Bellavia, Sgt. David, House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, Pocket Star, 2008
House to House is about how combat affected Sergeant David Bellavia while he was deployed to Iraq in 2004. There’s nothing about strategy or tactics or the big picture in the war. It’s just about Bellavia and his men who went from fighting militiamen to the 2nd Battle of Fallujah. He almost lost his humanity as a result.
At the start of the book Bellavia said every day in Iraq was a test. Soldiers had to be able to look death in the face and not flinch. After a days’ engagement with the Mahdi Army in Diyala province the sergeant’s unit went back into the city the next day and saw coffins lined up along the streets.
The fighting turned the author into a heartless killer. One time he shot a militiaman in front of his house. His children ran out to see what happened and Bellavia threw a smoke grenade at them. This drove them back into their home for safety but it also meant they couldn’t say goodbye to their father and the sergeant knew this. Early in his deployment the war was taking its toll upon the author and his morals.
Most of the book deals with the 2nd Battle of Fallujah. The climax was when Bellavia’s unit went to clear a house and were upstairs when insurgents got into the first floor. The soldiers got out into the street but had to get the militants out. They fired machine guns and had a Bradley armored fighting vehicle peppered the house with its cannon but couldn’t kill the insurgents. Bellavia led his men back inside but ended up going through most of the house by himself. On the top floor he got into hand to hand combat and covered in his blood and the blood of his opponent. Earlier he questioned his own manhood but now he felt like he proved himself.
The end of the book covers the author’s struggle with his family. He spent so much time in Iraq he missed his young son growing up. There are some heart wrenching moments when his son wouldn’t hug him when he came home and broken promises he made to him. He eventually chose his family over the army and that’s how he reclaimed his humanity after becoming a bloodthirsty killer.
House to House is one of the best firsthand accounts of a soldier’s life in Iraq. It’s not all action but tells how the author almost lost touch with who he was because of all he went through during his tour but was able to come back from the brink. It’s very well written because Bellavia had a professional co-writer. The end about Bellavia’s family is also a good conclusion.
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