The author was embedded with US Battalion 2-16 in Iraq during a 15 month tour in 2007and early 2008.
It tells the story at a platoon level of the soldiers of this battalion as they attempt to secure a really crappy part of Baghdad.
All the tales come from the soldier level rather than from command so we get all the moans and fears that are the soldiers lot.
It is very well written and very moving. During their tour the 2-16 loose 14 members and many more suffering horrendous wounds.
For me what stops this being great war reportage is that the author does not write of the humour that will have existed. It might be terribly black humour that surfaced, which always does when ever humans are put in intolerable situations, but there is none in this book at all.
This lack of humour is a shame because it will have existed,it always does no matter how bad things get.
Good reportage , a good read, but could have been great book if the negative wasn't accentuated so much.
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