The Gulf War 1991 (Essential Histories) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In order to have a good grasp on what's happening in Iraq today, an understanding of the war in 1991 is essential. There's a fair amount of literature on the "first" gulf war, but Finlan's book would be a great place to start if you're not already familiar with the subject.
The Essential Histories series is aimed towards the beginner, with the goal of providing a short and readable account of the main issues surrounding a particular conflict. Finlan's book does a very good job at providing context to the war by covering most of the relevant angles. If the book is to be faulted for anything, it would be that it's heavily skewed towards the military aspect of the war at the expense of the political details. The political background to the war was just as important as the military one and should have been given more attention.
Finlan's treatment of the subject is objective and fair for the most part. While the book is quite short (only 84 pages of text) the purpose of the book is to be introductory, not all inclusive. The only factual innacuracy is that he attributed the 1996 Khobar Towers attack to Saudi dissidents, but it is widely known that Hezbollah, working with Iran, were responsible for the attack.
Anyone desiring a greater understanding of Iraq that doesn't know quite where to start would most likely benefit from this book. For those already familiar with Iraq and its history, this book will not provide anything new.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Gulf War 1991 (Essential Histories)

The Gulf War of 1991 heralded a new type of warfare - one dominated by speed and high technology, that yielded a remarkably low level of casualties among the Allied forces. Just under a million Allied troops were deployed to the Gulf region, where they faced not only the extreme heat, but also biological, chemical and suspected nuclear threats. This book assesses both Operation Desert Storm and OperationDesert Shield, examining each forces strategies, and the political and military figures who were involved on both sides. The operational side of Desert Shield is also detailed in full.

Get 37% OFF

Click here for more information about The Gulf War 1991 (Essential Histories)

Read More...

My Nuclear Family: A Coming-of-Age in America's Twenty-first-Century Military Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I might as well say it straight out: I just don't trust this man. His book consists of a series of stories about his experiences in the US Navy, interspersed with expositions on the nature of war in general and the Iraq War in particular. The tone of both the stories and the expositions is one of unremitting arrogance. He's always the smartest guy in the room, and -- with a few notable exceptions -- everyone around him is incompetent, dishonest, or both. This attitude not only makes for some tortuous reading, it also undermines his credibility as an author. And credibility is everything for this book, because Brownfield makes some pretty damning claims about the U.S. Military without providing any evidence to back them up.
Now, perhaps these claims are all true. I have no illusions about the perfection of either our military or our political leadership, particularly during the Bush administration. But I need facts to back up the kinds of claims of incompetence Brownfield makes, not just opinions, and the author provides no evidence whatever that the events actually happened, much less in the contemptible, bumbling manner he describes. There are no footnotes in this book, no documentation of the events, no research -- just a series of stories and opinions. According to his introduction, he is revealing classified information and he's changed the names of all the people he belittles, so there's no way to check his facts, much less validate his opinions. All we have to go on is his word, and that's why personal credibility is so important to this book. Given the smug, self-serving tone of superiority that permeates the book, I find no compelling reason to believe his claims.
As to the lectures on war that break up the stories, they mostly state the obvious or rehash events that are much better covered in other books -- books that carefully document the inner workings of our military and the political manipulations that led to the invasion of Iraq (read Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003 to 2005 if you really want the facts). But if there is anybody left on the planet who still thinks that Saddam Hussein was behind the 9/11 attacks, or that he really did have weapons of mass destruction, this author has nothing new to say to them.
I was hoping to learn something of value from this book, something that might help me understand why our country continues to have these terrible and costly military misadventures. All I learned from this book is that the author was always the smartest guy in the room. Or chose to believe that he was.

Click Here to see more reviews about: My Nuclear Family: A Coming-of-Age in America's Twenty-first-Century Military

Get 27% OFF

Click here for more information about My Nuclear Family: A Coming-of-Age in America's Twenty-first-Century Military

Read More...

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book takes you inside the Navy SEALs training program in Coronado. You are with Marcus Luttrell throughout BUD/S and Hell Week. You fly with him and his teammates in a C-130 to the Hindu Kush, where the hunt begins for bin Laden's right-hand man. But then it all goes terribly wrong, up there in the mountains of Afghanistan.
This book, written by Patrick Robinson, reads like a fast-paced thriller, told in Marcus's understated voice. It is a rivetting, important, sad story of lost friends, valor, courage and the intricacies of modern war. It is an important book, destined to become an American classic.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers. A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow-by-blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich , moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare-and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Get 43% OFF

Click here for more information about Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

Read More...

In & Out of Harm's Way: A Navy Nurse Corps History Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If one is looking for excellent role models and hero's of the last century this is the book for you. I picked it up and had trouble putting it down. Some wonderful accounts of truly dedicated professional nurses who devoted their lives in service to their country. Read and enjoy, a well written book.

Click Here to see more reviews about: In & Out of Harm's Way: A Navy Nurse Corps History

Click here for more information about In & Out of Harm's Way: A Navy Nurse Corps History

Read More...

Standing By: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this book just to support a fellow woman in the military family, and a local to my town. I started the book and couldn't put it down. I was alone with my kids that weekend, so it took three days, but every spare minute I had, I was reading.
Alison made me cry, made me smile, made me hope, and made me feel 'not alone'. She tells her story from her heart and opens up the window into the military wife's saga, trials, and tribulations. The emotional ups and downs are specific and honest to her situation, and true to what many wives feel in this day and age when deployments are increasingly longer and more frequent.
Read this book to learn about what it has been like for her and many wives out there. Then reflect on your own situation - to grow yourself from within, or to understand what the family down the street may be enduring. Even if you don't live in a military town, you may have someone near you who is going through a similar situation.
Great job Alison!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Standing By: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War

Get 60% OFF

Click here for more information about Standing By: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War

Read More...

Silver Star: Navy and Marine Corps Gallantry in Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Conflicts (Blue Jacket Bks) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Having chronicled USN/USMC winners of the Navy Cross, James Wise and Scott Baron shift focus to those Marines and sailors awarded the Silver Star in Afghanistan, Irag, Vietnam, Korea and World War II. Ninety-seven men - 24 sailors and 73 Marines - have been awarded Silver Stars in Iraq and Afghanistan as of March 2008. THE SILVER STAR recounts the exploits of 75 of those individuals and ten from the earlier conflicts.
As with their NAVY CROSS volume, Wise and Baron arrange the accounts alphabetically within each conflict. After presenting the official citation, they then recreate the action in narrative form. In some cases, several SS awards were made for the same action, 'Operation Phantom Fury,' for example, resulting in 10 awards. The most widely-known Afghanistan/Iraq SS winner is probably tank commander GySgt Nick Popaditch, who recently penned his autobiography ONCE A MARINE. Notables from the previous wars include Vietnam MoH-winner Jimmie Howard and WWII's FDR, Jr. and John Hamilton (aka actor Sterling Hayden).
Truth be told, the Iraq/Afghanistan accounts, which make up 70% of the book, have a depressing sameness to them; most being hellacious, in-your-face ambushes in narrow streets marked by dozens of RPG rounds and storms of AK fire. Time after time, superb training coupled with personal bravery and initiative made the difference.
While THE SILVER STAR is an inspiring chronicle of brave men in action, the Iraq sections leave you with a sense of sadness; all that bravery and suffering in an unnecessary war! And I still think the reverse chronological arrangement, first seen in NAVY CROSS, makes for a clumsy read. Recommended.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Silver Star: Navy and Marine Corps Gallantry in Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Conflicts (Blue Jacket Bks)

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about Silver Star: Navy and Marine Corps Gallantry in Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Conflicts (Blue Jacket Bks)

Read More...

The Navy Cross: Extraordinary Heroism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Conflicts Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Navy Cross is second only to the Medal of Honor. The medal has been awarded over 6,900 times since 1919 for "extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor." The combat exploits of 41 winners of the Navy Cross are detailed in this new book from the Naval Institute Press.
Of the 41 winners covered by authors James Wise and Scott Baron, 20 won their awards in Afghanistan and Iraq, six in Vietnam, three in Korea, 10 in World War II and two in World War I. Curiously the authors present the stories in a reverse chronological order, starting off with the Iraq/Afghanistan awards. I don't understand the reason for this arrangement though Wise and Baron, in their preface, make the point that the troops fighting in those areas weren't receiving the media coverage they deserved. Whatever the reason, I found the reverse chronological approach made for a clumsy read.
Though some of the winners, such as 'Chesty' Puller, Roy Davenport, 'Manila John' Basilone and 'Pappy' Boyington, have been previously chronicled, many others have received little coverage, an injustice the book rectifies. Having said that, I wonder why the book relates the actions of all seven troopers who won Navy Crosses in Fallujah but only details the exploits of six of the nine men who won medals at Wake Island.
Recommended...with a few reservations.


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Navy Cross: Extraordinary Heroism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Conflicts

Get 32% OFF

Click here for more information about The Navy Cross: Extraordinary Heroism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Conflicts

Read More...

Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Ruff's War" is a great read --- it's a true story of a nurse on the front lines in Iraq. Having been a Navy nurse myself during the VietNam war, I heard many accounts of military nurses during that war. But this is my first read about Iraq. I found it to be truly a terrific book. It was like reading Cheryl's personal diary of her every day encounters and struggles while serving in Iraq. I kept thinking that this was a relatively short time in that country. And I try to imagine what it must be like for the military who are there for a much greater amount of time. Reading about her experiences has given me a look at how much those soldiers must endure daily for perhaps a year or more. It makes me wonder how any human being can survive living in that country under those conditions and fighting for their lives and others at the same time.
Obviously, Cheryl survived to return home, landing in the U.S. under her own ability to walk off that airplane. Reading about the war, makes me appreciate more what these men and women do for our country every day. It helps me know that they deserve much credit and support for their efforts and also makes me very sad to know that there are some who only return home in body bags. I'm very patriotic and proud of our troops. As an ex-Navy nurse, I applaud all they do and am proud to read of Cheryl's "adventures" in Iraq knowing she served our country and did what she needed to do. A terrifying time indeed but she gave us insight into that war and our military's endurance and dedication.
I'm so glad I read this book. Cheryl is from my home town area, grew up in my church in PA----a home town girl "done proud". Thank you for sharing your story of inspiration and struggles. It was an amazing read.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq

Twenty-five years in the Navy had made Cheryl Ruff an independent, resilient, strong woman - and a master at providing patient care while serving at various Navy hospitals around the world. But nothing prepared her mind, body, soul, and spirit for what she experienced on the frontlines of the Iraq war as a member of the Bravo Surgical Company. Known as the "devil docs," they followed directly behind the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force as they entered Iraq at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. Right along with the Marines, Commander Ruff, the only female nurse anesthetist at the front, and the rest of her surgical team learned to endure the brutal conditions of the desert while regularly confronting questions of life and death. Working in temperatures well over 100 degrees in full MOP gear, Ruff and her team set up mobile hospital tents in the sand wherever needed. As Black Hawk helicopters brought in steady streams of the wounded, they found it impossible to maintain standard sterilization procedures, and clean up often amounted to just shovelling the blood-soaked sand out of the tent.During surgery they often wore lighted helmets so they could continue operating if the generator failed and donned gas masks when warnings were issued. These horrific conditions, coupled with the gruesome images of shredded bodies and the cries of wounded children, became Ruff's world. This is her story of the war, up close and personal. It is a story of sacrifice, survival, and courage, movingly written by a woman unconditionally dedicated to the life-saving mission of the United States Navy Nurse Corps.

Get 6% OFF

Click here for more information about Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq

Read More...