
They Called Us ""Lucky""
The Life and Afterlife of the Iraq War's Hardest Hit Unit
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Narrated by:
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Ruben Gallego
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Stephen Graybill
From the Arizona Congressman, a 21st-century Band of Brothers chronicling the eternal bonds forged between the Marines of Lima Company, the hardest-hit unit of the Iraq War.
At first, they were “Lucky Lima”. Infantryman Ruben Gallego and his brothers in Lima Company—3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, young men drawn from blue-collar towns, immigrant households, Navajo reservations—returned unscathed on patrol after patrol through the increasingly violent al Anbar region of Iraq, looking for weapons caches and insurgents trying to destabilize the nascent Iraqi government. After two months in Iraq, Lima didn't have a casualty, not a single Purple Heart, no injury worse than a blister. Lucky Lima.
Then, in May 2005, Lima’s fortunes flipped. Unknown to Ruben and his fellow grunts, al Anbar had recently become a haven for al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. The bin Laden-sponsored group had recruited radicals from all over the world for jihad against the Americans. On one fateful day, they were lured into a death house; the ambush cost the lives of two men, including a platoon sergeant. Two days later, Ruben’s best friend, Jonathon Grant, died in an IED attack, along with several others. Events worsened from there. A disastrous operation in Haditha in August claimed the lives of 13 Marines when an IED destroyed their amphibious vehicle. It was the worst single-day loss for the Marines since the 1983 Beirut bombings. By the time 3/25 went home in November, it had lost more men than any other single unit in the war. Forty-six Marines and two Navy Corpsmen serving with the battalion in Iraq were killed in action during their roughly nine-month activation.
They Called Us “Lucky” details Ruben Gallego’s journey and includes harrowing accounts of some of the war’s most costly battles. It details the struggles and the successes of Ruben—now a member of Congress—and the rest of Lima Company following Iraq, examining the complicated matter of PTSD. And it serves as a tribute to Ruben’s fallen comrades, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
©2021 Ruben Gallego and Jim DeFelice (P)2021 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...




















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A heroic story humbly told!
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Story grabs your attention
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Soulful writing and a vulnerable performance
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Lima 3/25
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Thank you!
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I don’t see this as a political read but administrations made mistakes in Iraq given our long war. Politicians do need to think of the men and women who give all for this country. Families of the Fallen receive so little attention. This book would be a good read for anyone who wants to serve. Especially high schoolers. It also would be good for a civilian working with the military. I am going to buy a hard copy for my library.
Important read for all
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Must Read for Veterans
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Semper Fi
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Finally got the truth!
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Rubén Gallegos perspective and sincerity about the event captivated my imagination. It was like I met the Marines in person; furthermore, this is one of the few books I’ve read that explain that there’s no such thing as “part time reservist!” They are Marines! And displayed the best of Marine Corps values.
Semper Fi
One of My Favorite Books
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