Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope
by Michael Yon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael YonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-28
ISBN: 0980076323
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Richard Vigilante Books
Book Reviews of Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope
Book Review: Well Done!
Summary: 4 Stars
Michael Yon ends his book, The Moment of Truth in Iraq, with a question: "The war isn't over yet. Victory remains in question. The choice is ours, the time is now - for a moment of truth in Iraq. What are we going to do?" Prior to presenting us with this interrogatory, Yon relates the recent developments in Northern Iraq generally and Mosul in particular. The question he poses - whether we will withdraw forces from Iraq or remain there in significant numbers to see the mission through - is one that looms as a shadow through the entire book.
Yon argues relentlessly that successes are occurring in Iraq on both the battlefield as well as in the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and that precipitously withdrawing U.S. forces would have devastating consequences. The situation in Mosul serves as a sterling example of successful counterinsurgency and the heroic efforts of U.S. soldiers and Iraqis alike. However, mainly a result of the gradually diminishing presence of American soldiers there since the war's outset, Mosul, like much of the country, is experiencing a fragile, tenuous peace interrupted by the seemingly random car or suicide bomb. Yon's basic message is that as goes Mosul, could well go the rest of the country if we were to pull out prematurely...
The Moment of Truth in Iraq essentially covers major campaigns in the war from the point of view of a combat journalist embedded with some of the fiercest, most capable U.S. infantry and cavalry units to venture outside a Forward Operating Base (FOB). Throughout his book, Yon offers his insights and opinions, leaving the reader with little doubt as to how he feels about the need to stay the course. He argues compellingly that the surge of U.S. forces led by GEN David Petraeus, along with the Sunni Awakening, not only in Al Anbar, but in other parts of Iraq - e.g., Diyala - has paid enormous dividends for U.S. and Coalition interests.
Nothing particularly new or earth-shattering so far...
Where Yon's book breaks new ground is in his praise for Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police units who he contends are "owning" more of the fight than most Americans are led to believe. Yon acknowledges that some senior leaders remain inept and that there are members of the Iraqi National Police, in particular, who are corrupt and abusive. Nevertheless, he offers a positive "ground truth" assessment regarding the prospects for our success in Iraq which is refreshing given we are inundated with negative mainstream media accounts. Without question, however, the Coalition still has a long way to go in stabilizing and rebuilding the country, training Iraqi security forces, and neutralizing the wide array of threats that includes Al Qaeda and Iran-sponsored Shi'ite militants.
Most enjoyable about The Moment of Truth in Iraq is Yon's on-the-ground reporting. His vivid accounts of valiant U.S. soldiers battling Sunni insurgents and Al Qaeda in Ba'qubah and tenacious British soldiers battling Shi'ite militiamen in Basra are superb. He offers us an insider's view of what, through 7 years of continuous, sustained ground combat, has become one of the most highly trained, battle-tested military forces in the history of modern warfare. Pound for pound the American G.I. is the most fearsome warrior on the planet, and he, along with his Iraqi Army and Police counterparts, is giving Al Qaeda all they can handle.
While easy-to-read and at times exciting, The Moment of Truth in Iraq lacks the balance characteristic of good reporting. Yon fails to offer any competing point of view. This ensures the book reads like a long political tract. Like many readers, I pick up a military book in order to learn how a particular battle or campaign was fought. The Moment of Truth in Iraq generally met my expectations in that regard, but I would have appreciated a bit more action and perhaps less commentary.
Although I agree with Yon's central argument - that we have come too far and paid too heavy a price to quit Iraq now - I found his persistent commentary about the need to remain in Iraq to be monotonous.
Most important about Yon's work is that he gives the American soldier a voice... He reports the story from his position next to that soldier in the HMMMV or Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle - not from interviews taking place after the fact in the safer confines of a FOB.
Yon is a soldier's journalist on a par with a Bill Mauldin or an Ernie Pyle - men from an earlier, bygone era (WWII) whose intrepid reporting from the front captured the hearts of soldiers throughout the battlefields of Western Europe and the Mediterranean. Yon's dispatches resonate with the same sights and sounds of battle, and he offers his and his soldiers' frank opinions about what's going right and what's going wrong. No sugarcoating or whitewashing here...
Today's American fighting men and women deserve more advocates such as Michael Yon who fairly and honestly communicate what is actually happening on the fields of battle... who turn the spotlight on those who actually deserve it - not the generals or colonels, but the privates and corporals... those fine Americans who have turned the tide in the Iraq War and who in Yon's words represent the country's "New Greatest Generation."
Well Done!
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Summary of Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope
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