{"product_id":"downriver-memoir-of-a-warrior-poet","title":"Downriver: Memoir of a Warrior Poet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Few war memoirs achieve the level of literary depth and emotional resonance of Downriver.\" - General David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDownriver is a powerful story about leadership, trauma, and the long journey home-told by an officer who fought in some of the most consequential battles of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a platoon leader in the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, Ryan McDermott fought in several key engagements, including the \u003cstrong\u003eBattle for Objective Peach\u003c\/strong\u003e and the \u003cstrong\u003eSeizure of Saddam International Airport\u003c\/strong\u003e (now Baghdad International Airport). These rarely captured frontline moments, now studied by military historians and students of modern warfare, are presented with clarity, honesty, and emotional depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Downriver is not just about war. It is about what comes after.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing his combat tour, McDermott transitioned to Wall Street-only to experience another \u003cstrong\u003ecollapse from within Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis\u003c\/strong\u003e. What began as a celebrated career change became a confrontation with trauma, identity, and reintegration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe memoir chronicles the private struggles that followed: post-traumatic stress, the challenges of rebuilding purpose, and the search for meaning as a husband, father, and survivor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers of The Long Walk, Redeployment, The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell, Jarhead, No Easy Day,  and Matterhorn, Downriver offers a unique blend of historical insight, literary craft, and emotional honesty. It speaks to veterans, military families, and anyone who has struggled to rebuild after loss or upheaval.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Koehler Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51944135262439,"sku":"9798888247082","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0449\/4075\/5096\/files\/imageloader_fe1d3142-c535-4d32-af4f-3ab2762bd2cd.jpg?v=1775353501","url":"https:\/\/arvidabookco.com\/products\/downriver-memoir-of-a-warrior-poet","provider":"Arvida Book Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}