03379cam a2200337 4500 532089413 TxAuBib 20211111120000.0 210128s2021||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 9781982691011 1982691018 TxAuBib McPadden, Ray,. We march at midnight : a war memoir / Ray McPadden. First edition. Ashland, OR : Blackstone Publishing, 2021. 228 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm. PART 1: Crawl: Where a foot soldier belongs -- War is freedom -- King of the mountain -- Counterattack -- Win, lose, or draw -- PART 2: Walk: Valley of death -- The beast -- Chest candy -- Recess -- Hearts and minds -- Endurance -- PART 3: Run: Aftermath -- The invaders -- Block party -- Night crawlers -- The edge of me -- The other SEALs -- Back in the Stan -- One last raid -- The veteran. McPadden recounts his experiences as a Ranger Officer during the war in Afghanistan. He writes about growing up, leadership, the nature of war, and war's aftermath. "Ray McPadden’s chronicle of his experience as a highly decorated Ranger Officer leading some of the most dangerous missions during the height of the Iraq and Afghan wars. In 2005, Ray joined the army in search of what he calls 'the moment'—a chance to prove to himself and his brothers in arms that he is a true leader. His job is to establish the first outpost in the Korengal, Afghanistan’s deadliest valley, and his decisions and mistakes will have a permanent impact on the men he commands. During the fifteen-month tour, his unit receives numerous decorations for valor while suffering nearly 50 percent casualties, ultimately accomplishing their mission in a land considered unwinnable. Prowess with a rifle platoon soon earns Ray a position in the world’s premiere raiding force, the 75th Ranger Regiment, an accomplishment earned by less than 1 percent of the officers in the US Army, and during the most combat-heavy period of the twenty-first century. Ray spearheads the first joint-strike force of Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, in a shadow war against the agents of a foreign government, where lightning raids by helicopter, armored vehicle, and foot are his nightly routine. In 2009, when Ray returns to the same corner of Afghanistan where his military career began, he suddenly finds himself tasked with leading Rangers against a target he knows all too well: the home of friends from his first tour. As he leads one last raid, Ray is at war with himself. Conquering this unexpected enemy proves the greatest challenge of all. We March at Midnight is a blood-spattered tour de force of growing up, leadership, the nature of war, and its aftermath."--book jacket. 20211111. McPadden, Ray. United States Army Ranger Regiment, 75th Biography. United States Army Commando troops Biography. Afghan War, 2001- Campaigns Afghanistan Korangal Valley. Afghan War, 2001- Veterans United States Biography. Afghan War, 2001- Personal narratives, American. Military campaigns. Autobiography. Personal narratives.