Finished reading One Bullet Away tonight -- absolutely superb. Basically the book traces the journey of a young Marine officer from the time he hits Officer Candidate School through campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. I found it particularly interesting because the author and I are the same age, graduating from college in 1999, which made everything easier to relate to.
While the entire book is good it is the part dealing with the Iraq War that truly had me transfixed. In crystal clear detail the author describes all of the ups, downs and in betweens of the experience ranging from caring for wounded Iraqi civilians to combat against foreign jihadis to dealing with incompetent superior officers. It almost seems that an entire lifetime transpired during those few weeks.
As far as lessons about the Iraq War from the book, it's perhaps hard to say, but there are definitely some things that make you stop and think. One example is an encounter with Iraq troops wearing NBC gear. When asked if they thought the Americans were going to attack them with chemical weapons the Iraqis said no, they wore the suits because they figured Saddam would use them on the U.S. troops and the Iraqi troops would be caught in the middle.
It also seems that the American soldiers received a mostly positive reception from the local population -- the author notes that in one town the only thing missing was the ticker tape -- while others were distinctly wary. Maybe the Iraqi attitude could be best summed up by one boy who shouted at them "Go America! Go George Bush! Give me money!"
The challenge of taking people and molding them into citizens of a democracy was also underscored by a meeting with one Iraqi neighborhood leader who said that he wanted only two things from the American troops: Clean water and statues of George Bush. Why the statues? So the Iraqis could demonstrate their loyalty. When that's the only system you ever know...
While the entire book is good it is the part dealing with the Iraq War that truly had me transfixed. In crystal clear detail the author describes all of the ups, downs and in betweens of the experience ranging from caring for wounded Iraqi civilians to combat against foreign jihadis to dealing with incompetent superior officers. It almost seems that an entire lifetime transpired during those few weeks.
As far as lessons about the Iraq War from the book, it's perhaps hard to say, but there are definitely some things that make you stop and think. One example is an encounter with Iraq troops wearing NBC gear. When asked if they thought the Americans were going to attack them with chemical weapons the Iraqis said no, they wore the suits because they figured Saddam would use them on the U.S. troops and the Iraqi troops would be caught in the middle.
It also seems that the American soldiers received a mostly positive reception from the local population -- the author notes that in one town the only thing missing was the ticker tape -- while others were distinctly wary. Maybe the Iraqi attitude could be best summed up by one boy who shouted at them "Go America! Go George Bush! Give me money!"
The challenge of taking people and molding them into citizens of a democracy was also underscored by a meeting with one Iraqi neighborhood leader who said that he wanted only two things from the American troops: Clean water and statues of George Bush. Why the statues? So the Iraqis could demonstrate their loyalty. When that's the only system you ever know...
Perhaps what happened after the fall of Baghdad was the most eye-opening. You really get a feeling that with some more troops and better planning that there was a real opportunity to stabilize the country and produce a smoother transition to democracy. Yeah, hindsight is 20-20, and there's a good chance the insurgency would have sprung up regardless, but there is enough there in the book to make you wonder.
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