Ryan A. Conklin enlisted in the U.S. Army at age seventeen, following 9/11, and joined Angel Company. As a turret gunner with the famed 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" and a member of the famed "Rakkasans" regiment—the most decorated regiment in the U.S. Army—he endured hellish conditions in the war-torn city of Tikrit, Iraq.
After he returned to the States, he became a cast member on The Real World: Brooklyn in 2008. That came to an end when he received his notice recalling him to duty.
An Angel from Hell is a gritty, blunt, and laugh-out-loud funny war memoir from the grunt's perspective. Conklin reveals what the Iraq war is really like, day to day—the misery, the boredom, the absurdity, the horror, and even the moments of grace. With stunning candor and wisdom beyond his years, Conklin has documented a complex and unavoidably life-changing experience for his generation.
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"Incredible. Very honest account of what it's like to serve. "
— Sarah (5 out of 5 stars)
“Conklin comes off as refreshingly clearheaded in this straightforward military memoir…He’s disarmingly earnest and equipped with a razor-sharp memory—his depictions of trying to get a glimpse of Saddam Hussein, interacting with Iraqi youth, staving off crushing boredom, and despairing at the ineptitude of the “Keystone Cops” (aka the Iraqi army)— are all extensively cataloged…This book will be of greatest use to readers seriously considering enlisting.”
— Booklist“This war memoir is different from any other. It is as real as it gets. Ryan A. Conklin has written a brutally honest, exciting, and heartfelt account of life as a turret gunner during the year of the most intense combat in Iraq. Conklin brings the reader as close as you can get to combat without walking into a recruiter’s office. An Angel From Hell is a gripping story of patriotism, camaraderie, and sacrifice…More than anyone else in America, Conklin has become the face of the Iraq War veteran. If you care about your country, get this book.”
— Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and author of Chasing Ghosts" An honest, intensive Army memoir with a mixture of emotions throughout. "
— Jennifer, 2/12/2011Ryan A. Conklin is an Iraq War veteran and one of the costars of the twenty-first season of MTV’s The Real World.