On November 27 it was announced that the U.S. led Coalition against the Islamic State had ended its mission in federal Iraq. Only 4-5 personnel were left in Baghdad to do logistics and diplomatic tasks. The rest of the 1,500 Coalition troops were all now in Kurdistan. This is the first part of the Coalition’s withdrawal from Iraq.
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.
Lowry, Richard, Marines in the Garden of Eden, The True Story of Seven Bloody Days in Iraq, Berkeley Publishing Group, 2006
Nasiriya was the biggest battle the Americans fought during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Initially the Marines didn’t think the Iraqis would put up much resistance but it turned into a week-long operation. Richard Lowry tells the most comprehensive story of what happened.
O’Donnell, Patrick, We Were One, Shoulder To Shoulder With The Marines Who Took Fallujah, Da Capo Press, 2006
Patrick O’Donnell went to Iraq in 2004 to witness the 2nd Battle of Fallujah and tell the story of some of the Americans involved in the fight. He eventually came across the 1st platoon of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. He told their story in We Were One, Shoulder To Shoulder With The Marines Who Took Fallujah. It is a traditional combat story emphasizing the comradery and bravery of the Marines.
Kennedy, Kelly, They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011
On June 21, 2007, reporter Kelly Kennedy witnessed the worst attack upon Charlie Company of the 26th Infantry Regiment when an IED killed several soldiers during its deployment to the Adhamiya district of Baghdad. Kennedy bonded with the unit afterwards and felt their pain. This experience led her to write They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq which discusses not only their time in Iraq but the trauma they faced afterwards.
Svoboda, Peter, Headhunter, 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq’s Diyala River Valley, Casemate, 2020
Most books on the U.S. war in Iraq focus upon Anbar because of the Awakening there and Baghdad since it was the capital and the major sight of the civil war. Peter Svoboda’s Headhunter covers the 5th Squadron of the 82nd Airborne Division’s deployment to Diyala in eastern Iraq from 2006-07. The book focuses almost exclusively upon kinetic operations against the insurgency and the bond between the soldiers especially when they suffered losses.
Morton, Brennan, Valhalla Boys, Marine Recon Sniper in Iraq, Casemate, 2025
Valhalla Boys by Brennan Morton is unique for a firsthand account by U.S. troops serving in Iraq. That’s because the author has a real literary flair and most of his writing focuses upon him reflecting upon his experiences instead of just explaining his day to day routine. In fact it starts with Morton talking about how he read what people like Hemmingway, Heller and Vonnegut said about war and ends with him responding to them. They warned that war could darken a person’s soul and that’s what happened to the author.
Huesing, Scott, Echo In Ramadi, The Firsthand Story Of U.S. Marines In Iraq’s Deadliest City, Regnery History, 2018
Echo In Ramadi by Scott Huesing who was the commander of Echo Company of the 4th Marine Regiment in Anbar from 2006-07 provides what was probably a common view of Iraq by many American troops. He thought their main job was hunting down insurgents and killing them. Anything else was largely a distraction. He didn’t believe in working with Iraqis and had general contempt for the Iraqi government. Most of his book is committed to explaining what it was like to lead Marines.
Englade, Kenneth, Meltdown in Haditha, The Killing of 24 Iraqi Civilians by U.S. Marines and the Failure of Military Justice, McFarland & Company, 2015
Meltdown in Haditha, The Killing of 24 Iraqi Civilians by U.S. Marines and the Failure of Military Justice by Kenneth Englade deals with a deadly incident in November 2005 in the Iraqi town of Haditha in Anbar province. This eventually led to 8 Marines being charged with various crimes. The author claims there was a failure by the Marines to prosecute the cases because it was more interested in protecting its image. That’s not quite supported by the evidence presented. Instead it appears that Haditha was badly handled by Marine commanders leading to years of missteps that probably should’ve never happened. Most importantly Meltdown in Haditha is not an enjoyable read because it gets bogged down in the court proceedings.
Frederick, Jim, Black Hearts, One Platoon’s Descent Into Madness In Iraq’s Triangle Of Death, Broadway, 2010
Black Hearts, One Platoon’s Descent Into Madness In Iraq’s Triangle Of Death is a depressing story about how a U.S. army platoon was neglected, denigrated and committed a heinous crime during its deployment in Iraq. Most of the book is about how a battalion from the 101st Airborne Division was deployed to what was called the Triangle of Death, one of the most dangerous parts of the country just south of Baghdad. It emphasizes how aimless the U.S. military was for many years in Iraq carrying out tasks that had no real impact. It’s only at the end that the book goes over the rape of a 14 year old Iraqi girl and the murder of her family by American soldiers. Black Hearts blames the chain of command for allowing the unit to deteriorate to the point that it carried out this act.
Kelly, Lieutenant Colonel David, Ret., First Fights In Fallujah, Marines During Operation Vigilant Resolve, in Iraq, April 2004, Philadelphia and Oxford, Casemate, 2023
First Fights In Fallujah, Marines During Operation Vigilant Resolve by Retired Lieutenant Colonel David Kelly was part of the Marine history project that sent researchers throughout the Iraq War to interview the troops about their experiences. This one focused upon the First Battle of Fallujah. Like other books in the series this one is up and down with some vary harrowing tales of combat mixed in with other ones that are not half as interesting.
Kelly, Lt Col David, (Ret), Hell In The Streets Of Husaybah, The April 2004 Fights Of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines In Husaybah, Iraq, Philadelphia & Oxford: Casemate, 2022
Hell In The Streets Of Husaybah, The April 2004 Fight Of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines In Husaybah, Iraq came out of the Marine Corps Oral History Program. Two officers went to Iraq and interviewed 190 Marines who took part in a battle with insurgents in April 2004 in Husaybah along the Syrian border in western Anbar province. The book provides the commentary of the author and firsthand accounts of the Marines. It gives details on one small battle early on in the war. It starts off interesting but then all the stories become repetitive as the major action only covered a few days.
West, Owen, The Snake Eaters, An Unlikely Band of Brothers and the Battle for the Soul of Iraq, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, New Delhi: Free Press, 2012
The Snake Eaters, An Unlikely Band of Brothers and the Battle for the Soul of Iraq by Owen West is a very engaging story about a motley crew of U.S. advisors and Iraqi soldiers that turned around an area in Anbar province in 2005-07. All the odds were stacked against them. The Americans were not prepared for their job, they and the Iraqi soldiers they worked with had little support from their superiors, and the locals were antagonistic to the presence of both. Over two years the Iraqis and Americans were able to gain confidence and more importantly trust in each other which eventually won over the residents and forced the insurgents out.
Eads, Kelly and Morgan, Retired Colonel Daniel, Black Hearts and Painted Guns, A Battalion’s Journey Into Iraq’s Triangle Of Death, Philadelphia and Oxford: Casemate, 2023
Black Hearts and Painted Guns, A Battalion’s Journey Into Iraq’s Triangle Of Death was written by two soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division Kelly Eads and Daniel Morgan. Both of them relished combat so that’s what most of the book is about. There are also interludes about training. The most striking part however is the conclusion when the troops came home and found it hard to adjust to civilian life.
883 Mohammed leader of Zanj slave rebellion killed by Abbasid army led by Caliph Muwafaq ( Musings On Iraq review T...
