Generation Kill : : Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the new Face of American war

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If you liked the show.... submitted by irenzero on June 16, 2012, 10:53pm the book is worth your time. It's very readable and moves along nicely. It is likely to become one of thee texts of the invasion of Iraq.

Excellent submitted by eknapp on January 29, 2015, 9:14pm Memoir of a Rolling Stone reporter embedded with Force Recon Marines, the tip of the spear in Bush's Iraq invasion. It's bloody, and dull, and riveting.

One thing that struck me was the fact that the only universal attitude--seemingly held by pretty much every Marine in the company--was contempt for weakness and incompetence. The hyper-masculine mindlessness I expected to read about was missing. One Marine announced his intention to open a gay bar. Another preached Marxism and socialism. A third--who went by the name Fruity Rudy--was known for his physical beauty. Many of the soldiers philosophized or waxed poetic about war, America, leadership, brotherhood, death, their mission in Iraq...

Beyond painting a portrait of life in combat, the whole book seemed to be leading up to this quote in the afterword:

"It’s the American public for whom the Iraq War is often no more real than a video game. Five years into this war, I am not always confident most Americans fully appreciate the caliber of the people fighting for them, the sacrifices they have made, and the sacrifices they continue to make. After the Vietnam War ended, the onus of shame largely fell on the veterans. This time around, if shame is to be had when the Iraq conflict ends--and all indications are there will be plenty of it--the veterans are the last people in America to deserve it. When it comes to apportioning shame, my vote goes to the American people who sent them to war in a surge of emotion but quickly lost the will to either win it or end it. The young troops I profiled in Generation Kill, as well as the other men and women in uniform I’ve encountered in combat zones throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, are among the finest people of their generation. We misuse them at our own peril."