Rumors of War (2008)

As in 2007, part of my reading for the year is in non-fiction, and part of that are various military histories. So without further ado...

Thermopylae: The Battle for the West: Ernle Bardford (Da Capo Press; 1980; ISBN 978-0-30681360-3; cover by George Restrepo).

While the title suggests that the book concentrates on the epic battle of the 300 Spartans vs. the forces of Persia, it really is a look at the entire war, from before the battle at Thermopylae to well after. Details include personalities, terrain, weapons, and an extensive look at both land and naval engagements. From comments in the book, I think it was written shortly after WWII; the 1980 copyright is not indicative of the printing of the book (for one thing, a publisher in 1980 with an e-mail address listed in the "front matter" would be pretty scarce; for another the extended ISBN did not exist in 1980).

The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq; Major Seth W.B. Folsom, USMC (Potomac Books; 2006; ISBN 1-57488-988-5; cover by the USMC).

Folsom led a company of light reconnaissance vehicles (LAV-25's) during the initial phase of the second Gulf War. The book is a great mixture of individual insight, the confusion of war, the business of war, and why people fight. Folsom put up with lack of sleep, lack of water, severe foot problems, noise, heat, confusion...for what? Not because, as some wingnuts might put it, the joy of the kill. Not (in the end) out of patriotism. He did it because...

"Ernie Pyle, the famous war correspondent, once talked about the 'powerful fraternalism in the ghastly brotherhood of war.' He said that millions of people far away at home must remain forever unaware of this brotherhood. I want to talk about this brotherhood assembled before you this morning.

"I have served with these young men for over two years. During that time, they have put aside their differences and bonded together as a team. As a family. They have demonstrated the meaning of sacrifice and putting others before self. They have molded themselves into combat-hardened veterans capable of accomplishing any mission. In the words of Colonel Nathan Jessup in A Few Good Men, for them it has been about 'placing your life in another man's hands, and then asking him to do the same.'"

Amen, brother, you understand. I am no longer a serving member, but if circumstances were different, I would be on active duty right now. And for the reasons listed, I would be proud to serve with my fellow soldiers.

Hazardous Duty; Colonel David H. Hackworth (U.S. Army, Retired) (HarperPerennial, 2001, ISBN 978-0-380-72742-1)

This book details a series of trips that Hackworth took as part of his career with Newsweek. He details various hot spots in the 1990's, ranging from the Middle East to Somalia to Haiti. Along the way he pokes at the "Perfumed Princes" (ticket punching officers), politicians (one in particular) and the like.

Usually on target with his punches at the Perfumed Princes, he occasionally goes overboard on the wrong target (such as his comments about CWO Michael Durant, for which he owes Durant a big apology).

Due to the episodic nature of the book, I'm treating it as a contributor to the 2008 Year in Shorts. It has added (so far) 15 entries to this years reading project.

Made up of: Prologue; Goats and Gunfighters: The Gulf, 1990; Snow Job in the Desert: The Gulf, 1991; Junkyard Dogs: The Balkans, 1992; God's Work in Hell: Somalia, 1992-1993; Bad Hombres, Good Joss: Vietnam, 1993; "Unfortunate Casualties": Somalia, 1993; Flimflam War: Korea, 1994; Great White God: Haiti, 1994; "King of Bosnia": The Balkans, 1996; Desolation Gulch: The Balkans, 1996; Admiral Boorda: Washington, 1996; It's the System, Stupid: Washington, 1996; Change—Or Belly Up: Whitefish, 1996; Afterword.

Among the Heroes: Jere Longman (HarperCollins; 2002; ISBN 0-06-09908-9). One of the few bright spots on 9/11/01 was how the passengers and crew of United Flight 93 apparently, upon learning the intent of those peace-loving freedom fighters who seized their plane, fought back, tried to regain control of the plane, and lost their lives in the process. Longman reconstructs profiles of most of the passengers and crew, plus one of those misunderstood freedom fighters (yes, I am being very sarcastic) and interjects the events before, during and after the flight. Much of what happened was conjecture, but it is clear that day could have been significantly darker if for not their sacrifice.

300: Frank Miller and Lynn Varley (Dark Horse Books; 2006; ISBN 978-1-56971-402-7; cover and illustrations by Frank Miller).

I'm not much for graphic novels, but given all the hoo-hah around the film version of this graphic novel (I haven't seen the film yet), I thought I'd give it a try. Nice artwork, some nice military/historical bits. While this is an oversized "coffee table" style book, I think that the art would have benefited from a much larger format.

(O.K., a few days later...I've seen the film. Pretty good, but I thought the graphic novel was easier to follow. The film also tossed in some stuff that really wasn't needed. But, some pretty good acting, fantastic special effects, and how can you go wrong with dialogue like that? Next up will probably be Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire.

No Victor, No Vanquished: The Yom Kippur War: Edgar O'Ballance (Presidio Press, 1991, ISBN 0-89141-017-1).

I've read several treatments on the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, but this is the first that covers more than just the Israeli side of things. O'Ballance does a pretty good job of showing all aspects of the war: the war in the desert, the battles between various internal factions on either side, the war at sea, the war in the air. If there is any fault here, it is that this is a reprint of a 1978 edition and there is no indication that any updating was done. And, the viewpoint is mostly from the grand strategic, I'm still looking for "in the mud" histories of this conflict.

Generation Kill; Evan Wright (Berkley Caliber; 2004; ISBN 0-425-20040-X).

With all the reporters that embedded with the troops during the opening of Gulf War II, I'm sure we'll eventually see a flood of books such as this. Wright is a reporter with Rolling Stone, certainly an odd participant in the reporting war!

Books such as these tend to be of one of two types. There's the reporter who makes many technical mistakes, never really bonds with the men, and turns in a book based on slightly more polished copy. The biggest problem is the reporter doesn't understand why people fight in a military unit, and goes looking for war-mongers, etc.

Then there's the reporter that takes the time to get to know the men and learns the truth as to why people put up with the conditions they do and back each other up. Michael Yon is one such writer, Rick Atkinson is another. Wright seems to fall somewhere in between There are the obligatory statements against the war; the occasional sniping at the soldiers he embedded with. There are even several technical mistakes (a BMP is not a "light tank" and FLIR does not stand for "Forward-Looking Infrared Radar"). But Wright also spent enough time to get to know the soldiers and puts forth the occasional paragraph that shows he "gets it".

Second book of the year to concentrate on the role of the Marines in Gulf War II. I'm going to have to buy some U.S. Army histories to compensate!

(I am curious to see how the HBO mini-series comes out based on this book. It could be good. But, without the right technical assistance and the right hand on the helm, it could also stink on ice. I was also amused to see that another book I have is by one of the people Wright writes about; the shift in perspective will be interesting.

Moment of Truth in Iraq; Michael Yon (Richard Vigilante Books; 2008; ISBN 978-0-9800763-2-5; cover by Michael Yon).

Michael Yon is a blogger who probably has spent more time embedded with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan than any professional reporter. His writings can be found at his website and he has written powerfully about the war in Iraq (read all parts of that particular link). He is also a photographer and has taken many powerful pictures; pictures so powerful that certain wingnuts seems to feel it is their right is misappropriate them without paying for the privilege of using those images.

Yon is not reporting from a remote site; Yon is not reporting from a hotel. He is out there with the troops. He talks to the troops, from the lowest private to the highest general. He has shown, in his writings, to be a realist. He is not part of the agenda of the wingnuts, either right or left. Give his writings the attention they deserve.

The book is a combination of new material and material taken from the website. It jumps around a bit; which might be confusing for some readers. I think Yon should have written more material, or written a more linear narrative. Despite the overlap with material I've read before, there are several powerful messages here. For example:

Though Vietnam convinced the U.S. military that Americans were not suited for counterinsurgency the opposite is closer to the truth. Americans are naturally good at counterinsurgency. One might almost say we are good at counterinsurgency, because we are good at removing sewage. We see problems as challenges rather than insurmountable obstacles. It never occurs to us to think the sewage can't be removed, or to wait around for someone else to do it. To Iraqis this ready American assumption that problems can and will be solved at first seems naive. But for that very reason, when we deliver we may shatter ancient prejudices and inspire new visions of possibility.

Yon's got a powerful message in the book. Is anybody listening, among those who are quartered safe back here?