Mike,

Your book was HIGH-SPEED LOW DRAG. Outstanding, I tell you!

I could not put it down. There were times when it made me sad because so many kids in the present are never going to come home from Iraq. On the other hand, there was some true comedy that a casual reader would not understand. Suffice it to say, I am glad that you do what you do on two fronts. You’re keeping the world safe for democracy and you make old soldiers like me very happy! To coin a phrase, "I would kiss ya but my girl kind frowns on things like that". LOL.

You are truly the man!!! I can not wait to see my old my old division, 1st Cavalry, whip some ass in IRON TIGERS. Hurry up and get it out. As if you don't have anything else better to do :-) Godspeed, bro.

Take charge!! Scouts out!!

Johnny

SSG Johnny Youmans, Jr.
(Inactive Reserves)
Formerly of HHC, 1st Cav Div 1st Team!

Major Farmer

What a book. I could not put it down.

A story which was a joy to read, I can not wait for your other books to come out. I really enjoyed your main character, Patrick Dillon, but the book also bore for me another possible main character in Captain Jack Kelly. Something to think about for future books?

Thank you for an excellent read.

Alan W. Gregson, Jnr.
Chester, UK

Mike,

You stated in one of your last reports that you had sent your next book "Breach" to the publisher. When is this book going to be released? I'm tired of reading all of these other so called "military authors" who can't come close to writing as well as you. I'm a retired US Army master sergeant who was in Viet Nam from ’65-’66, so I know a little of what it is like to see the elephant. Wish I had served under more officers like you. You deserve to be called “sir”. Stay low. God bless you.

J.J. Fortner

Major Farmer,

Thank you again for a great book. And thanks too for responding to an earlier e-mail that I sent while still reading the book. The action is vividly written and easy to visualize. Several things made it enjoyable for me. First, attention to detail; the comment about the gunner not remembering his dog house doors still being open was great. And distributing main gun rounds after the engagements; don't let the editor cut things like this out of future books. The little details have the ring of truth about them and that is worth cultivating.

As to the timing of the release date of the book, you actually had this to the publisher way before U.S. forces began the dramatic action to end Saddam's reign of terror. So the timing of the war was beyond your control, still, what an amazing backdrop to your book!

The thing that I keep dwelling on several months after finishing the book is the remarkable interaction between the characters. You invested a lot of personality and color in these men and they have real depth: Jones, Estes, Dillon, Rider, etc. are believable, and I want to know men like this. For me, this character development makes TIN SOLDIERS an enduring story.

Don't know if you have a sequel in mind, but somehow we need to hear from these guys again. Or at least men involved in great challenges and issues larger than they are. Thanks again.

David Fogle

Mike -

My son gets home from Iraq in a week. As a combat engineer, he has been relatively unscathed by most of the actions of the ex-Baathists and foreign fighters.

As far as I know he has been patrolling the Tigris with an MP contingent looking for "bad guys." He did comment about ferrying an armor unit to an island in the river to do some night ops. I expect he will have some stories to relate about how things worked or did not work. My question for you or anyone who has had some experience there is this: What have they changed in the way of tactics that has cut down on casualties? My observations are:

Mortar attacks seem less effective.

Fewer IEDs (improvised explosive devices) seem to be taking out large convoys.

Aviation seems to be taking the brunt of the casualties when the numbers go double digit - which makes sense - given the concentration of troop strength.

Like any troop, I am sure he will gripe about all the "stupid" things he had to do and how some of it was a waste of time. I would like to be able to point out to him the things that changed – and perhaps saved his bacon – as well as the things he helped make right and should be proud of.

It won't take long for him to see that CNN and CBS have decided to report only the negative, but I do want him to know that we appreciate what he did, what he tried to do, and that he has nothing to be ashamed of.

Mike, enjoyed your book and plan on giving my copy to my son.

Toujours Pret,

Ken MacAaron

Another tour de armored force by bestselling author Michael Farmer. The Franks Combat System, or “Tommy Gun”, has been designed by the U.S. Army to be twice as light as the Abrams tank it will soon replace, and at the same time more lethal and survivable. But on the eve of the Tommy fielding, the prototypes have been stolen and spirited from the United States, along with the project’s military lead: Major Patrick Dillon. And now President Jonathan Drake has laid down the law…he wants his tanks, and Patrick Dillon, back. And Drake doesn’t care how his military and intelligence agencies accomplish the task.

From Iraq’s Sunni Triangle, to the American Southwest, and into the pine-covered forests of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, WAR DOGS showcases what Farmer knows best - America’s fighting men and women.

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