When I saw that a USA Today reporter had written a book about a battlefield in Iraq, certain expectations arose such as an abbreviated style of coverage and some political undertones to the story. Mr. Michaels was able to capture a simple tone of relaying an important story that non-Veterans will be able to understand. This book has as its central cast of characters mid-level leaders in Anbar Province, Iraq at the height of the War.
He tells the story of the risks they took often at the sacrifice of their lives, to bring Victory to Ramadi and Anbar, to defeat an atrocious enemy, but very early he recognizes that his book will likely be used unjustifiably, to justify the argument that General Petraeus' Plan was not needed. He does point out that the General was key to implementing the policies that did bring Sustained Success throughout the country, but this is not a book about the Petraeus Plan.
Though the chapters do not follow strict chronological order and some stories are redundantly told, if one can stick to the primary story, avoiding the inevitable debate of Petraeus' role in bringing greater peace to Iraq, along with some gratuitous swipes at politicians, this is an easy read and an easy 233 pages.
It is certainly a good resource for Company and Field Grade Officers to read to better understand the levels of interaction needed to win on the Counter-Insurgency battlefield.
Stumble It!
