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Author: Oliver North
 
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 Oliver North knows how to paint a picture of a war zone. It probably helps that the man has fought several wars of his own. When The US-led coalition was preparing to invade Iraq, an opportunity arose for reporters to be imbedded with various military groups on the frontline. Oliver North answered the call.
War Stories covers the first few months of Operation Iraqi Freedom as experienced by North. Reporting for Fox News, he chronicled his day-by-day experience in a journal format that is gripping from the first entry.
I found myself unable to put this book down as I read about North and his producer, Griff Jenkins, constantly trying to find a Humvee to hook up their satellite camera in order to send footage back to Hannity & Colmes. All of this is done while pushing up to Baghdad in the longest drive in the history of the US Marines.
North and the troops were in the middle of the war, but only knew about their small area. When he would hook up to the satellite transceiver, the troops would huddle around to see the latest news being reported back in the States.
Reading about the reactions of the troops from various reports that were released at the time is intriguing. Big news items like Jessica Lynch's rescue, Baghdad Bob claiming there was no invasion, the two-day sandstorm, Saddam's sons being killed, and various false reports of Saddam's death bring back memories of watching the news being reported via cable and the Internet.
I found myself recalling where I was at times. Comparing my surroundings and reactions to that of the troops actually fighting the war helps put the world in perspective.
The stories will make you laugh and others will make your heart race. Some of the stories include:
- Reporters trying to determine whether or not to take injections to help fight off biological and chemical weapons that might be used
- Saddam emptying the Iraqi prison before the war started
- North video taping a helicopter crash that he thought was carrying his producer
- British war protestors waiting in Iraq to tell the troops to go home
- Fedayeen (foreign insurgents) coming into the country and bullying the population
- How the Iraqi people greeted the troops rolling into various cities
- Warehouses full of UN food and medicine being hoarded by the Baath Party
Inside Intel
Many inside tactics are revealed in this book. Before the war, "shock and awe" was a term thrown around by General Tommy Franks and the media reported the term over and over. To this day, the term used in parodies and jokes. A little-known fact is General Franks was hoping to deceive Saddam into thinking another 30-day prolonged air strike was heading his way similar to the first Gulf War.
While the air strike did come, a massive ground invasion was set in motion at the same time in order to catch Saddam by surprise. General Franks gave the term to the media, they reported across the world, and Saddam bought it.
Stories of Heroism
One of the sad situations currently happening in Iraq is that misbehaving soldiers get all the press. Little reported are stories of heroism by the coalition troops. A few days into the war, two shock-trauma medical corpsmen start treating an eleven-year-old Iraqi girl severely burned. The burns were from a cooking fuel accident that occurred before the invasion even began.
The medics realize that can't do much for her in the middle of the Iraqi desert and Kuwait does not allow Iraqi prisoners of any kind on their soil. Going against protocol, all the troops agree to fly the girl 30 minutes away to the USS Saipan. This decision was made even though the helicopter was not carrying the necessary life rafts required to fly over the ocean. When it came time to make the decision, the troops all agreed unanimously "Go for it."
This is just one of numerous stories North tells about troops going above and beyond the call of duty to save lives. Stories of medics ignoring danger to save lives and troops fighting until they are out of ammo are found throughout War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Before Oliver North launches into his journal, he's constructed a solid 50-page introduction on the history of Iraq starting with the Garden of Eden. This will help any reader get a historical perspective on the complex past of the Iraqi people, the various forms government, and wars fought in the country.
For those finding themselves on the Left-side of the Iraq War, it might be tough to convince them to read a book written by a veteran reporting for Fox News. But anyone who really cares to know more about what Operation Iraqi Freedom was really like from the ground, this book gives a good slice.
The book's title fits perfectly - War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom. It's full of war stories and well worth a read. |
