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Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hopex$15.77
 (117 reviews)
Best Price: $29.95 $15.77
How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers Is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope
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Customer Reviews
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Awesome! It will not dissappoint.
By A387U4QCBSU8T0 on 2008-04-10
As a long time fan of Michael Yon's work, I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book and it did not disappoint. His portrayal of our troops is detailed and allows you an intimate look at the roles they perform in Iraq. The fact that he is right alongside the troops and living with them allows him to bring you a perspective you don't get from green zone reporters & agenda setting producers and editors. Be sure to check out his website michaelyon-online.com/ for more information Michael Yon and his time as the longest serving imbedded report in Iraq. One way to describe the book is snapshots of history. Each chapter telling a story of part of the history of Iraq and how our troops are shaping that history.
You Can't Understand Iraq without You (or sand in your boots)
By A3GUE154WCE1J6 on 2008-04-13
A great piece of work by the Ernie Pyle of our time (Michael strongly contested that comparison, but it's true). This is a different kind of war and Michael brings to life the issues, the problems, the missteps and the triumphs to be found there. And through it all, he honors the service and sacrifice of the American (and British) military in the field. Through him, you will understand the 'Devil in the details'; the frustrations and the hopes of Americans and Iraqis alike. And you will have pride in the humanity shown by the vast majority of both. No one portrays it better and there is not a dull moment to be had in this book.
The contents within the book match the photgraphic excellence on the cover. If you see that picture and want to know the whys and wherefores, GET THIS BOOK!
Timely and Vital
By A1ZIJXLBUI564F on 2008-04-13
Those who have been reading Michael Yon's dispatches from Iraq have been ahead of the information curve for years. Everybody who cares about the war, one way or another, should buy and read this book. Yon has the call-it-like-it-is, straightforward delivery of a soldier - which sometimes got him in hack with the military. But he's always been an independent voice and keen observer.
So here is a warts-and-all look at the tragic mistakes and near miraculous triumphs of the war in Iraq as lived by the people wearing the boots on the ground. Yon is this generation's Ernie Pyle. His book is a must read.
A must read
By A14KUQ0C1SF3BF on 2008-04-12
If you are looking for a more clear telling of the story of our soldiers in Iraq than you find in newspapers and broadcast news, I highly recommend this book. As a former Green Beret who has spent more time with the troops in theater than anyone else, Michael Yon provides a perspective and insight that is sorely lacking in virtually all other sources.
From his first-hand accounts, I now have a greater appreciation of the work being done by our men and women in Iraq. Men like CSM Mellinger, LTC Kurilla and Captain Cook. I also see that many Iraqis like "Tonto" and the "Kit Carson Scouts" are doing what they can to remove the AQI barbarians and establish a functioning society.
This book is not, however, without it's criticisms of mistakes that we made in the past. As so often pointed out by our media (and much to the delight and benefit of AQI) there have been errors in judgment and action which have greatly increased our cost in both blood and treasure for this war. But it is refreshing to read how members of our military have recognized the mistakes, adapted their strategies and reclaimed the moral high ground. Something that Yon makes abundantly clear is needed when fighting a counterinsurgency as we are now.
An objective look at Iraq
By A1CVM427QH52BL on 2008-04-14
Michael Yon is not a cheerleader. He has been a soldier and must be in good shape to spend month after month embedded with troops and accompanying them on patrols. I have been reading his web site and have been on his mailing list (and contributor list) almost from the first time he went to Iraq. He and Michael Totten must be read every week to know what is going on. About half of this book is repeating material from his web site. The rest, however, is riveting and his opinions on the war prior to General Petraeus taking over are harsh. He says that hapless General Sanchez could "turn wine into vinegar with a glance." He is very critical of the Fallujah invasion, both the initial aborted one and the second invasion which cleared the insurgents but destroyed much of the city. He gives many examples of exactly how the new strategy is carried out and provides a "worm's eye view" of what is going on every day. He is very reluctant to generalize about strategy except to point out how successful General Petraeus was in Mosul in 2004 as 101st Airborne Division commander. He also points out how those gains slipped away when the 101st went home. He puts the final word out to confirm my theory that disbanding the Iraqi Arm in 2003 was a disaster, as was the dismissal of all Baath Party members from the government. This, at a stroke, decapitated the bureaucracy, which like Germany in World War II required all government workers to be party members. In 1946, we ignored a lot of small time Nazis to keep the country running. The same would have been wise in Iraq. This book is not large and can be read in one sitting as I did last night. Even though a lot was repetition of what I had read on the web site (and I recommend it), it is all worth while.
- Journalism as practiced by an adult
By AE6KXN1MS0Y7S on 2008-04-15
An authoritative first-hand account of our Soldiers' actions in Iraq. Yon clearly lays out the story of our actions for good and bad. He evidently came in-country about the time I was leaving. He tells the story as I saw it and as my friends there now report it.
Yon doesn't mind saying who the good guys are. He names names and quotes directly.
It's riveting reading. There are far too few writers like Michael Yon. Hell, there are far too few people like Mike Yon.
- Moment of Truth
By A1O2U79KI88NVC on 2008-04-16
Michael yon is a new breed of war reporter. Self financing, obligated to no one, trained in military operations, devoid of domestic politics, fearless as a reporter.
In Moment of Truth, Mr. Yon brings the adrenaline rush of first contact to the reader as only a long term embed with US soldiers and marines can. Yon describes the shameless brutality of the insurgents, the bravery of the Iraqi troops and police, and the underlining goodness of our all-volunteer forces.
This is a must read for those who want to understand the harsh facts on the ground in Iraq. This book is not about domestic politics. It is about a just mission to bring peace to a troubled region. A just mission performed by the best military ever assembled.
I highly recommend this book.
- Moment of Truth in Iraq
By A2HWK1WBN3ZKWH on 2008-04-12
This is the story of the soldiers, Marines who fought all over Iraq from a man who spent 2005 and 2007 in Iraq. There is no one better at telling the story of our people fighting over there. I recommend this book very highly. If you're a fan of his blog you recognize the stories, they are engrossing and they will make you proud of our men and women in uniform. Our leaders... well maybe not so much. Michael never pulls his punches so you will get the good and the bad. Buy it!
- Speaks clearly about a complex situation
By A3L3HUCIENGHL4 on 2008-04-13
Michael Yon puts into perspective the changes needed to allow America to win in Iraq. This book will not be popular among entrenched advocates of conventional warfare, but it is critical to their moving forward as servants of the national interest. Going far beyond the sand tables of West Point to the sands of Anbar province, Michael Yon shares the insight gained observing the war in Iraq from walking the alleys to chatting with Ministers and Generals.
Certain to be on the required reading lists of many military organizations. Essential to understanding what is going on in Iraq today.
- Lacking in specifics
By A2XB5D5U6428NR on 2008-05-16
While I found this a useful and thought-provoking book, I also thought it would have benefited greatly from another hundred or even two hundred pages of exposition. When Yon mentions Fallujah, for example, he states quickly and casually that American actions there were badly conceived, or badly run, or both -- it's a little hard to tell -- but does not go into details.
The sort of details I have in mind are things like: a) what led up to the decision to go into Fallujah and to go in the way we did? Not just the murder of a couple of US personnel -- a good deal more background than that, please! b) what factors made these decisions wrong? c) why should these factors have been known in advance, or if they were, why were they ignored? d) what were the immediate results of the battles of Fallujah and how did these results affect longer-term issues? and e) what should have been done instead? I mean, Yon surely would not have advocated leaving the terrorists dug in in Fallujah until the Iraqi forces had improved enough to tear them out, right? So what WOULD he have recommended?
Rather than addressing such questions, Yon seems to take for granted a certain (large) amount of background information on the part of the reader, plus some (broad) areas of agreement that his readers will naturally share with him. Perhaps his intended reader is the reader who has all along been following his reports from Iraq, but that leaves a whole lot of people out in the cold. If this background is lacking, how is one to evaluate that the basically unsupported assertions Yon frequently makes?
- Great, Clear View of Iraq War
By A2B11TYMSM13KT on 2008-04-14
I just finished this book and I am so glad the Michael shared his story. He provides a ground view of the current Iraq war that is almost impossible to duplicate. I have tried to follow the war and have been frustrated at times by the lens that most of the reporting has place over the true picture of what is happening over there. Michael provides a detailed and often wrenching picture of the course of this war. His accounts personally challenged many preconceived notions of my own. This is a must read if you wish to have informed discussions and make appropriate decisions about the Iraq war.
- Raw and Unslanted
By A2IM0XQTAP2UK9 on 2008-04-17
How refreshing to read about the war our country and its young men and women are fighting without it being filtered by pundits to promote unquestioning support or unavoidable defeat.
- Outstanding Book
By A3NDAWBYLUDYGX on 2008-04-16
Michael Yon presents a compelling view of Iraq - one of hope. This book doesn't whitewash the decisions made in the war - he points out the bad along with the good - but importantly - he shows the progress being made and explains why we need to win this battle.
- This book does not disappoint
By A8P604K6H76JW on 2008-04-15
Being a long-time reader of all of Michael's dispatches, I was not disappointed with this book. Everyone should read it to get a clear understanding of what is at stake there: what we stand to gain by not abandoning our Iraqi allies and what we could stand to lose by retreating from the field of battle too soon. I cannot recommend this book more highly...
- why Abu Ghraib Hurt USA
By A3QGPFPK7LYCB3 on 2008-04-29
Michael Yon gives a view of the war from the trenches. Heart rending stories of humanity and leadership are intersperesed with harrowing evil of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Gives us hope that the good souls everywhere wish the same for their familes. It reminds me more of Max Hastings writing on World War II.
He let us know how big a disaster Abu Ghraib was. It handed a huge propoganda victory for the enemy and cost us many lives. Book ends on high note and I am hopeful that we will prevail.
Keep up the good work Yon. Looking forward to see more of your postings.
I wish we had someone write like this on Afghanistan.
- Telling the Truth About Iraq
By A13PZKFPLZW0YX on 2008-04-16
I have followed Michael's dispatches since his early days in Iraq and found them riveting. Michael is a journalist, photographer, soldier and patriot. He tells it like it is from the boots-on-the-ground perspective without the clouding of politics. Instead of phoning in reports from the hotel bar in the Green Zone, Michael delivers blood and guts, victory and defeat and a great deal of hope. He has seen the eyes of grateful, and some not so grateful, Iraqis and has witnessed the progress that the country is making. Most of all I am grateful for his portrayal of our brilliant US military. However you may feel about the war in Iraq, Moment of Truth is a stunning read.
- Why it's important for YOU to read this book
By A1HENM33SNZTMN on 2008-04-20
As a reader and contributor to Michael's blog, the book fulfilled every expectation. But there is more to it than that...Michael documents not only the heroism of those who are fighting and winning this war, but also the unbridled evil of those we fight against. The story behind the story is Michael's delivery of the truth that we MUST not let the opportunity slip away to drive a stake through the heart of the evil that is Radical Islam. If we do not eliminate the threat now, our children and their children's children will have to deal with it.
- MUST READ!
By A1H4ASWKZACUN3 on 2008-04-27
Having family members in the military (vets of both Iraq and Afghanistan), I have a special reason to hate the brutality of war. Yet, the evil that we are fighting in the form of radical Islam is not fiction. Michael Yon brilliantly paints a picture of the good and the bad of this particular war. My wish is that every American would read this book...and then, think!
- Full Spectrum Combat Operations
By A1CR5C811AT5KP on 2008-04-19
From the peaceful areas of the countryside (yes, they exist) to combat in cities, from the hot open desert to the grassy banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, from the battlefields to the graveyards, Michael Yon has been there. Shoulder to shoulder with the top U.S. Generals and the newest Iraqi Army Privates, Mike has done that. His first book on the subject is a milestone in combat reporting. Travel with him if you think you can take the heat - and handle the truth.
- Excellent Excellent Excellent a MUST READ
By A2090WDACKRWNL on 2008-04-18
Received the book yesterday. Finished it today. I couldn't put it down. This is the book every member of Congress MUST read and won't because it tells the TRUTH about the current situation in Iraq! Michael Yon writes from "outside the wire" not from the IZ. He sees the changes with his own eyes and not political spin from AP copy and "I heard this was happening".
Get this book today!
- A first hand perspective that is a MUST read by every citizen
By A1EUBY1CQYSBEA on 2008-04-21
As a former Green Beret who fought in Iraq over several years and contributed to Mr. Yon's book this is a must read. The men and women fighting this conflict desperately deserve their story told from a first hand perspective. The lessons learned and successes should be shared throughout the military and civilian leadership so that mistakes are not repeated.
The positive perspective and the successes noted in Michael Yon's book should be a blue print for the media on how to accurately report the conflict in Iraq instead of reflecting merely on the negative. Read and share it with everyone you know.
- He was there
By A2P3E4OGOP0I8I on 2008-04-21
This book is a great reference from someone who has seen Iraq over the years and how it has changed and is changing. He writes about how he thought the US messed up in the early going and is now fixing the problems that were caused as a result.
I don't know if I agree with him on everything, but I learned a lot I didn't know and he fit a lot that did know into a different pattern than I had seen before.
You will understand a lot after you've read it. You don't have to agree with him, but you will have much more information to form your own opinions.
He's one of the true journalists of this war, along with a few he names in the book and others like Michael Totten, Bill Ardolino and Bill Roggio.
- Book unpolished, but still the best on Iraq War
By A26CEOII995JPF on 2008-07-13
It has been almost impossible to get accurate information on the Iraq War. Much of the media, of course, has a bias; they see the war as Vietnam Act Two, and they strain every nerve to find disaster and defeat in everything. We get dozens of stories about prisoner abuse and the alleged massacre in Haditha; we get close to nothing about Medal of Honor winners.
The problem, however, goes beyond bias. The larger problem is that the media does not understand what they are looking at. What indicates success? What indicates failure? The media does not have a clue. They thus confine themselves to reporting the obvious -- like the latest car bombs -- and to printing the opinions of windbag pundits as if they were news.
Micheal Yon has been one of the only accurate sources of information on the war. He knows what he is talking about, and he tells it like it is. In this book, Yon pulls together what he has seen. As he sees it, the war has gone through three phases. First, we had the fast and easy phase when American firepower knocked down Saddam Hussein. Second, we had the disasterous phase when incompetence by Rumsfield and Bush threw the victory away. Completely ignoring the lessons of the past, they failed to create law and order in the post-Hussein Iraq. We dismantled the Iraqi army and police, leaving a vacuum that Al Queda was delighted to fill. This then lead to the third phase, in which Al Queda's brutality toward the Iraqi people lead them to turn back to the U.S. and gave us a second chance for victory, which, in Yon's view. General Petreaus is brillantly exploiting, in his new role as overall commander.
Al Queda lost, in his view, because they had no morality. They acted like savage beasts, killing, raping and stealing. In Yon's view, America is now winning the war, because -- while the Iraqis often saw us as stupid and out of touch -- we were never seen as evil. On the contrary, as Yon describes it, the Iraqi people have gained incredible respect for America, because of the exemplary behavior of our troops. The Iraqis respect strength and fighting spirit, which our soldiers have shown in spades. They also deeply love their children and their families. When they came to see Al Queda as threatening their children and their families, and the U.S. military as protecting them, that was the turning point in the war.
This book has flaws as a book. It is not very polished. It reads at times more like a bunch of reports stuck together than a book. It often assumes that the reader knows about things which the reader might well not know about.
But none of this matters. This book tells the truth about the Iraq War. Amid all of the partisan distortion and ideological hype, here is a guy who knows what he is talking about, who loves the United States and our military and who is dedicated to bringing us the truth, in all of its complexity and ugliness.
- Raw, Uncut, The Real Deal
By A37UJYMP0QN123 on 2008-04-22
While the politicians and Fat cats at Fox News and CNN sit on their Butts in their air conditioned offices, Michael is in full Battle Rattle out on missions with American and British Troops. His eye witness accounts of those missions tell the real side of what is happening in Iraq. He has no political agenda and reports on the good and the bad. Once you've read this book, you will want to begin reading all his dispatches to stay current.
- INDESPENSABLE WAR JOURNALISM
By A3BUDBF2OV1GOZ on 2008-04-30
Mike Yon is a "hands on" reporter...he doesn't talk about theories of the war--he walks his readers through it. He doesn't tell readers what to think about the war--he describes the details and allows the readers the freedom come to their own conclusions. Deep. Thought provoking.
Another thing I really value about Yon's writing--he humanizes the Iraqis. They are so "far" away from the American public, that they are often not even considered when discussing the tragedies and losses of this war. If you ask the average citizen here how many they think have died in Iraq, they will almost always just refer to the Americans.
Yes, this is a war influenced by and affected greatly by media...and Yon's journalism is one of our greatest assets in this fight. His words are brutally honest in describing what he saw, encountered and experienced, but then, that is exactly what makes this work, so refreshingly unbiased, so valuable. Way to go, Mike!
- Calm, methodical, and even-handed. Above all, convincing.
By A13G1TKIKHGV3F on 2008-05-01
I got turned on to this book by Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, [...]-- who often links to Michael Yon. MY review is choppy, but the book is not. I'm just shepherding a couple of children and it's tough to get my thoughts together. In contrast, Yon's writing in Moment of Truth is very lucid. Don't judge the book by my writing style, please.
I didn't know it would be such a good read. My first impression was that Yon brought clarity to the myriad units fighting, and he clarifies the relationships between our allies and our enemies. This alone would be reason to buy the book -- current media war reporting runs to lazy, ill-informed, agenda-driven, or incomplete stories. It has been almost impossible to decipher WHO are our allies, and WHO are the enemy. Clarity.
Yon relates events even-handedly. There is no lip gloss on this book -- you are going to get the straight story. Did we execute poorly at the beginning of the war, to the detriment of our credibility? We did. Did it nearly cost us the war? It did. Have things changed? They have.
Yon is trustworthy. He has been embedded with US and British units since 2004, fighting with them. He's not a cheerleader. He's a professional. We will win counterinsurgency with media reporting such as his.
Yon lays out story after story of how Iraqi governance is being built through watching the example of American soldiers.
The book is up to date, with reporting into January of 2008.
It's a fast read -- takes maybe 2 evenings, but it's the war coverage the American public should have been getting all along.
For me, the most hopeful takeaway from this book is that the US Army is becoming competent at counterinsurgency and urban warfare. This is encouraging news. Our soldiers have always been the best among us. It is the hearts of the American soldiers that is turning Iraq into a success story.
Get it and read it -- I am so glad I did.
- Buy it! Read it!
By AI48RS9GEGGFC on 2008-05-24
In his words, pg 96:
"If you are going on a combat mission and soldiers have not cleaned all their windows to a sparkle, do not go with them. Soldiers with dirty windows are not watching for tiny wires in the road, nor are they scanning rooftops. They are talking about women, football, and the cars they will buy when they get home. I will not go into combat with soldiers with dirty windows."
Or, from pg 178:
"In September 2007, I went back to the United States for a few weeks and found a nation not at all inclined to believe in miracles. I was struck by the bizarre contrast between what most Americans seemed to think was happening in Iraq versus what I had just seen. My countrymen seemed to be living under a glass dome that allowed few hard facts to filter in unless attached to a string of false assumptions or skewed by a convenient ideology."
Michael Yon's book is the story of how the American soldier and marine and their field commanders day-by-day turned around a mess made in Washington. It shows that the Iraqi people are not compliant or complicit with evil if other choices are at hand. It shows that the media focus on a few American villains in Iraq slandered most of the troops and their commanders over there. Most importantly, it shows that the authentic experiences of the Iraqi people with Al Qaeda in Iraq led them to know who were the real villains.
It is a fitting tribute to those we knew who died over there.
- My 91 year old mother says it is great.
By A131WY5STZ0GI8 on 2008-04-28
My 91 year old mother just finished Yon's book and says every one in Washington needs to read this book and find out what is "really going on over there." The American soldier is portrayed as a hero, but not with the whitewashing of uncritical nationalism. The US has made mistakes, but we fix them. Most of our service men and women are heroes. The Iraqi interpreters are heroes. The people of Iraq are finding out that Americans are truly good people. And the Iraqi "street" is full of good people. (Wake up you bad mouthers!)
She was particularly touched by Yon's description of the injured Iraqi who told Yon if he died to please cut his heart out and take it to America to bury.
This book should make us proud. Thank you Michael Yon.
- The title says it all
By ARNNO5GVFZB5N on 2008-04-19
Everyone's reviews are spot on. It is apolitical to a fault and just reports what he sees and has seen over his many trips to and from the sandbox. It should be on everyone's bookshelf, right next to the Army's COIN Manual FM 3-24. In fact, you could reasonably rename Mike's book to be "Practical applications of COIN doctrine."
- Gripping Eyewitness Testimony
By A3QSVTHSQKV4BA on 2008-04-25
Michael Yon is this generation's Ernie Pyle. Self-funded, reader-supported, he is beholden to no news agency with an agenda, and that gives his testimony a raw, gripping character that is published virtually nowhere else. Fans of his blog have been eagerly awaiting this volume and it doesn't disappoint.
Yon is no cheerleader; indeed, his criticism of our early efforts in Iraq is scathing and detailed. He is also no "kill-them-all" keyboard commando of whose like we have had altogether too much in the commentary on this war. He's the real deal - an onsite, sweaty, bullet-dodging eyewitness whose connection with the troops is direct and whose admiration for them is returned in full measure.
Full marks for guts, effort, and an ability to communicate the gritty realities of combat that borders on the lyrical. Yon is a treasure.
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