"Check Six"

In “The Iliad” a warrior in the front ranks turned to his companions and said, “Let us win glory, for ourselves, or yield it to others.” For Greek warriors, there was no true glory if they were not remembered afterward in poem or song. There will be no true glory for our soldiers in Iraq until they are recognized not as victims, but as aggressive warriors. Stories of their bravery deserved to be recorded and read by the next generation. Unsung, the noblest deed will die.

Those stories are recorded in No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah. A Star for every brave warrior here. Read and pass these deeds on to the next generation. A must read for any student of war and for any who want a better picture of what happened in Iraq.

Bing West gives you a lot of action at the squad, company, regiment level but mixes in timely pieces of the higher level machinations and confusion. You can’t understand how Fallujah happened the way it did without seeing how it fit in a bigger picture. I admire how he explains all the military and political forces in play. He is very fair in his assessment and mostly just gives you the facts and lets you make your own judgment.

Several things stand out but especially the Marines, from the generals down to the corporals and privates. They demonstrated how they can be your best friend or worst enemy. I also like that West portrayed the opposition clearly.