Author Eddie Clay served as a United States Marine from 1979 to 2000 when he retired. With the permission of the Department of Defense and by changing the names of actual people that he served with, Clay gives the reader an extremely clear view of the ups and downs, the personality clashes and day to day life as an on-duty soldier serving the United States in a relief effort and not in actual battlefront engagements. In "Mogadishu Diaries: 1992-1993 Bloodlines", the reader engages with narrator Gunnery Sergeant Clay Thompson as he volunteers to go as an augmental soldier in the 1992 Humanitarian Relief Operation in Somalia where United States soldiers are to take down the forces of Aidid and aid the starving, oppressed people of Somalia. Through Thompson, the reader meets Somali children who steal soldiers' sunglasses only to be shot and killed, and how the narcotic plant, Khat, is illegal in the United States but perfectly legal in Somalia. He also learns that the role of gays in the military is being questioned.

"Mogadishu Diaries" is well-written and deals effectively with violence and the Marines' reactions to the unfailing horrors of death. The reader will learn about the underbelly of a peacekeeping mission, in this case, the Humanitarian Relief Operation for Somalia. Eddie Clay deals especially well in his writings with the United States Marines having to deal with Somalis and their opinions, often quite different from what was expected. He is honest about how his characters react to each other, often in anger and strike-backs that don't quite work. "Mogadishu Diaries" should become a classic as it tells of a humanitarian effort that might not be remembered as the violence of our present world is recalled nightly by the media.

The "Mogadishu Diaries" by Eddie Thompkins III details the events that took place during the humanitarian relief mission in Mogadishu, Somalia, from late 1992 to early 1993. The story is told from the viewpoint of Gunnery Sergeant Thompson who served in the Marine Corps. 'Operation Restore Hope' was a mission to bring aid to the people of Mogadishu as well as to restore peace within the faction government. The provisional military assignment also included the take down of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and his financier and arms dealer Semi Osman. Gunnery Sergeant Thompson, who had already served 13 years in the Marine Corps, was craving for an adventure, and became excited about joining the mission in Mogadishu Somalia. He voluntarily asked to be sent to Mogadishu and requested that his friend Corporal Ramirez be approved for the mission as he was the most expert Marksmanship Shooter in the unit. However, because of the military rules of engagement in wartime and all of the restrictions that were placed on his Marine unit, Gunnery Thompson soon became a little disillusioned about the efforts to aid and restore peace to the poverty-stricken, war-torn country. The natives eventually resented the presence of the U.S Military and the other allied countries that were also sent there to help. The "Mogadishu Diaries" is an account of what Gunnery Sergeant Thompson lived through while serving time “in country”, as he and his fellow Marines attempted to carry out 'Operation Restore Hope'.

The "Mogadishu Diaries" by Eddie Thompkins III was very intriguing to read and really captured my attention. Before I read the account of "Mogadishu Diaries", I was unfamiliar with the mission carried out by the Marines in 'Operation Restore Hope' during 1992-1993. Having recently been discharged from the Army a couple of years prior to the mission to aid Mogadishu, Somalia, I was out of the military loop and rarely kept up with the military politics and the policies of that time as I was a new mother and also was really busy with college classes. Because of this, I found "Mogadishu Diaries" interesting as well as informative. I thought that the ongoing “battle” between Gunnery Sergeant Thompson and Captain Shaffer was very funny and provided the necessary comic relief during a very difficult time. I also enjoyed looking at all of the author’s photos, and thought that they were a real enhancement to the book as a whole. The accompanied visuals provide the reader with the “real world bird’s eye look” through the lens of Gunnery Sergeant Thompson’s eyes during his time in Mogadishu. I also feel that the photos give his readers an opportunity to view some of the events as they took place while also giving the book a very realistic feel. I would recommend "Mogadishu Diaries" to anyone who enjoys reading and learning about major military operations. This account of 'Operation Restore Hope' told through the first hand account of Gunnery Sergeant Thompson will provide that and much more.