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No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah
: I have no literary critic's polished review to offer. My comments are based on pure emotion.
I was compelled to read this book--my son was there for the November 2004 campaign. He made it home, but my friend Sharon's son did not. I owe it these men and their brothers to understand as best I can. It is not something my son will discuss, and this is probably the most I'll ever know about his time there. Reading this book was painful. Despite crying my way through much of it, I couldn't put it down.
 Bing West's book on the struggle to bring order to Fallujah through 2004 captures the essence of small unit combat in Iraq perfectly. His accounts of the firefights that raged through April and May, 2004, are intense and descriptive. Mr. West's strength is his ability to explain the "big picture" and then telescope down to the individual Marine squads doing the fighting. Making sense out of all the political machinations surrounding Fallujah was a daunting task for any writer, but Mr. West is able to sort it all out and highlight the craziness of it all.
This is a must-read for any American who wants to understand the nature of the war in Iraq.
My one criticism of the book is that it is overly-focused on the Marines at times. It is understandable, but elements of the 1st Cavalry Division--including LTC Jim Rainey's 2-7 Cav--saw extensive action in Fallujah in November and December. The Army's role is minimized and under-reported in the book.
Other than that, this book ranks as the best available account of the insurgency in Iraq. From one author to another, "Well done Mr. West!"
John Bruning
Author of:
Crimson Sky: The Air Battle for Korea
Jungle Ace: Col. Gerald R. Johnson, the Top USAAF Fighter Leader of the Pacific War
Elusive Glory
Luck of the Draw
Ship Strike Pacific
The Devil's Sandbox: An Infantry Battalion's Year in Iraq.
The First and Second Battles of Fallujah, in April and October, 2003, represented the largest sustained US military engagement since the Battle of Hue over thirty years earlier in Vietnam. But just as the battles represented a landmark in terms of US military involvement in Iraq, the political and strategic landscape of the US position in the country was dramatically altered as a result of the campaign. No True Glory is a great overview of the battles and I would highly recommend it.
No True Glory provides a searing description of the fighting that destroyed that city, as well as an insightful and critical overview of the political and military decision- making that affected the outcome, and whose repercussions and lessons define Iraq today more than any other episode in the war.
The book outlines how The White House, senior generals and ambassadors ordered, then stopped, then re-ordered the attack upon Fallujah in April 2004, finally refusing to let the Marines finish the job at all. This occurred despite evidence that the Marines were close to clearing out the city. (Indeed, in less publicized battles in nearby Ramadi, the Marines had closed out an equally entrenched revolt. The major difference in Fallujah was international press coverage). Result: Fallujah became the stronghold of the insurgency and the Marines had to face a more entrenched and confident foe in October 2004. Fallujah provided a blueprint to the insurgents in the use of international political opinion to change the course of US military action.
The book also gives a clear insight into the challenges the US faces in pacifying the Sunni triangle, given the entrenched rebellion and the Sunni's fear of giving up control of Iraq. It sheds some light on the difficulties in getting the Sunnis to cooperate in the political process as played out in the recent constitutional drama.
Finally, the book highlights the intensity of the house-to-house and hand-to-hand fighting in Fallujah, which was equal to engagements going back to World War II. The Sunni insurgency, with some combatants jumping out of taxi cabs to join fights, only to melt away upon disengagement, offers a classic guerilla style war, with high walled compounds taking the place of the jungles and mountains typically associated with these campaigns. The Marines, when set loose, overwhelmed the opposition in a manner which caused the insurgency to permanently switch tactics from fixed position defenses to a more brutal manner of roadside and car bombing.
No True Glory is not only a great look at the battles, but a great primer on the issues the US continue to face in Iraq.
Bing West has brought to light the detailed account of the life and death struggle the marines faced during their battles to take Fallujah. He also fleshes out the action on the ground with concurrent activities on the political front that help shaped the decisions made by the field commanders giving the reader a greater insight as to the "hows and the whys" events occured in the manner they did. A great read from start to finish.
the description of the fighting in this book is incredible. It's hard to believe our troops were in some cases fighting hand-to-hand...this day in age! I thought that the time of the bayonet was over. One can only admire the soldiers who weathered such vicious urban combat. an important book.
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