Does the book tell a few more details, like if Blackburn recovered okay, and stuff like that?

Scott

Yes, the book tells a lot more about both the aftermath and what events lead up to the raid.

Along with reading the book, check out this website:

[url]inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/sitemap.asp[/url]

This is what Mark Bowden had that became the book.  Along with every chapter, this site has actual audio/video clips, photos, a "Who's who" and "Where are they now".


Chris

Agree with the others the book is better than the movie...

Good book !  To me the book moves exceptionally fast.  Some pretty good insight into the Delta boys and how they feel about the regular chain-of-command.  ("Alright, line up in the middle of the street and make like targets."  Whereby the D-Boys instantly move to the more protected areas at the street's edges.)

Don't assume that "discrepancies" between the book and the movie are actual discrepancies in the movie.  

For cinematic reasons, both crash sites had to be moved into the open.  The location for the shoot also dictated some changes.  Mogadishu has relatively few buildings of 2 stories and very few of three or more.  

Some character names were changed, some characters were composites of two or three soldiers.  You can only have so many faces to keep track of.  

Some have complained that scenes that didn't appear in the book were fabricated.  Some were, but most were taken from info that Bowden simply didn't have access to.  The technical advisors for the movie included several members of the Special Ops community, including actual participants in the action that Bowden didn't have access to simply because he was a journalist.  Bowden talked almost exclusively  to junior enlisted Rangers and one disaffected Delta Operator, which limited Bowden's scope to the junior-enlisted point of view, and his insight to Delta to that one man's view.  Just about everyone from the bottom to the top of the chain of command talked to Harry because Harry is a vereran operator with a good rep.  A lot of that made it into the film.

* - Delta Operators are known as "Deltoid's" according to Harry.  The Rangers called them D-Boys.

Did you know that a few of the movie Rangers were actual veterans of the Oct 3-4, 1993 fight who showed up on the set on their own and were invited to basically play themselves (or their buddies) in the movie?  The pilot who landed the Little Bird next to downed Blackhawk to pick up the wounded in the movie was the same pilot who performed the actual landing on 10/3/93.

Was the movie perfect?  No.  Was the book?  Nope.  Were they both good in their own ways?  I think so.  Enjoy both of them together.

Both were awesome, but the book goes into much more detail and has a LOT more "gore".

I'd definitely rate the book better than the movie.  That is almost always the case, though.  One incident missing from the movie was when a cow was straffed by a little bird  during one of its runs, and the cow literally exploded, throwing meat all over the place.  Would have made a neat scene.  Or should I say a meat scene? [:D]

Where did you come about the inside info?  I'm not doubting you - I'm just curious.  Thanks.

Good movie, better book. The film version just doesn't convey the urgency and dire situation the Rangers faced that day. I've read the book four times. Seen the movie twice.

Johnny, everything Dave told is correct and can be found on open sources.

I had read the book a long time before the movie came out and had been in contact with some TFR members thru the net, and have kept contact with them. I went to see the movie looking forward to an as much close to reality as they can possibly make. Noting that you can not pack 18 hours in a 2+ hour movie.

In my opinion,and generally in the opinion of the TFR members i have spoken with, the movie is one of the best displays of modern fighting and tactics.

The amount of small details told in the book, included in the movie is high.

Here is the site for Sergeant Raleigh Cash.

[url]www.bravo57.com[/url]

Johnny,

Since my "inside" info became public with the release of the movie and the articles in Soldier of Fortune and other publications,it isn't really inside info anymore.  

Tuuka's comment on the realism of the movie is the direct result of the efforts of Harry Humphries, an associate producer on the film and the film's lead technical advisor.  You can see an interview with Harry in the "making of" special feature on the BHD DVD and some other interesting stuff from Harry on the Special Edition DVD of "The Rock."  Harry played the SEAL Admiral on that one.

Kinda funny when Harry said who he was and the fact that he is a former Delta operator... and that anything else was classified.

I bought the DVD the day it was released. It was not as good as the book but movies never will be. This one was as close as anyone ever got. My kudos to the team who brought this movie to us.

Many, many more kudos to those who were there that day. My hat is off to all of you.

Harry Humphries is a former SEAL and a very good friend of Dick Marcinko.  See Dick's first book, "Rogue Warrior" and another of his boks, "The Real Team."

Where'd the quote come from?