Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq: Amazon.ca: Karl Zinsmeister: Books

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From Publishers Weekly

This account of one reporter's month with the 82nd Airborne Division is both a conservative polemic and a vivid portrait of American infantrymen in action. Zinsmeister, who was embedded with the army as a correspondent for The National Review, makes no bones about his unabashed support for the war, and for the American military in general. (He tells readers that he's always taught his own children "to think of military jet noise as 'the sound of freedom.'") The prospect of spending time rubbing shoulders with soldiers in the trenches clearly delights him even before he touches down on Iraqi soil. There is humor in the Zinsmeister's account of bartering for gear in Kuwait's "Body Armor Bazaar," and he provides useful insights into how many of the non-combat operations are actually performed by private civilian contractors. One of the best moments in the book movingly recounts how an Iraqi doctor worked with American soldiers to try to save a wounded boy, yet still refused to tell Zinsmeister his name for fear that his cooperation would draw reprisals later on. The author also gives heartening evidence of the genuine care taken by the troops to avoid civilian casualties. (Less agreeable is his evidence that guerrilla warfare was in full cry even before the formal end of the war.) But readers interested in this information should be prepared to wade through pages and pages of splenetic rants against the anti-war movement and Zinsmeister's fellow journalists, whom he dubs "left-wing, cynical, wiseguy Ivy League types." Such flaws, unfortunately, are not entirely redeemed by the book's outstanding array of color photographs.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Early Praise for Boots on the Ground

"Karl Zinsmeister's splendid report from within the maelstrom of combat demonstrates how the public can benefit when America's superb military is closely observed by a superb reporter."
--George F. Will, news columnist

"A fast-moving story of courage and competence, written by an observer who offers a far different picture from what was presented by our mainstream media. A moving tribute to what free soldiers united in a common cause can accomplish."
--Victor Davis Hanson, military historian

“The finest, most objective piece of war journalism I’ve read since Ernie Pyle in WWII. Tells the story after talking to all grades of soldiers. No one else took time to tell the full story.”
--Burton Poole, Lt. Col., USAF, Retired

“The most powerfully real ‘war experience’ I will probably ever have. I applaud its insight, voluminous factual information, the personal stories collected from many soldiers, and especially the discoveries about the power of love in extreme life and death situations. Karl Zinsmeister has done an invaluable service to America in getting to the heart and soul of this war.”
--Mary Lavato, a soldier’s mother

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
MADISON COUNTY, NEW YORK, MARCH 1-In four days, I have just confirmed with the Pentagon, I will depart for Kuwait. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews

5 star:		(13)
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Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, July 8 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq (Hardcover)

This was highly recommended to me by some pilots and soldiers I know who actually served in Iraq, so I decided to try it.

Now I see why they like it. A dynamic read. Rich in information. Tremendously interesting and inspiring. And, they tell me, accurate.

So now I'm passing on the recommendation to others. I'll also be giving this book as a gift. Especially to people who think Americans have become nothing but self-absorbed couch potatoes, wimps, etc.

Meet some bold and brave souls.

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5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, and very timely right now, July 8 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq (Hardcover)

I suspect this book will have a classic appeal for many years among any Americans interested in knowing just what it is like to be under fire in combat. It is an exciting, dramatic, and vivid picture of a soldier's life.

But I am especially impressed how timely and relevant it is right now. The Iraq War has turned out to be the biggest issue in American public life in 2004, including in our Presidential election, and this book has some fascinating, and very fresh, things to say about the war, how it has been prosecuted, where it is heading, how the Iraqis are reacting, and so forth.

The main appeal of this book, however, is its human story. This is not a history or textbook. It is storytelling about human beings under ferocious pressure, and the wonderful, horrible, amazing, heartbreaking, brave, funny ways they react. I found it very memorable.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Could Have Been Better, May 12 2004

By

jerry (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq (Hardcover)

The author works very hard at giving the reader a feel for the action, an "I was there" impression of actual combat and what was going on in his book. Unfortunately, I don't think his prose is much better than mine in too many cases. :( I sometimes that the feeling he had some auto style or theasaurus turned on to phrase his ideas. Quite frankly I think he is in desperate need of an editor if this is to go to a 2nd edition. I was also a bit turned off by some of his conservative ranting, but the liberals turn me off with their ranting too. I think he also maybe rushed this book a bit too quickly and needed a peer review. There were some factual errors regarding the 1991 Gulf War, usually numerical in nature, although these might be linked to a conservative viewpoint. Example: I believe he used a 100+ casualty figure for that bunker that had the civilians in it and was hit by mistake in 1991. I believe the correct total is more like 400+. He also gets off on a rant about the treasures looted from the museum that doesn't seem to jibe with the actual quotations of the director, etc. extensively quoted elsewhere. I think he does take a correct view of the library and some of the other damage (from fires and such). On the whole I'd call this average, although the "color," i.e., "I was there," might make it worth while. I think there are some better choices.

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