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A review by uosdwisrdewoh
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Ice Man, Captain America, and the New Face of American War by Evan Wright
4.0
I came to this via the fantastic HBO miniseries adaptation by David Simon and Ed Burns, but they chose this book for a reason, and it more than stands up on its own as an essential document of this time. It’s a vivid work of reporting, providing a vital portrait of the 2003 invasion of Iraq from the perspective of a battalion of Marines on the ground. The red-hot political debates are very far away (and when those debates show up, it’s startling how different they are from historical memory—even those who lived through it can forget just how fervent pro-war sentiment was. Wright details an argument between reporters, with one gung-ho correspondent yelling down a more skeptical colleague). That distance redounds enormously to Wright’s benefit. I remember being initially wary of this book, thinking it was propaganda arising from the Bush administration’s efforts to embed the media with troops to get them (and their stories) on the side of the war, but Wright is too good of a reporter for that. His book faithfully paints a portrait of Marines of all calibers, from the insanely competent to the sociopathic idiots, but overall, you get a sense of a battalion trying its best to execute constantly shifting orders, with the larger objectives of the war out of sight, as oftentimes contravening interests from the officers can alternatively put American forces at reckless risk, or be so obsessed with protecting their own that they commit atrocities against the Iraqi people, one such deed presented with such force that it shook me emotionally in a way few books ever have.
Wright embeds in a Humvee that drives through hostile territory, as he comes under fire, and is torn between his fondness for the men he rides with and coming to grips with horrible acts committed by those Marines he trusts with his life. Throughout the book, you get a full account of the invasion of Iraq from the perspective of those wearing the boots on the ground undertaking a task that would be insanely difficult even if the political leadership hadn’t ensured that the Iraq War was a once-in-a-century fiasco. When Baghdad falls and the Marines are sent all over on futile missions, the feeling of doom descends upon the whole battalion. “This is madness,” says one of the most competent officers as he observes children playing on unexploded ordnance as if it were a hobby horse.
The greater disaster is only beginning to unfold as this book ends. Even as this horrible aftermath dominates our understanding of the Iraq War, Wright’s account of the invasion is vital in understanding how it began and is gripping reading on its own. It’s because of these Marines’ insulation from the raging historical debate that this vivid portrayal of the First Recon Battalion remains a necessary and vital work from this era.
Wright embeds in a Humvee that drives through hostile territory, as he comes under fire, and is torn between his fondness for the men he rides with and coming to grips with horrible acts committed by those Marines he trusts with his life. Throughout the book, you get a full account of the invasion of Iraq from the perspective of those wearing the boots on the ground undertaking a task that would be insanely difficult even if the political leadership hadn’t ensured that the Iraq War was a once-in-a-century fiasco. When Baghdad falls and the Marines are sent all over on futile missions, the feeling of doom descends upon the whole battalion. “This is madness,” says one of the most competent officers as he observes children playing on unexploded ordnance as if it were a hobby horse.
The greater disaster is only beginning to unfold as this book ends. Even as this horrible aftermath dominates our understanding of the Iraq War, Wright’s account of the invasion is vital in understanding how it began and is gripping reading on its own. It’s because of these Marines’ insulation from the raging historical debate that this vivid portrayal of the First Recon Battalion remains a necessary and vital work from this era.