War Stories of the Infantry: Americans in Combat, 1918 to Today

The authors bring us first person remembrances from all the wars that America has participated in, from WWI through present day in Iraq. The stories come from all ranks, from privates through officers. The enlisted men tend to speak in a casual, informal style while the officers, especially the modern ones, report in the formal style of an after-action report. I'm sure that it took some doing, but the authors found veterans of the US invasions of Grenada and Panama in the 1980s along with Somalia in 1993. For students of US military history, some of the stories are pretty hair raising, funny and aggravating such as when Pvt Arthur Smith went to the military dentist in Korea. The dentist agreed that Smith had teeth that needed work, but refused to treat him because he was too busy reading a magazine. Or, the Lt who was so terrified of Smith that he transferred him to another unit to avoid being fragged. To get a feeling for what our troops are up against today, its instructive to read the stories out of Iraq. In addition to stories of foot patrols in Iraqi cities, there is the story of an American adviser to an Iraqi unit who states that (conservatively) 50% of the Iraqis in his unit were ACTIVE insurgents and a quarter were passive insurgents. That left only a handful of men he could count on. These stories will give you an additional appreciation for the men who serve in our military. They endure miserable weather, sometimes indifferent logistics and REMFs, and...oh yes...the enemy too. This book is well worth reading for its historical value as well as a commentary on current engagements of our military personnel.

Another great read from Michael Green! The compilation of personal accounts from the First World war through to the present conflicts in Iraq etc.. are both harrowing and compelling at the same time. The authors have done a great job of balancing stories from both the common soldier to ranking officers. The theme that comes through in all the stories is quiet courage and the bond that these men who went through hell created with each other. I highly recommend this book!