Rumors of War (2007)

In addition to endless piles of science fiction and fantasy, as well as science fact, I tend to read military-related books. They might be military science fiction (and I really need to write that dang essay that has been bouncing around inside my head for half a year now), they might be "pure technical" books (strategy, tactics, descriptions of vehicles...what can I say, I've been both a gamer and a model-builder at times, so the research habit dies hard), but in general, they are histories of battles, units, and personalities.

These range all over the place as well. I am most interested in the American Civil War, but any war that has tanks in it (my former MOS) holds a favorite spot in my heart...so I've read books on WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the various Arab-Israeli wars, the Gulf Wars...and more.

This year I've read (to date) four histories and might get through a few more. So this entry will probably be the omnibus entry for all the books mentioned in my 2007: The Year in Books listing (and may extend into 2008 as well).

On to the books!

Rick Atkinson: In the Company of Soldiers (Henry Holt, 2004. ISBN 0-8050-7561-5).

Atkinson is both a journalist and a military historian. His An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 is a well-regarded study of World War II and is the first volume of a trilogy. Wish he would start working on the follow-on volumes! He also wrote Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War, one of the best independently-written single-volume books on our first excursion into that region.

In the Company of Soldiers deals with the run-up to the second war with Iraq, concentrating on the activities of the 101st Airborne Division. Atkinson was embedded with the division, and spent a lot of time with the division's commanding general, David Petraeus. Yes, that General Petraeus. A well-written history from both the division-level as well as some small unit tales; if I had any complaint, it would be that the book is too short and ends too soon. It gives a good look at Petraeus, and, as such, is still a timely read.

SSG David Bellavia: House to House (Free Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4165-7471-2) (with John R. Bruning).

Bellavia was a squad leader with the First Armored Division, in a mechanized infantry company during the battles that took place in and around Fallujah in 2004. This book focuses on a few days during the fight, from the initial entry into the city onwards. The epilogue focuses on Bellavia's return to Iraq in 2006 as a civilian. A harrowing book in places, Bellavia does an excellent job of showing why people fight, how effective good leadership can be, and why the United States Army is, despite its liberal detractors, one of the best organizations out there. Hoorah! A dang fine read, and probably destined to be one of my best of the year.

I started reading this one last night (10/18/07). When my wife got up to take her shower at 0300, I realized that I had been so captivated and moved by the story that I had stayed up almost the entire night reading it.

When you are done reading this one you are going to stop. Pause. Think. And thank God we have a volunteer Army that is made up of such people.

Philip Caputo: A Rumor of War (Henry Holt/Owl Books, 1996. IBSN 0-8050-4695-X).

Set rather early on in the Vietnam War, this book tells the story of a freshly-minted Marine lieutenant (Caputo) during his tour in Vietnam. Acting as a platoon leader in a rifle company, a battalion staff officer, and, finally, back with a rifle company, Caputo experiences the negatives—and positives—of war first hand. With a literary background, and scattered literary references throughout, I have a feeling that this book was the model for many that have followed, e.g., Anthony Swofford's Jarhead. The books that followed, however, missed what Caputo said as to why people fight and why they put up with the conditions under which they fight. They fight for each other, for their squadmates, tank crew members, platoon, company, etc. This is the reason that Caputo's book is a true classic, at times searing and deeply moving, while those pale imitations will soon fade away.

Colonel David H. Hackworth (Ret.) and Eilhys England: Steel My soldiers' Hearts (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 2003, ISBN 0-7432-4613-6).

Very similar in scope with the book by Robert Hemphill (below), other than scope. Where Hemphill was concerned with shaping up a rifle company, Hackworth was concerned with shaping up a rifle battaltion. In the course of the book, he turns it from a very screwed-up, undisciplined group with low morale into a highly efficient, very disciplined unit. With an afterword written in the post-9/11 period, Hackworth talks about various universal constants for any soldier (e.g., stay alert, stay alive; always take care of your tropps, etc.). Maybe if we had a few more Hackworth's...

Robert Hemphill: Platoon Bravo Company (St. Martin's, 2001. ISBN 0-312-97657-7).

One of the more amusing tidbits that came out of this book is that when Hemphill was company commander of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 25th Infantry Division there also was serving one Oliver Stone, the director of a film "loosely" based on his experiences during the same war. Hemphill talks about the period when he was in command, from the end of 1967 and into the Tet Offensive in 1968. A rather dry narrative, you don't get much personality out of the book. Hemphill does not delve deeply into himself, or the thoughts of his soldiers. When he relives, for example, one lieutenant for losing (perhaps on purpose) his glasses (so he can't lead his men) he does not dwell on his thoughts or speculate on the intent of that lieutenant. The book would have been better for such introspection.

Robert Mason: Chickenhawk (Penguin, 2005. ISBN 0-14-303571-1).

Chickenhawk details Mason's year-long tour in Vietnam as the pilot of a Huey, primarily shuttling troops and supplies into various landing zones, but also daring enemy fire to carry out the wounded. The book also touches on Mason's post-Vietnam life and his experiences in dealing with what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder.

At one point Rumor Central had this book becoming a movie. I'm happy it did not; there are sequences of humor that probably would have been emphasized, turning the whole thing into a remake of M.A.S.H. It is one of the better I've read both from the perspective of small-unit action and the use of helicopters during the war; Hollywood would have cut out both aspects.

The book relates directly to We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, in that Mason flew into the "hot zones" of the action that is the basis for that book. It was nice to see his narrow experiences and knowledge mirrored into the battalion-level view of the other book.

Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway: We Were Soldiers Once And Young (HarperTorch, 2002. ISBN 0-06-050698-9).

This book concentrates on the Battle of Ia Drang, the first large-unit battle of the Vietnam War. As such, it gives you mostly the viewpoint from the battalion commander (Moore). Galloway was a correspondent that was present during much of the battle (and in stark contrast to today's "embeds" was armed and fought during the battle). It is also, as they say, a major motion picture (I haven't seen it yet, so I can't vouch for how they compare). Even with the bird's-eye view, it focuses on a lot of the small-unit and individual actions, with great impact. A dang fine book, and one that had echoes down into our present time.