Marine Corps Operations in Daneh Pasab, Afghanistan
938294
I had previously read Sean Naylor's Relentless Strike, which examines U. S. Special Operations from the commanders' standpoint. In Dagger 22, Michael Golembesky describes how some of the decisions of the senior commanders detailed in Relentless Strike affect the actual operations of the soldiers in combat. As described by Mr. Golembesky, the on-the-ground effect of some of these decisions wasn't always good from the perspective of the soldiers fighting Taliban forces. I'm sure that the senior officers could offer justification for the rules of engagement which they imposed. Reading both books enhanced my understanding of the Afghan conflict.

The author describes life in the forward lines of the Afghan war. They fought with Afghan allies, some of whom were reliable and some of whom were not. Securing approval to engage the Taliban required, to me, a surprising level of bureaucratic effort and expertise. Engaging the military bureaucracy to secure authorization to undertake missions illuminated a dimension of warfare in Afghanistan that the author found troubling. Once approved, the fighting cost the lives of valued members of the Marine Corps Special Forces. The loss of these lives significantly impacted those who lived. For those of us who only read the book and have not lived through the Afghan experience, which I suspect is most readers, the emotional effect of these losses should be shared at least in some small measure with the author and his fellow soldiers.

One observation that he made about some Taliban who held out when they should have retreated intrigued me. They were confined in a prison with no walls; a prison of circumstances. Fear and ideology left them to die. I resolved not to let myself fall into such a prison.

If you have an interest in the 21st century combat experience, I recommend the book. .
3149772
Being a marine I was able to relate to the leadership and general things marines do during war.  Equipment may change, but the men who fight the wars, pretty much stay the same.
324288
Great book written by someone who was there.  Many of the logistics taken for granted by todays special operations groups were thought up by these guys.  Interestingly most of the force was made of of individuals from the  Commonwealth and not England.  For more detailed information go to Long  Range Desert Preservation Group on internet.
2148619
I served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thankfully I didn't have to go outside the wire for OEF. The author was spot on about Afghanistans heat. Its a oven there during the summer.
281707
As the full title of this book would indicate, it not a comprehensive narrative of the battle for Fallujah in November of 2004, but rather a biography of Brad Kasal throughout his life and into his time in the Marine Corps. I think it does a good job of creating a familiarity with the man who has gone on to personify contemporary Marine Corps leadership.
3401691
Ride along on the road to Bagdad with the Marines of First Recon.  Surreal, gritty, raw.  Generation Kill offers an unvarnished look inside their world that paints the so-called victory in a different light.
3714243
Writing was not the best but I enjoyed this story by a fellow Marine and praise him fr sitting down and knocking out this story of combat, something I hope to do in the future. Nice job mixing intr-unit relations with external threats.
3017321
These men are warriors! It's hard for people who have never lived under this kind of stress to understand, but this documentation paints a pretty vivid picture for the uninitiated. Then there's the betrayal of our Pakistani allies that is documented. The lunatic rules of engagement our troops fight under are criminal. If you won't let them fight back, bring them home. Capt Mac, USMC (Ret).
2471444
Good book kept me reading , not wanting to put . Book about a returning Marine vet with PT S D. Joins a Korean war vet to fight corruption in a small . Enjoy this book !!
1905790
Black Hawk Down is the most detailed, finely authored account of troops in  combat that I have ever read. Author Mark Bowden obviously went to great  pains to recreate the events of Oct. 3-4, 1993, when a company-sized unit  of mixed Delta Force operators and Airborne Rangers went into the dangerous  territory of downtown Mogadishu to extract two lieutenants of the insidious  Somalian warlord Aidid.
The struggles of our troops to battle seemingly  the entire city follows. It's an amazing testament to the training,  determination and pride of the U.S. armed forces. It's a shame that the  U.S. mission to Somalia was not successful, but you can't fault our troops.  They carried out their orders with skill and precision. The failure goes to  the politicians who failed to recognize and fully analyze the intransigence  of a people gripped by anarchy and the anachronistic clan hierarchy of  their society.
The American mission to Somalia occurred shortly after our  success in the Gulf War, when America was riding high on its military might  and we deemed ourselves the world "police force." While there is  little doubt that the United States is the world's only remaining super  power, even we must know ahead of time that whenever U.S. troops are called  upon to defend democracy, we must be prepared for casualties of war. The  grisly footage of Somalian mobs defiling the corpses of U.S. troops haunts  me to this day. But I'm sad that we did not attempt to complete the mission  in Somalia to honor the sacrifices made by these and the other troops who  fought and died there.
Bowden's account shows both sides of the conflict,  but I can't help feeling angry and saddened after reading this book. But I  also feel overwhelming pride and respect for the men who fought and died  for our country in this conflict.
3109866
Its nice to read in detail how a Marine Gunny looks at his mission, his people and dealing with the loss of life in a combat zone. Even though the book is fictional, many great Marines that have served this country should be proud of their service. Lets us never forget our fallen hero's and the sacrifice they and their families have made.
2777662
Lions of Kandahar provides a candid look into an epic battle between US Army Special Forces soldiers and thousands of Taliban militants. Well written with a combination of emotion, opinion and accurate assessments of the situation the US still faces in A-stan. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the dynamic between a commander, his men and the higher echelons of command.

It clearly articulates the problems US forces face on a regular basis and provides an understanding of the bonds established between fighting men and their compatriots. The story is well written and easily read with some maps and photographs of the men portrayed in the text to help better understand the in depth description the author provides of the tactical operations.

Must read material for anyone seeking more knowledge of the Special Forces experience in Afghanistan or someone looking for an entertainign rad on military history.
1085380
The author, a participant in the combat about which he writes, offers at least four strands of information emerging from the Marines response to the Chinese incursion into the Korean War: first, the human side of being a member of the Marine Corps in combat; second, the organizational response of the Marines to Chinese combat strategy; third, combat under conditions of extreme cold; fourth, opinions about the highest levels of American military and political decision-making in the movement North to the Chosin area.
The last strand one can take or leave, since they are the ground level observations of one who had no intimate knowledge of the basis for the decisions. My own reaction was to take note and pass on since there is now so much detailed and informed discussion available elsewhere. It is the three other elements which continue to make the book useful reading for the lay reader wanting to know something about what is often referred to today, as the "forgotten war". On the first point, he is able to convey something of the feelings of an ordinary WW2 veteran who stayed on in the Marine reserve after its end and then found himself called up to serve under conditions of extreme difficulty. The second point is a good historical one pointing up some of the factors which made the Marines successful where the Army in that stage did not fare nearly as well. (One element he did not mention at all: ,most of the Army men were the product of reserve units and draftees who had never seriously been trained for combat and, through no fault of their own, went in like lambs to the slaughter). Most useful of all is the front line image of just what extreme cold can do to even the best trained of soldiers and otherwise good equipment (on both sides of the combat line). Having just reviewed a book on the impact of intense humidity and heat in WW2 combat, I found the contrast bizarre but the impact similar: a reduction in efficacy of even the  best trained troops.
S.L.A. Marshall, in WW2, one of the founders of the modern school of military history ( telling the story of the guys who fought at ground level), produced a report for the Military which is seeing its first publishation as an addendum to this book. It summarizes some of the most valuable points about performance of men, organization and equipment during this period.
For the lay reader, this is a good retailing of one of the most brutal campaigns American troops have had to wage. There is much else to be said of the War itself, but the story he tells is worth attending to.
(He speaks of the reserve of Roanoke being called up and marching off to War. I didn't get to live in that area until some years later, but I did see the same picture, Marines being called up and marching, this time, through the streets of Duluth, the Summer of 1950. Little did I think I would be joining these guys, a while later, on that finger of land jutting out from the Asian mass, ...although in a different branch of service and when the prospects were a lot brighter....a matter of pure chance in the draft lottery, but one for which I remain grateful.)
3536573
EB slege finished off the  Marine Ground war in Peleliu, Okinawa and saw the worst things possible  in those campaigns. Post war he is in China before the  Mao killed millions to reeducate. It was a nice pace to read EB enjoying  postwar  Marine corps a little.
69795
Lutrell is an extremely lucky Navy Seal.  He squad of four men captured some goat herders on a recon patrol.  Rather than shoot these goat herders, his group let them go, and then moved to another position.  The Taliban commander was informed of this recon patrol and sent his force of anywhere between 75-200 tribesmen to root them out.  Superior numbers overwhelmed these men as they fought bravely for their lives and wasted many of the Taliban tribesmen. Lutrell was injured with a bad back, and shrapnel in his leg.  He outran the Taliban and then was accommodated by some tribesman near a water pool by a remote village. The Taliban tried to capture him, but the villagers would not let him go, since he was their guest.  The push and pull resulted in Lutrell finally be reunited with his command.

This is an interesting history of a particular battle in Afghanistan in 2005.  The author gives his own opinion of how the war should be fought and how he feels about the liberal media.  Other than that, I think this is a great war story of the Afghanistan War.
4549183
I spent my time with the 3rd Marines in Viet Nam.  God bless the military and God bless the Marine Corps.
4045779
There are emerging a slew of books coming about the war experiences in Iraq but most miss the unique view that is presented in "Blood Stripes - The Grunts View Of The War In Iraq". The author who was a Marine officer in Iraq writes brilliantly about how the war is actually being fought daily by those closest to the action--his NCOs. He allows us to see the action through the experiences of several young corporals and sergeants from infantry companies Bravo 1/5, Lima 3/7, Fox 3/7 and Kilo  along with a headquarters company unit.

This book will take you to the action on the deserts and into the urban streets. The book follows these young NCOs from February through September 2004 where they were deployed in Al Anbar (Which is Iraq's largest province). They deal with the area known as the Sunni Triangle (That includes the city of Fallujh). Theirs is a chaotic and volatile world. They never know what they will be greeted with from moment to moment from the local people or the environment.

Fighting a war against an insurgency that borders on civil war, takes its toll on the men both physically and mentally. They never are sure if they will be facing an ambush or snipers as they move through the towns or the countryside. These men face the real dangers of world politics and yet continue to do their duty faithfully.

There is a toll on their souls as they witness friends and comrades killed or wounded. This book is at times is drenched in adrenaline and fear yet heroes do emerge and duty and honor are achieved. These young marines wear their "blood stripes" well and carry on the fine tradition of the Marines. (Only Marines ranked corporal and above wear the storied blood stripes on their uniform pants in memory of the Marines who fell at Chapultepec, Mexico, in 1847.)

This is a must read book for those looking for some understanding of what is going on in Iraq with our troops. The book is well written and riveting. It is a page turner! It is given The MWSA's Top Book Rating of FIVE STARS!