1st Lt. Mark A. Bodrog Shares Military Experiences in New Book

Former first lieutenant and infantry officer in the U.S. Marines, 1st Lt. Mark A. Bodrog, looks back at the critical role his unit played supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 10.1, in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan in "Second Platoon: Call Sign Hades: A Memoir of the Marines of the Combined Action Company" (published by iUniverse).

"The war in Afghanistan is considered to be America's longest and least talked about war," Bodrog shares. "Less than one percent of America's population answered our country's call after 9/11 and even fewer made the life choice to become United States Marines." Bodrog's true story memorializes not only his men, but also the brave and the bold few still fighting to preserve America and the American way of life.

Bodrog's platoon of Marines and Sailors was one of two selected by his battalion to fully integrate with the Afghanistan National Army Soldiers, to create a combined action company (CAC) capable of conducting counterinsurgency operations throughout their area of operations and adjacent battle spaces. "My platoon, to my knowledge, was part of the first CAC," Bodrog writes, "and I felt that it was my duty and obligation to document the accounts of my men and the missions of the CAC. The idea is not new. Former Marine Bing West utilized combined platoons in Vietnam and detailed their use in his book entitled, 'The Village.' My battalion took this concept to the next level and created a combined company of Marines, Sailors and Afghan Soldiers."

An excerpt from "Second Platoon: Call Sign Hades":

"As if the gates of Hades opened up, my Marines started to pick up their rates of fire, sending hundreds of rounds downrange at the enemy compounds. They then opened up with a barrage of 40mm grenades from their grenade launchers and rocked even more compounds with their LAW rockets."

"As a platoon commander, it was my honor and privilege to write this memoir for my men," Bodrog says. "The men I write about in this memoir are in every aspect, heroes, and their stories should never be forgotten."

"Second Platoon: Call Sign Hades"
By First Lieutenant Mark A. Bodrog
Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 388 pages | ISBN 9781491711422
Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 388 pages | ISBN 9781491711415
E-Book | 388 pages | ISBN 9781491711439
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
1st Lt. Mark A. Bodrog received his Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in Quantico, Va. He has served two combat deployments to the Helmand Province, Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in support of both Operation Enduring Freedom 10.1 and 11.2. His personal awards include a letter of appreciation, a certificate of commendation, the Navy and Marine Corps achievement medal, the Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal, the combat action ribbon, the sea service deployment ribbon, the navy meritorious unit commendation medal, the NATO medal-ISAF Afghanistan, the global war on terrorism service medal, the Navy unit commendation, two Afghanistan campaign medals and the national defense service medal.

iUniverse, an Author Solutions, LLC, self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader's Choice, Rising Star and Editor's Choice designations-self-publishing's only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.

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