Blood Stripes

March 26, 2008 | 2039 GMT

Told from the perspective of the grunts living and dying in the sand, Blood Stripes takes readers behind the headlines into the thick of the fight against the insurgency in Iraq as former Marine David J. Danelo follows young corporals and sergeants from infantry companies Bravo 1/5, Fox 2/4, Lima 3/7, and Kilo 3/4 and a headquarters unit into the streets and back alleys of western Iraq.

As the young infantry leaders patrol the province with their men and experience the intensity and insanity of urban combat, they are strengthened by the Corps’ Spartan-like code of honor and warrior-monk devotion and guided by three principles set forth by their hero and division commander, MajGen James “Mad Dog” Mattis: First, do no harm; no better friend; and no worse enemy. But the Marines soon learn that the lines between friend and enemy, peace and violence, are razor thin. They hand out candy to smiling Iraqi children one minute, but the next, M-16s are blazing and mortars thudding. The hopes of Iraqis and Americans for democracy and stability hinge on these non-commissioned officers’ split-second decisions—often made in adrenaline-charged, sleep-deprived moments under fire.

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Great Read

On April 3, 2008 | 0018 GMT Warrior&Scholar said:

My only gripe with this book is its extremely narrow focus(The Non-Commissioned Infantry Marine), implying that they're drastically different from their counterparts in other occupational specialties throughout the Corps. During peacetime that divide is quite clear and distinct, however in times of war, as Dr. Friedman argues in his piece on Blackwater, the line between combatant and non combatant is much more dynamic. As a Miltary Police Corporal in Anbar I can attest that it doesnt matter whether your MOS designator was 03 or 58 when rounds are exchanged. "Combat is combat" as my Gunny used to say — and that redundant yet elegantly articulated fact trumps any sophisticated Ivy League dissertation. Despite my hypersensitivity to this matter lol it was a great book indeed. I put it on a short list along with Robert Kaplan's Imperial Grunts as a must read for anyone who wants to view American foreign policy at its most basic, grassroots level. Through the eyes of the 21 year old American warrior-diplomat, who, in the fog of war is charged with making split-second decisions that could send thundering reverbrations to the highest levels of political office. Semper Fidelis

Great Read

On April 3, 2008 | 1804 GMT Sabbot77 said:

Well stated, thank you for your service.