The Battle of Takur Ghar took place between March 3 and March 4, 2002, in Takur Ghar, Afghanistan. The main combatants were the United States special operations and members of Al Qaeda. This was the deadliest battle in Operation Anaconda, resulting in the deaths of seven military persons and the injuring of twelve others. Two helicopters were also lost. It is estimated that between 25 and 200 combatants were killed, though that was not officially verified. The mountain region of Takur Ghar is also known as Roberts Ridge after one of the SEALs who died during this battle.

Roberts was on the ramp of one of the helicopters when the helicopter was hit by rocket propelled grenades and machine gun fire. He fell onto the ground, where he activated his IR to pinpoint his location. Unfortunately, he was killed by the enemy combatants. He was the first SEAL to die in Afghanistan, and also the first to die in any combat period since 1989.

As far as this book goes, it is a great historical account of this battle. It hurt my feelings terribly though. All these books about Iraq and Afghanistan hurt my feelings, because I grew up with so many people who went over there, and some who didn't make it back quite okay. I do enjoy a good military history book, and this one was very good. It was dramatic during the fighting, so if you are into that, this is your kind of book. 

 This book was extremely interesting. I haven't read very many books about White Nationalists, and I learned a lot about their activities and belief systems from this book. The subject of this book was Derek Black, who came from a family of White Nationalists. In fact, his father founded the online racist website and forum group, Stormfront, where all manner of vitriol was spewed forth. David Duke, notorious Ku Klux Klan leader was made his godfather, and had great influence over his life and beliefs. Once his beliefs and activities were uncovered by other students at his college, he began to expose himself to other religions, cultures, and ideals. It was inspiring to see the kindness and attempted understanding that people showed him in hopes that he would abandon his radical views. I really enjoyed his journey and the influence that college had over his previously homeschooled education and beliefs. I would recommend this book. 

 I always forget about the Mafia being in Las Vegas, and I have no idea why. This was a short read, but it was really interesting to read and learn about some of the shenanigans that these mob guys get themselves into. Plus, I got it on sale on Audible. 

 I really enjoyed this book. I didn't know much about John of Gaunt. I had always read plenty about The Black Prince, so I was excited when I saw this book on a nonfiction Instagram that I follow. It was very detailed about the life and circumstances of his life. This book was also included in Audible Plus. 

 I bought this book a while ago, and had left it sitting on my shelf for a while. I am making an effort to move through my unread books this year, and after watching the Medal of Honor series on Netflix, (I think it was Netflix, maybe it was Hulu), I heard the first hand stories of some of those involved in this fiasco at COP Keating. I knew this book was going to hurt my feelings, and DID IT. I cannot imagine why anyone thought it was a good or reasonable idea to place COP Keating in the location that it was in. I cannot imagine having to serve months on end in that environment, in that hell hole. I cannot believe the leadership and how these guys were shafted in the way they were. Romesha and all those he served with are amazing guys, and their resolve impressed me beyond measure. I can understand his feelings when he says he feels like he was just doing his job and felt like his Medal of Honor belonged to everyone that was there fighting that day. The whole thing was nerve wracking and exceptional. I would love to meet all of the guys that made it through this battle. I think everyone should read this book and get a firm grasp on the concept of never giving up and doing everything you can to save your brothers. It was a truly touching book, and one of the best I have read in a long time. 

 Scarpetta is determined to find out what happened to her former Deputy Chief Jack Fielding, who was murdered about six months previously in this timeline. Of course, there is more of the same...Kay thinks nobody trusts her, everyone is set to do her in in some way, someone is going to kill her, etc. She sets off to solve several vicious murders and uncover the links between all of them. The forensic and technology, once again, are on point and mesh well with the time line. The process of solving the crime is well written and engaging. The relationships between the characters is tedious and frustrating at this point, but I continue on as a committed reader of the series. I wish Lucy would be dispatched in the line of duty and stay dead so I could stop having to deal with her in this series, but I doubt that will happen. 

 I thought this book would be really entertaining and interesting since it was about something besides the Italian and Irish organized crime syndicates, but this was probably one of the most boring gangster books that I have ever read in my life. I did not like it at all. 

 I bought this book specifically because I found out that my grandfather was in the 25th Tropic Lightning during Vietnam. He does not talk about his experiences over there, and we were warned many times to not bring it up. I have always been interested in his personal experience, and found this book title while doing an internet search for information about his unit. I'm not really well read on the Vietnam era in history, and I learned a lot. This book was very informative as far as weaponry and how things were done. The description of many of the people who contributed to this book about the heat, the smells, the mosquitoes and other animals, the lack of a clear front, the night fighting, and the struggles with the weather and terrain was really eye opening for me. This was one of the best books I read for the February portion of my 2021 Reading Challenge, and it gave me more of an understanding of my grandfather. 

 I have so many comments about this case and this book, I hardly know where to begin. I will start with the fact that this book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited, which pleased me very much. I saw this book at the local used bookstore, but they wanted $8 for it, and I could not make myself pay that for a used paperback, when the new price on Amazon is $5. I really prefer a physical book, but lack of shelf space is forcing me to go digital, so this worked out. I have read another book by this author, and it was tolerable. She is not my favorite true crime writer, but I was very interested in this case. I learned quite a lot about the case, and it was a wild story, which is why I gave it a three star. I am generally pretty reserved in my star ratings, and three is what I rate a fairly decent book that I enjoyed a great deal. I would have given it a four, but the writing style is not my most favorite.

THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW

The book starts off going over the attack of Diane Whipple in 2001. Whipple was a college coach, who had gone out to get some groceries and was returning to her Pacific Heights apartment building. As she was going into her apartment, the neighbor's dogs attacked and mauled her. She wound up with at least 77 wounds all over her body, with the only places unharmed being the top of her scalp and the soles of her feet. Her clothes were torn off. I cannot imagine being mauled to death by any kind of animal. What a horrible experience and horrible death that was. While she survived long enough to make it to the hospital and undergo surgery, she eventually died an hour after leaving the operating theatre.

The dogs that attacked her were a breed called Presa Canarios. I have seen these dogs for sale in my area, but I have never seen one in person. As I typed this sentence, I went to check local listings, and there are several for sale. They have very expensive price tag, which may be one reason I have not seen any before. The breed is originally a Spanish breed, bred for herding and guarding livestock. Of course, with any large breed dog, they were often used in dog fighting. I find that completely reprehensible. I cannot stand dog fighting. All dogs have the potential to be aggressive, but to deliberately train them and mistreat them to make them aggressive toward people and other animals is sickening, really. The two dogs that attacked Diane Whipple, Bane and Hera, were huge dogs, who had bad manners, essentially no proper training, and who had certainly caused many problems before this incident.

Bane, (and his first female companion, Isis), were purchased by a man called Paul Schneider. Schneider was an inmate at Pelican Bay, when he got into contact with a woman he coerced into taking care of the dogs and breeding them to sell to buyers he arranged. He was a million percent trying to breed and sell fighting dogs. People really get themselves sucked into some bad schemes, and this particular scheme was one of them. He eventually convinced this woman to add two more female dogs, one of which was Hera, to the group. Eventually, she displeased him by asking for more money to care for the dogs, not raising them exactly how he said, not being able to control them, and complaining that they were killing her sheep and chickens, he sent his lawyers to get the dogs.

Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller had custody of Bane and Hera at the time of the attack, and were neighbors with Diane Whipple. Several other residents had made comments about the dogs aggressive nature and their size. At the time of the incident, Bane weighed about 140 pounds, while Hera weighed about 100 pounds. Noel was not present during the attack, but was convicted of manslaughter, as there was sufficient evidence to show that he knew the dogs were aggressive and had the potential to kill. Knoller was convicted of manslaughter and second degree murder. It blows my mind that Schneider was able to get all of these people to go along with his schemes and deal with these dogs. Bane and Hera were euthanized by Animal Control.

The final comment that I want to make is about the dogs. I said before that all dogs have the potential to be aggressive. I have been around a lot of dogs in my life, and, with the exception of one, the most aggressive ones have been small breeds. People tend to fear large breed dogs because of their size, or cases like this one where someone was attacked. I am a strong believer that breeding and training play a large role in the way dogs respond to people and animals. Just because it is a big dog, or a "scary" breed, doesn't mean that every dog is like that. It is sad that someone had to die in such a horrific way because some miscreant wanted to raise dog fighting dogs. 

 This is the personal diary of Renia Spiegel. She was living on the border of Romania and Poland during the war years. This diary outlines parts of her life that any other person her age would mention, and then things about the Nazis taking over and being cut off from her family in the city. I always feel worse for the children and teens that had to live through the war and the Holocaust, because they are just children. This was a moving book, and I would suggest it for those who enjoyed reading Anne Frank's diary.