Full Description
When fires raged in the ruins of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Joe LeBleu, a native of Brooklyn and a retired U.S. Army Ranger veteran, was in lower Manhattan. On that day he decided to return to active duty. By the time he received an honorable discharge as a Staff Sergeant, paratrooper, and sniper team leader in the 82nd Airborne Division in 2005, he'd become known as "Long Rifle"—for shooting an Iraqi insurgent at 1,100 meters in Fallujah in the fall of 2003. That single shot remains the farthest in Iraq by any American or British sniper.
This book tells his story.
Long Rifle is gripping and moving, but most of all, inspiring. As 9/11 altered the terrain of so many lives, it shaped that of Joe LeBleu: "Watching my city burn tore me up inside like nothing else in my life, ever." Joe takes us with him from that haunting day in New York across the world, to the sweltering heat and ambush-rife conditions of desert and urban combat in Iraq. From here we enter a vastly different world: the remote and rugged mountains of Afghanistan. Joe's accounts of sniper missions against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in this grueling landscape are engaging and intriguing. Finally, Joe trusts his gut and returns to civilian life, settling near Las Vegas and going on to train Mark Wahlberg for his role as a Force Recon Marine scout/sniper in the film, Shooter. Joe had come full circle from 9/11, "a day that changed my life forever."
Raw, gritty, passionate, and provocative, Long Rifle is both the first memoir by a U.S. Army sniper from the 9/11 generation and a stirring testament to the core values of American soldiers: integrity, honor, and courage. LeBleu's journey to war and back also testifies to the enduring power of love: Joe carried his dream to return to Natalie, his wife, for six long years.
Contents
OutlineTitle PageMaps/Photos (Joe has over 200 photos to select from, in Iraq and Afghanistan)GlossaryContentsIntroduction: A day that changed my life foreverIntroduction will cover Joe's youth, growing up in Brooklyn,tour of duty in US Army Rangers, return to NYC, and of course,September 11th—September 11th is the anchor of the introduction andJoe's thoughts on September 11th weave throughout the book. Book One: "Insurgent at 1100 Meters, Lieutenant." "Roger that. Take the shot."Joe's combat in Iraq dominates this section, the guts of the book are all here—this is the section that will appeal most to the military reader. His affection for Natalie, which the reader will first get in the introduction, grows here and the general reader will stay hooked on the love groove. Joe saw a ton of action, including "The Shot," and the combat will no doubt draw in many readers. The witnesses to Joe's seemingly-impossible shot will also recount that mission—among them are Captain Adam Bohlen, US Army 10th Mountain Division. You're familiar with Bohlen, of course, from Among Warriors in Iraq, a book in which LeBleu appears also. Book Two: Far Afghan HillsJoe was on a lot of dicey, very high-risk sniper missions in Afghanistan, and his thoughts on fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda are provocative, engaging, and intriguing. The grueling and very challenging nature of sniper missions in the rugged and remote mountains of Afghanistan provide the general reader with real contrast to the desert and urban missions of Book One. Again, Joe's love for Natalie binds the narrative. Book Three: Coming HomeThe warrior at rest. Joe felt that his debt to America was paid, having served in the Rangers and the paratroopers, and trusted his gut. His transition to civilian life, "back to The World," as grunts like to put it, wasn't easy but Natalie certainly made it far less difficult than it would've been without her. This section will also have Joe's thoughts on training Mark Wahlberg for the film, Shooter, and his last words on the impact of September 11th on his life.
