Book on Iraq war gets close to general - Bismarck Tribune
I missed this book when it first came out in 2005, but, as I was looking through books, the name Rick Atkinson caught my eye. David Petraeus, the commander of the 101st Air Assault Division. Atkinson should have called this book “In the Company of Petraeus” because his entire point of view of this war was from the elbow of Petraeus. It is not an upbeat look at what was supposed to be the first U. S. major deployment of air assault in war. I got the impression the war was mainly fought by the 3rd Infantry Division, Air Force and Navy strike planes, as well as Special Forces. The war was started before the 101st got all of its equipment and before the 4th Infantry Division was deployed. When the 101st air assault finally got into its first major combat, most of the targets already had been destroyed by U. S. air power and Special Forces. I am sure the 101st soldiers fought well and bravely on their way into Baghdad, as most of their fighting was house to house backed up by artillery. Of course, it is what happened after we “won” the war that is painful to consider, but this war reinforces for me the notion that, while politicians are good at getting us into wars, justly or unjustly, they should set out the major objective,... Source: bismarcktribune.com
