Publishers Weekly
Blaise, a support operations transportation officer for the 101st Airborne Division, and her husband, Mike, a helicopter pilot, were both sent to the front lines of Iraq in March 2003. Blaise tells the poignant tale of the young Missouri couple whose dual army career ended shatteringly in January 2004, when Mike's plane crashed in a windstorm and he died. She retraces her and Mike's early romance as high school sweethearts and her ROTC training, while Mike endured Ranger School, then flight school; they were first stationed in Korea, though separately. Alternating with professional accomplishments are personal tragedies, such as the car accident that left Blaise's mother brain damaged, and the discovery that Blaise is afflicted with premature ovarian failure, effectively prohibiting her from having children. The couple's seven-year marriage was continually strained by their long absences from each other, though they managed to share quarters erratically at Q-West in Iraq as the Americans moved aggressively to take Saddam Hussein and his minions. Blaise offers elucidating close-up details of army life, especially for the rare woman officer (she was promoted to captain but has since left the military); despite her own professionalism, she acknowledges that "men saw me as a woman first, and nothing could change that." Agent, Mark Reiter. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Small-town Missourians Mike and Kate fall in love, join the army, and get sent to Iraq, where Mike gets killed. Billed as My Sergei in combat boots, but it seems like more. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Memorable account of the Iraq war as experienced by an Army captain and her husband, a helicopter pilot with the 101st Airborne Division. Kate and Mike Blaise were deployed to Iraq in March 2003. She managed transportation for the 1st Brigade's 327th "Bastogne" Infantry, which was attacked from within even before entering Iraq when a sergeant who had converted to Islam years earlier lobbed grenades into several tents, hoping to kill as many Americans as possible before they could "rape and murder innocent Muslims." While Kate's battalion set up camp at Qayyarah West (immediately dubbed "Q-West"), an abandoned Iraqi airbase that had been bombed by coalition forces, Mike and fellow Air Cavalry pilots provided much needed aerial support to the ground troops. The author's straightforward prose gives readers an inside look at the difficult conditions in Iraq: wearing heavy gear in 130-degree heat; enduring fierce sandstorms that make breathing all but impossible; worrying about the possibility of biological attack. Life at Q-West was made bearable by the hard work of soldiers and civilians. A makeshift golf course sprang up amid charred debris, making the official list of the PGA; Kate started a newsletter, The Sandy Club Gazette, which boasted a popular French-bashing section; and Iraqi locals opened American-style pizza parlors. Tragically, Mike's helicopter went down just days before he completed his tour of duty; Kate escorted his body home to Missouri and tried to adjust to her most difficult role yet-widow. Extensive information about the couple's teenage years and initial Army service round out this story. An earnest tribute to unsung heroes. Agent: Mark Reiter/PFD New York
JUN/JUL 06 - AudioFile
The subtitle (A True Story of Love, War, and Sacrifice) says it all. Kate and Mike fell in love in high school, married some years later, joined the army, and got sent to Iraq at the same time. Only Kate came back alive. If one assumes that the writing is a mix of amateur and professional strains, then the reading complements it nicely. Melissa Edris reads at a cheery clip marred only by mispronunciation of contractions. When Mike's helicopter crashes, her pace slows and her tone softens, then recovers as Kate picks up her life back in the States. Despite the technical details of military jargon, this audio puts a human face on a contemporary war. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
