I'm so excited to be reading Day of Wrath by NY Times Bestselling author, Bill Forstchen. I first became aware of his books when I was asked to write a press release for Pillar in the Sky ... and I've been hooked ever since. Forstchen's credentials are amazing. He holds a
Ph.D. in history from Purdue University with a specialization in military
history. He is the author of over forty (yes, FORTY) books, of which several have been NY
Times best sellers. His groundbreaking novel “One Second After,” published in
2009 is credited by many with helping to start the “prepper movement,” by
raising national awareness as to the potential threat of an attack via an
electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) strike. He along with other experts on terrorism
and the military situation in the Middle East firmly believes that it is time
America took serious note of the threats leveled by ISIS, that we are their
next target and that it is not a question of if, it is now simply a question of
when. So, have you figured out my eclectic taste in books yet? I'm a mystery-loving, wine & foodie who loves children's books and YA fiction ... especially books about the middle east because I used to live there. I'm in the process of reading Day of Wrath it right now and will definitely touch base when I am finished. Until then, read on to learn about Forstchen's inspiration behind the book.
1. What is the book “Day of
Wrath,” about?
“Day of Wrath presents, in
fictional form, a “scenario” for a potential attack by ISIS (or what some now
call ISIL “Islamic State in the Levant”) within the territory of the
continental United States that could take place as early as next month.
2. Why a book of fiction
about what is a real world threat at this very moment?
Even before 9/11 there was
speculation as to how the terrorist organization of Osama bin Laden might
strike against America. Within the military and intelligence community “war
gaming,” out various scenarios is standard practice: to present “what if,”
questions and then present possible outcomes and responses. Unfortunately the
idea of taking several fully laden commercial aircraft and crashing them into
the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the Capitol, actually was discussed in
numerous planning groups but never taken seriously. A similar scenario was
presented in a naval “war game” of the 1930s of a carrier based strike against
Pearl Harbor. . . and dismissed. The author’s intent is to present a highly
realistic scenario NOW, with the hope that it will stir national debate and the
seeking of pro-active responses prior to an attack.
3. The author presents a
scenario of a number of teams of terrorists attacking American public schools.
Why would ISIS do this and is this concept a truly realistic threat?
The author draws on his work as
an historian with an emphasis on military history. Since Columbine, nearly
twenty years ago, our society and educational system has focused on school
security, but with an emphasis on preparation and reaction to what has become a
standard “methodology and profile” of those who attack our schools. In almost
all cases it has been a lone shooter. Though outfitted usually in paramilitary
equipment they are, in a very blunt sense, not trained to inflict maximum
damage, harsh as that might sound in light of the horrific tragedy at Newtown.
And in the vast majority of cases, when police arrive on the scene, the shooter
usually kills themselves, ending the nightmare.
In 2004 a team of well trained
Islamic terrorists seized a school in the province of Chechnya, Russia. It
turned into a three day siege, at the end of which the Russian government
admitted to over three hundred and thirty deaths, though other reporting
sources indicate the count was much higher. The author drew on this as what
could be a frightful inspiration for ISIS. Teams of three to five terrorists,
hitting half a dozen schools simultaneously, (recall the terrorists of 9/11
seized four aircraft within minutes of each other), striking our schools, they
could, in a matter of minutes, slaughter hundreds
of children. No school in America, except the one attended by the children of
our President, has the capacity to withstand this type of assault.
Within minutes panic would
seize every parent in America as reports escalated as to the number of schools
under attack and the reaction of all would be the same. . .to race to their
child’s school and get them out immediately before it is attacked as well.
Therefore, within minutes after the start of such an attack, roads across
America would be flooded and thus the second wave of the enemy strike. .
.random hits along interstate highways by support teams of two to three
terrorists per vehicle. The author draws on this concept from the actual methods
used by ISIS in their drive into northern Iraq in June.
4. How realistic is it to
speculate that ISIS will even attack the United States and secondly, how would
such suicide attackers even gain entry into our country?
ISIS has made clear its
threats. . .amongst their various stated goals: establishing a caliphate which
they already claim to have done, destroy Israel and even the seizing of Mecca.
A goal they boast of nearly every day is to launch an attack inside the United
States. The author links this to the far too obvious news that security along
our southern border is in a shambles. As border security personnel focus on the
humanitarian crisis now existing there, it is clearly evident that vast
stretches of our border are not secured. ISIS seized over one half billion
dollars of hard assets, meaning primarily gold, in its sweep across northern
Iraq. Bin Laden boasted he accomplished his goal with less than half a million
dollars. What could have a billion buy in terms of smuggling of personnel and
very low tech equipment, meaning rifles and ammunition only, into the United
States? Also, just days prior to the release of this book, members of Congress
have stated openly that at least a hundred members of ISIS have already been
infiltrated into our country and are preparing an attack. . .the only question
left is “when, where and how?”
5. Why would schools be the
target?
Anyone who has the ability to stomach the hour long “documentaries”
actually recorded by ISIS, already knows the answers. They have displayed a
ruthless cruelty unmatched in modern history. And they understand “their
enemy,” as well. Consider a scenario where five or six of our elementary and
middle schools became slaughter houses for such murderers. (They would choose
these schools because high schools and colleges have too many adult and near
adult males who might fight back). Simply run a search on “ISIS, executions,
children,” for the evidence of what they are capable of. It would be a
psychological blow, a psyche blow to every American that it becomes difficult
to imagine how our society would function in the weeks and months after. Would
any parent want to send their child back to school a day, a week, a month after
such an attack? Every school henceforth would be an armed camp. How might laws
be changed to try and insure some semblance of security, or might it be a means
to fundamentally change some laws in our country? The blow would be far more devastating that Pearl Harbor,
which solely hit a military target, or 9/11 which hit commercial and military
targets. ISIS has the ruthlessness to contemplate murdering hundreds of
children to gain the goals they seek, to humble, humiliate, and to terrorize.
6. Your book shows an enemy
that is extremely savvy with “social media.” Why?
Our methods of
communication and social interaction have undergone a lightning speed change in
the thirteen years since 9/11. Everyone carries a camera with them, everyone
has instant access to a global audience. So does ISIS. For the first time in
the history of warfare a foe has the ability to broadcast to the entire world
their actions, be they noble or terroristic within seconds. Imagine a 9/11
where the thousands trapped in the World Trade Center and aboard United #93
were able to broadcast to the world what they were seeing, enduring, even to
their own deaths. Imagine an enemy who could do the same. The cell phone has
become as an effective a weapon as an AK-47.
7. Why did the author write this book?
As a warning to act now, to prepare, because this is a very real threat and not simply a work of fiction.
