero!

It is people like this that make me retain hope for the future. I laughed and cried while reading this. God bless him and all our fighting forces.

This book is indeed a Must Read. It should be read by anyone who has the authority to send Marines into battle. It should be read by the American People so that they see the true grit of this modern generation. This book should be read by anyone who thinks that military leadership is something that can be taught in a school. Marines lead from the front and 1st Sgt Kasal is the example that we all need to follow.

I am lucky enough to have an autographed copy of SgtMaj Kasla's book. I read it cover to cover in 2 days. This book is oustanding. The personal disregard for his own safety for his Marines is unmeasurable. A must buy...

Semper Fi