America at War

This book, published shortly (2003) after the U. S. led invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam Hussein, is a vivid description of the war. Many commentators are now referring to the early phase of the war as a "cakewalk." Kenneth Adleman, one of the neoconservative architects of the policy that led to the invasion, used that term on a news show this past week. However, as this book makes quite clear, the invasion was a bloody business. Despite all the intelligence embedded in the munitions, there was a great deal of collateral damage and Iraqi deaths to go along with the American casualties. At the end of the book, some of the reporters showed a great deal of prescience in their reporting. Dan Rather notes on pages 146 and 147 how thin the U. S. forces were spread and how little they could do to control the conditions in Iraq. However, the situation was best summed up in the afterword written by Mark Phillips. His comment, ". . . quell what military officials were calling `isolated' attacks by diehard Saddam loyalists, but which seemed to me and other observers like a nascent, organized resistance movement." He also described a middle-aged man who was spitting with rage and screaming into the camera."Go! We do not like Saddam. But we hate Americans. Leave this place!" He also said that he felt more occupied than liberated. Finally, there is the comment, "Moreover, what was missing was any coherent U. S. plan to rebuild the country." The events of the last three years have clearly demonstrated that these reporters detected the gestating problems as soon as Saddam was toppled. It is unfortunate for the world that the decision makers were so caught up in their beliefs of personal infallibility that they failed to heed and respond to them. For if they had, a great deal of bloodshed and destruction could have been avoided.

This book was a good review on how the war began. It has a timeline of events which is followed by short pieces written by correspondents supported by pictures. The DVD that accompanies it gives a more in depth look to each of the correspondents stories. It was definitely odd to go back and read/watch these events three/four years later. I can remember where I was when particular events happened. The pictures definitely evoke different thoughts and feelings then they did when the events originally took place. This is an excellent book to take you back in time and remember how things began (which now seem like they will never end). This is not a long detailed historically textbook, but more a glimpse of what happened and in those glimpses one can feel for the people involved. Although I prefer reading books that follow the actions of particular service members/groups, I thought the book is excellent for the type of book it is.

This book tells the account of the War in Iraq. Composed from the news reports of Dan Rather and his reporters in Iraq it shows the reader the perspective that a reporter or soldier would see in everyday warzones. The reporters complied breath-taking photos and emotional stories of the horrible reality that our soldiers and the Iraqis face everyday since the war began. The book covers George Bushs declaration of war, soldiers emotional goodbye's to their loved ones, the 1st bombings, soldiers' funerals, the plight of the POW's, skirmishes with insurgeants, suicide bombings and many other heart-wrenching topics. Also included is a DVD documentary highlighting the material in the book. The DVD covers all the CBS news reports during the war. A must-have for all military families, veterans, and enthusists.

As the cousin of an embedded journalist in Iraq during the war, I find stories like this gripping - and they don't try to overdramatize of make heroes where none exist. We ought all to find out what our troops really did go for in the fight to free the Iraqi people. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003) and the forthcoming CHURCHILL'S FOLLY: HOW WINSTON CHURCHILL CREATED IRAQ AND LED TO SADDAM HUSSEIN (Carroll & Graf, 2004)

If the film footage from the front lines wasn't enough for you, check this book out. It's a behind-the-scenes view of Iraq from a soldier's perspective.