In the Company of Soldiers A Chronicle of Combat

The advent of embedded reporters in the opening days of the 2003 US war on Iraq meant a more direct and personal point of view than battlefield coverage has historically offered. Rick Atkinson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for An Army at Dawn, an account of combat in North Africa during World War II, traveled with the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army from its deployment out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky through its entry into Baghdad. The result, In the Company of Soldiers, is a thoroughly engrossing look at the strategies, personalities, and struggles of waging modern warfare. Much of Atkinson’s focus falls on the division’s leader, the hugely competitive and charismatic Major General David Petraeus, who seems to guide his troops through Iraq by sheer force of will. Atkinson devotes most of his time to the senior commanders, but the loss of the G.I. perspective, while disappointing, is outweighed by Atkinson’s access to the minds of the brass who must navigate an Iraq whose citizens were not nearly as happy as military planners had hoped and who offered resistance in ways other than what the Americans had prepared for. While plenty has been written about the American military effort in Iraq, Atkinson’s perspective, combined with a direct, economical writing style, allows him to present sides to the war not often seen or considered: long periods of waiting punctuated with mad scrambles to apply gas masks, fretting over how to pack all necessary supplies into tiny kits, dealing with dust storms that can ground state of the art attack helicopters, and reading the irreverent yet shrewdly observant graffiti left by American soldiers. In the Company of Soldiers lionizes the American military officers but it neither condemns nor offers unqualified praise to the US effort in Iraq. Indeed, the disturbing omens of chaos hinted at soon after the invasion began in the spring of 2003 would come into sharper relief when the book was published a year later. –John Moe

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great book
This was a great book and came in a reasonable amount of time and in good condition as described.

5 Stars Impressive Overview of the Tactical Preparation for Modern War
Award winning author Rick Atkinson has produced an impressive story of the many considerations a modern commander must endure in order to lead a successful campaign.

If nothing else, many readers should be interested in this account due to the close personal account of then Major General David Patraeus. Atkinson was an embedded journalist with the 101st Airborne Division, which Patraeus commanded at the beginning of the war. Patraeus deals effectively with issues ranging from changing leadership directives to logistical delays i9n moving his unit from FT Campbell, KY, to Kuwait for the initial invasion.

I highly recommend this book.

5 Stars Best Book ever
In the Company of Soldiers is an excellent book; very gripping. It shows that Gen. Petraeus is one of the best military leaders in American history.

4 Stars War
An excellent book. Rick Atkinson really knows how to research a subject. To read his books is like being there

2 Stars Good
Atkinson does a very good job of objective history writing even though in this case his overall perspective was limited to a specific combate area. He did stray a little with his personnel thoughts but is still an excellent writer of military history.

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