Wright has a keen eye for the details that bring the stories of the war to life. It is also exhausting, as Wright subjects the reader to a full range of emotion - from joy to appalling horror to pride. Wright spent about a month with a squad of recon Marines - essentially the special forces of the corps - and his account is nothing short of gripping. If you can only read one account of the Iraq War, this should be it. Nathaniel Fick is releasing his own account in a book titled "One Bullet Away" due out in October 2005. Additionally, one of the main characters Lt. If you are looking for a no nonsense account of a small slice of the US led invasion of Iraq, this is the book to read. In the book, it appears blatantly obvious that the United States did not have a plan for what would happen after the "liberation" of Baghdad and if they did, they certainly did not share it with military planners. In reading between the lines of the last couple of chapters, you get a sense that possibly the problems were are facing with the insurgency today came as a result of what we failed to do at the end of combat operations in Iraq. The manta goes that "the best laid plans will never survive past the first contact with the enemy." That concept is expertly captured here in these pages. War is both an art and a science and being expeditionary warriors, we must learn to successfully operate in both the fog and friction of war. In my experience, much of the frustration experienced by these Marines is what has been continuously pounded into my "brain housing group" throughout my career. But no matter what, it always comes down to this, Marines do what they are told to do and will always accomplish the mission. Marines are historically known for continuously "expressing their frustration" about how this or that is messed up, or how those in Command just don't seem understand the situation. I am happy to learn that not much has changed since my days as a young officer. Wright lays it right out in front of you, does not add whatever personal biases he may have and lets the reader choose for themselves. You get a true sense of being there, either hunkered down in the back of a HMMVE, sleeping in the dirt in your "Ranger Grave" or watching a father carry away the body of his daughter into the darkness. His character development is right on the mark, and I could easily find examples of each of the individuals he describes in my own military experience. Being a Marine, I was highly skeptical of a reporter's documentation of Marines in combat and have never been in favor of having them embedded with front-line combat units, but once I started reading, that skepticism quickly fell by the wayside. I have been in the Marine Corps both active duty and reserve for over 20 years and was a young Lieutenant back in Desert Storm, serving with an armored reconnaissance unit. Additionally, I found it to be a page-turner that I could not put down, reading it from cover to cover in just 3 days. I laughed, I cried, I was amazed and I was disgusted. This book, in the span of 300+ pages, just about covered all of my emotions.
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