Product Description

Never underestimate the American--or British--soldier. That's the moral of former Green Beret Michael Yon's brilliant battle-by-battle, block-by-block tale of how a new `greatest generation' of soldiers is turning defeat and disaster into victory and hope in Iraq.

These soldiers are the reason General David Petraeus's brilliant strategy of moving our soldiers off isolated bases and out among the Iraqi people is working. Working to find and kill terrorists, reclaim neighborhoods, and help lead Iraq to democracy.

Yon is no cheerleader. According to the New York Times, he has logged more time in combat situations in Iraq than any other reporter; much of it with British soldiers in Basra and elsewhere in the South. When failed American leadership was driving Iraq into chaos and civil war, nobody told the story earlier or better than Michael Yon. The American top brass was so mad that twice the U.S. military denied him access to Iraq.

So Yon has supreme credibility when he says that we are finally winning, not primarily with our overwhelming technology, not with shock and awe destruction, but with the even more powerful force of American values--with the courage and leadership, strength and compassion of our soldiers.

Iraqis respect strength, says Yon. They our soldiers are "great-hearted warriors" who vanquish the Al Qaeda terror gangs that "raped too many women and boys, cut off too many heads, brought drugs into too many neighborhoods."

But Iraqis also discovered that these great warriors are even happier helping rebuild a clinic or a school or a neighborhood. They learned that our soldiers are not only the most dangerous men in the world, but the best men too. That's what turned defeat into victory.

Here is the true, untold story of the American soldier and the courage and values that are bringing victory for America--and Iraq.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138996 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From the Back Cover
Praise for Michael Yon's battlefield reporting:

"He's fearless . . . provides a candid, soldier's-eye view . . . from the very unique perspective of being there with them for weeks and months at a time . . . delv[ing] deep into the human component."

--General DAVID H. PETRAEUS, commanding general, Multi-National Force, Iraq

"Michael Yon's voice is the voice of the soldier, often unfazed by what he sees, mission-focused and battle-hardened. These guys don't scare easily and they never let up, and Michael tells the story from their point of view."

--BRIAN WILLIAMS, Anchor, NBC Nightly News

"Cuts through the fog of war.... vivid ... shocking and mesmerizing"

--THE BOSTON HERALD

"Yon covers soldiers...the old-fashioned way: He goes down the back alleys and the bad roads"

--JOE GALLOWAY, author of We Were Soldiers Once...And Young

"rack[ed] up more time embedded with combat units than any other journalist"

--THE NEW YORK TIMES

"...I haven't seen anything quite like the coverage in Michael Yon's dispatches from Mosul...a compelling narrative"

--MICHAEL BARONE, US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT

"His readers have learned what most Americans would not know from NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS and NPR"

--former NEW YORK TIMES foreign correspondent CLIFFORD MAY

"Michael Yon brings it. . . . If you want to know what is going on in this war, read him."

--THOMAS E. RICKS, author of Fiasco, and military correspondent, THE WASHINGTON POST

" infuriated his military handlers, even as [he] gave American soldiers a robust new voice."

--THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

About the Author
Former Green Beret Michael Yon is hands down the best and most exciting battlefield reporter working today, internationally renowned for his dispatches and photos seen by millions around the world. Yon, who has spent more time embedded with US combat forces in Iraq than any journalist in the world, is totally independent and has never been co-opted by anyone, Left or Right, Military or Media.

When US blunders sent Iraq spiraling into civil war Yon told the story earlier and better than anyone. His blunt reporting so angered some of the brass that twice the U.S. military denied him access to Iraq, and twice again threatened to kick him out. But neither does Yon hesitate to call a terrorist a terrorist, and he has no doubt that American defeat would be a disaster not only for us but the Iraqi people.

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully written and very, very moving
Michael Yon writes fantastic prose. His dispatches grab you by the collar and carry you along for the ride. If you doubt this I suggest you read some of the dispatches on his website, then come back and buy this book.

I read this book shortly after reading Thomas E. Ricks' "Fiasco:the American military adventure in Iraq". This book comes after that and details how coalition forces in Iraq started to learn from their early mistakes in fighting the insurgency, started to fight true counterinsurgency warfare, and to turn the situation in Iraq around in 2007-8. The book takes you right into the nitty gritty of not just the dangerous, dirty and bloody fighting, but also into the culture of Iraq and the Iraqi people, the negotiations, compromises and discussions with tribal leaders, and how the Iraqi people began to turn against Al-Qaeda.

The photographs in this book are also marvellous. Some of the stories are provided right next to the accompanying photographs so that you can almost imagine that you are right there, in the heat and dust of the Iraqi streets and fields.

Some of the stories in this book are very moving. I will not describe them here (no spoilers) but Yon is extremely talented at portraying the human element of military conflict: grief, happiness, rebirth, betrayal, mistrust, trust, friendship, loss, sacrifice. This book will bring tears to your eyes, and make you want to be a better, braver person.