Black Flag Journals

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Dennis John Woods will be awarding a $50 BN/Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Click on "read more" below to read an excerpt or sign up for the GIVEAWAY.  

The story of America’s longest war is complicated and difficult to convey, unless you were there. Dennis Woods was there...

 By following his stories in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can sense the enormity of his combat experiences. Originally written for his daughter, Black Flag Journals is
taken from the author’s nine battle book journals. It covers his time from the fall of the Twin Towers through his last combat tour.

Black Flag Journals contains not just stories from the first war of the new century, but a day-by-day record of events that other veterans may use to relate their own experiences. All who enjoy real life stories, and followers of history will connect with this first person account of America’s longest war.

my review...

To me memoirs can sometimes be dry, such as all of our memories might be to other people. But this...this isn’t just a memoir, it’s a story, and it’s an education.

 While this is a memoir, it gave me views of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars from a real perspective. I would say “like reading something written from someone in the bunkers”. Well, the bunkers have changed to much more modern machinations, but the day-to-day deployment is just as dangerous as in any war.

I’ll tell you something else this book is. It’s a leadership manual. You could change a few words here and teach this in a leadership assessment workshop. It’s obvious that this man was a motivator, a teacher, and someone who cared about each of the service members he served with.

An excellent read.

read an excerpt...

Taking into account the time required to clear the mission, plus the time required for the projectiles to fly the 4.25 miles to the target, the first round impacted on the enemy positions as they arrived at the last fire. The result was that 36-armed insurgents were killed on the Pakistan/Afghan border. (Count provided by the SF raid tower.) On this occasion, they literally ran into our impacting rounds as they exploded. They in fact died in exhausted heaps after conducting a series of sprints down a mountain.

about Dennis John Woods...

CSM Woods combat tours include;

Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada, 82d Airborne Division.

Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia – Iraq, 82d Airborne Division.

Operation Desert Fox 1998, Qatar, 5th Group Special Forces.

OEF 2 Afghanistan, 82d Airborne Division.

OIF 1 Iraq, First Armored Division.

OIF 6 Iraq, First Armored Division.

OEF X Afghanistan, 173D Airborne Brigade Combat Team.

OEF XIII Afghanistan, 191st Infantry Brigade

 

 

CSM Woods civilian education includes a Master of Education, (training & leadership) from North Central University, Prescott AZ, and a Bachelor of Science from Excelsior, Albany, New York.

Military education includes the United States Sergeants Majors Academy class # 58, Army force management course, Jump Master, Drill Sergeant, US Army Recruiter, Infantry Small Arms Master Gunner, Artillery Master Gunner, Amphibious Warfare leaders’ course (USMC), Anti-Armor Leaders course, Machine Gun Leaders course, Artillery Mechanics repair course, Small Arms repair course, Nuclear Biological Chemical defense, and all levels of air load planning and hazmat certification USAF.

CSM Woods awards include; one Distinguished Service medal, one Legion Of Merit,( 5) Bronze Star Medals, 5 Meritorious Service Medals, 4 ARCOM, 4 AAM, 1 Humanitarian service medal, 2 Armed Forces Expeditionary medals,  Afghanistan and Iraq service medals. German Jump Master Wings, Qatar Jump wings as part of 5th Group, Netherlands Jumpmaster wings.  Other awards include; Department of Defense “Inventor of the year” (2003) with 45 separate inventions. CSM Woods saved the United States Government over one Billion Dollars through cost avoidance.  He is also the first recipient of the GRUBER award for an outstanding field artillery professional.

 

CSM Woods is credited by the US Army Smart Ideas program as the inventor of;

•          The 105mm Howitzer night direct fire sight system M913 GELON.

•          The 155mm towed Howitzer night sight system.

•          The dual use day/ night direct fire sight reticule.

•          The Dual optic MILES Laser trainer.

•          The Urban Assault kit (PALADIN) improved crew protection, 155mm system.

 

On his most recent tour to Afghanistan, CSM Woods pioneered the first use of artillery training rounds in combat as a form of scalable fire support designed to limit civilian death and collateral damage.  He is the author of, ‘Black Flag Journals One Soldiers Experience in America’s Longest War’, and numerous magazine, newspaper articles, including training pamphlets concerning Artillery, night vision, and combat operations.

 

Twitter: @djwoodswrites

 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Dennis-John-Woods/e/B01KU91GFI%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15660793.Dennis_John_Woods

 

Koehler Book: https://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/black-flag-journals/

 

 

Amazon Buy Link:  BOOK IS $2.99

 

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Flag-Journals-Soldiers-Experience-ebook/dp/B01L0LW7US/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

 

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-flag-journals-dennis-john-woods/1124419537

 

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Black-Flag-Journals-Audiobook/B08MBHSQQ9

a Rafflecopter giveaway