Downriver

<p><strong>Few war memoirs achieve the level of literary depth and emotional resonance of Downriver. - General David Petraeus U.S. Army (Ret.)</strong></p><p><em style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)>Downriver</em><span style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)> 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.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)>As a platoon leader in the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division Ryan McDermott fought in several key engagements including the </span><strong style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)>Battle for Objective Peach</strong><span style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)> and the </span><strong style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)>Seizure of Saddam International Airport</strong><span style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)> (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.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)>But </span><em style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)>Downriver</em><span style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)> is not just about war. It is about what comes after.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)>Following his combat tour McDermott transitioned to Wall Street-only to experience another </span><strong style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)>collapse from within Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis</strong><span style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)>. What began as a celebrated career change became a confrontation with trauma identity and reintegration.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(117 117 117 1)>The 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.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)>For readers of </span><em style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)>The Long Walk Redeployment The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell Jarhead No Easy Day</em><span style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)> and </span><em style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)>Matterhorn Downriver</em><span style=color: rgba(49 49 49 1)> 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.</span></p>