Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood

My Marine husband is an avid reader - 3 or 4 hardback books a week. He's been reading voraciously for a long time. He REALLY liked this book and said it was one of the best he's ever read. That was a great compliment coming from him! Terrific for anyone military, especially a Marine.

My son is currently stationed in Iraq as a 1st Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Donovan Campbell's well written book has given me a peek into life as a Marine in preparation for, and deployment to, a combat zone. Joker One brings alive the many faceless and nameless Marines that are referred to as "troops" in the daily news. Donovan Campbell fittingly dedicates his book to "the men of Joker One and to the parents, spouses, and fiancees of the fighters overseas. Those who wait at home have the hardest job in the military." Joker One give us more reasons to be proud of the decision our sons and daughters made to "assume responsibility greater than myself." (Cambpell's words, and our son's words when asked why he wanted to join the Marine Corps.)

The raw emotion that Campbell has laid bare in this poignant telling bluntly demonstrates his own passions and concerns for his men of Joker One and their return commitment and love for him. Donovan Campbell has in simple terms defined what it is to be a Marine. The story begins with a brief encounter during Campbell's first stint in Iraq. From there he returns to the United States and begins to cover the short pre-combat training regimen for his next insertion into real combat action again in Iraq. This section of the book is extremely engaging, as Campbell describes his first days with his new platoon and battalion. Never having been in the Armed Services, it was overwhelming for me to begin to understand what a Marine believes and how he perceives his world. Campbell opens doors into the day to day training and the mindset of Marines that it is impossible to obtain without such a wonderfully written first hand account. From there this unit arrives in Iraq and begins the trials and tribulations of trying to keep a city from falling into the hands of insurgents. Campbell has written a heartfelt, honest, incredibly readable and moving biography of his time with the U.S. Marines in Iraq. It is difficult to write about something that is so recent without emphasizing various experiences and then "over writing" these experiences. Campbell has such balance in this book that it is difficult to find any fault concerning the topics of his choosing. From beginning to end, I was totally engaged. By the end of the book, I couldn't find the words that would fit the sacrifices made by these young men; their commitment to their unit and to their mission is simply incredible. His explanations are crisp, clear and concise. His tales of the patrols, the descriptions of the Iraqi citizens, the psychology of his men and leaders is just riveting. The fears that any man or woman would have in these circumstances are clearly told. There is not a dribble of bias that I can see coming through. He states his opinions, but they are based on factual evidence and observation. No matter a person's inclinations politically, this is a must read.

Joker One is the story of one man's experience on a tour of duty in Iraq---beginning with preparation and training at home and in Kuwait. I was a little concerned about getting through this book, as military writing is not my favorite. This one, however, held me throughout. This book provided me with what will undoubtedly be one of my favorite and most moving reading experiences. Campbell tells his story with honesty, humor, and dignity. I'm (ALMOST) old enough to be his mother, and I found myself feeling very maternal toward this young man. Every time he questioned himself or worried about failure, I wanted to comfort him. He and his men performed their duties with remarkable courage and honor. And this book conveyed their experiences well. I feel proud and grateful for their service. It was refreshing to read a book about Iraq that wasn't steeped in politics. Campbell "simply" told the raw tale of life on the ground in Ramadi. Having read it, I have a better idea of the hardship facing the fighting man than ever before. I've always had a healthy amount of respect and deep gratitude for the American military---those feelings are deeper and stronger in the aftermath of this story. I often find with books like this that there is a compelling story that is written poorly. This book, however, tells a compelling story and is also written in a compelling fashion. Campbell has tremendous talent to convey deep emotion, humor, and create a "scene" that captivates.

Describing Joker One by Donovan Campbell in one word is a difficult task but if forced to do so the word would be poignant. Joker One is the story of the individual Marines who comprised one of the platoon's deployed to fight in Iraq. More than a story about a war, Campbell slaps the "Human Condition" on the face of the Iraqi War, and for good measure nail guns it in place. His story is one that needed to be told, not to sway your opinion of whether the United States occupation of Iraq is justified, but rather to put names and faces to the individuals who served their country. It doesn't matter whether you are pro or anti war what matters is that you understand the struggles of the individuals involved. The men in this story didn't wage the war but rather carried out their mission with courage, bravado, and outright selfless determination. If you are not touched by the words between the bindings of this book than I might suggest you send out a search party for your soul. The Stateside news reports of the Iraqi War have been meaningless rhetoric up to this point. We have been feed the gruesome details of body counts and have seen the anti-American sentiments of the Iraqi people, but up until the story of Joker One these stories have been a benign representation of the actual happenings in Iraq. We haven't been told the stories of the "so-called" US allies who when forced with the decision of standing up for their own free society or their own mortality immediately switch their alliances and begin to open fire on our troops. Nor have we seen firsthand, the cowardly Iraqi insurgent's complete disregard of their own countrymen as they use them as human shields as a means to an end. Some soldiers have returned to the States battered, beaten, and broken both physically and mentally. Others have returned Stateside in wooden boxes draped with the United States flag. Campbell has identified these soldiers by name. Soldiers like you and I who have families, dreams, and ambitions now which regardless of injury or death have become severely altered by their mere participation in the ugliest form of human interaction. Lieutenant Campbell takes this opportunity to provide the reader a front row seat into the daily struggles of his platoon. It would have been easy for him to shed the spotlight directly upon himself in this story; in order to boost his own ego. But to the contrary, Campbell highlights the extraordinary camaraderie of the men under his charge. Instead of highlighting his successes, he focuses on the successes of his men and points out his errors in judgment. He continually second guesses the split-second decisions he was forced to make. If only I had done X rather than Y, things might have been different; is the common theme of his thought process. Joker One reads like an action packed Major Motion Picture. I had to constantly remind myself that I was reading a true story and not a piece of fiction dreamed up by some over