Customer Reviews

Among Warriors in Iraq: True Grit, Special Ops, and Raiding in Mosul and Fallujah

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Stunning. A book to be read, and treasure. Invaluable
insight into the Iraq War, which is a guerrilla war:
who better than a trained, experienced counter-terrorism
specialist, warrior (Mr. Tucker is a Marine infantry veteran,
special operations) and accomplished author to write
a engaging, compelling, and thoroughly well-written
combat narrative on actions in northern and western Iraq.
Alone of the authors who've written books on the war,
Tucker covers all 18th Airborne Corps units: 101st Airborne,
82nd Airborne, and 10th Mountain, along with 1st Infantry Division and US Army Special Forces.
He lets the warriors have their say: yes, you won't find
these actions or the voices of the warriors, within, in the
"major media," but that, of course, only increases the value
of this work to history. This is a book that both gives us an
incisive and compelling history of a little-covered time of the
war, and is all the more needful for its telling. Magnificent book:
lyrical, hard-headed, solid, and gripping narrative. Could not put it down, and am now re-reading it. Great book. 5,000 stars.

Tremendous book. Yes, it is definitely the best book
on the Iraq War. Tucker's counter-terrorism experience,
and the fact that he's a former Marine in special ops
and infantry, makes it fantastic reading. Very tight,
very solid, and quite lyrical. Outstanding. Five Stars.

AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ is most excellent. This is, very simply, a great read, first. Gripping, raw, full of energy, enthralling detail, and superb rhythm. Nothing in the media has given me this deep, personal and engaging understanding of our warriors in Iraq. Tucker's experience in counter-terrorism and guerrilla warfare, and his service in Marine infantry (special operations) gives him insight into combat that few other writers of our generation provide. Outstanding book. I read it cover to cover in one good night and it was a real kick making the coffee. This is Mike Tucker's third book from a war zone and his best combat narrative, hands-down. Nothing wrong with THE LONG PATROL, but he really shows his narrative chops here and nails down some classic truths on war. The first sentence of this book really hooked me, right in the prologue. Buy it, read it, and re-read it. As other readers have chimed in, and I am in full agreement: AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ is a classic. And yes, the best book on the Iraq War.

American Enterprise Research
for Public Policy Research

Among Warriors in Iraq


By Michael Rubin

Posted: Tuesday, March 7, 2006


BOOK REVIEWS
Middle East Quarterly (Spring 2006)

Publication Date: March 7, 2006


Among Warriors in Iraq
By Mike Tucker
Guilford, Conn.: The Lyons Press, 2005. 234 pp. $16.95, paper.
More than 500 journalists were embedded with U.S. military units as they rolled into Iraq in March 2003. Once Baghdad fell, many returned home even though the fighting was hardly over. During late 2003 and early 2004, Tucker, a former Marine infantryman, was embedded with coalition forces serving in two hotbeds of insurgency, Mosul and Fallujah.

Written as a narrative replete with dialogue, Among Warriors in Iraq has wide appeal. Tucker's military experience is evident. He knows military hardware. Instead of describing soldiers with guns as generalist reporters might, he depicts his comrades carrying M-4 5.56 assault rifles, M.203 grenade launchers, and 40mm grenades.

Despite the occasional inaccuracy (the cease-fire lines defining areas of Kurdish rule are confused with the safe-haven with roots in the 1991-92 humanitarian relief program), Tucker has an eye for detail. He describes the dress of locals and the manes of horses sharing the "dusty rubble-strewn and sewage-ripe streets of Mosul" with U.S. foot patrols searching for hidden explosives. He describes the wares of the markets, the smiles of children, women's fears, and the glares of some men as a U.S. patrol travels the back streets.

His description of Fallujah in the months prior to the April 2004 uprising and subsequent siege gives a historical snapshot of mosques blaring anti-American incitement and children abruptly stopping their interactions with U.S. soldiers. Narratives of patrols, interrogations of captured insurgents, and meetings with tribal sheikhs explain topics often missed by big-picture reporting.

But Tucker is less precise with his historical narrative because he largely accepts the revisionism of his Kurdistan Democratic Party interlocutors. "Hawlerr is the original Kurdish name for the Iraqi Kurdish city, mistakenly referred to in Arabic as Irbil," he explains. Actually, Erbil was historically a Turkmen city. Only in the last half century has the traditionally rural Kurdish population flooded into the town, changing its demographics. He, likewise, makes the mistake of calling Mosul historically a Kurdish city.
Kurdish sympathies lead Tucker to make omissions. He criticizes the U.S. military for stopping a Kurdish advance on towns around Mosul following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime but fails to mention that the reason was Kurdish looting of Arab villages. Depictions of the tensions between Kurds and U.S. general David Petraeus, commander of the 101st Airborne in Mosul, are accurate, though. Petraeus turned a deaf-ear to Kurdish (and Iraqi Arab) concerns about his empowerment of high-level Baathists and his forgiveness of those complicit in past massacres of civilians.

Among Warriors in Iraq is not the best narrative of combat in Iraq, but by covering the period after major combat operations, it fills a gap and is worthwhile to understand the risks U.S. soldiers take and the contributions they make on a daily basis.
Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at AEI.

AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ is fantastico, a marvelous book. Mike Tucker has indeed written the best book on the Iraq War. As other readers have pointed out, it is the only book that looks at Iraq as a guerrilla war. I was struck, too, by the fact that it is the only book on the Iraq War which examines, in gripping detail, American Army actions and Special Forces missions in both northern and western Iraq. Tucker, like Hemingway, yes. Magnificent book. Great for general readers, like myself, and for anyone who enjoys a tightly-honed, hard-boiled narrative.
Bravo, Mike Tucker.

AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ is the best book on the Iraq War. It is outstanding. The warriors are well-sketched; it is tightly-honed, with solid historical background throughout. No other embedded author, nor embedded media of any kind, for instance, has pointed out that Fallujah is very near Cunaxa, where
Xenophon led the legendary counter-attack against Artaxerxes
in 401 BC. You really hear the warriors voices in this book, and
I came away with great admiration for Mr. Tucker's courage--he
joined countless raids and patrols, and was nearly always the
only media of any kind on these missions. So, there is a real
historical exclusiveness to this book. Tucker is the only author with a book that captures the guerrilla war in Iraq, in the
aftermath of President Bush's ill-timed, and wrong, statement
that "major combat has ended." This is a powerful, captivating
narrative. Buy it, read it, and re-read it. 5 stars. Hands-down, the best book on the Iraq War.

I was on these raids with Mike Tucker, as a sniper in
support of many of the missions in Fallujah covered
in AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ. I do not understand the
criticism, the slams, in recent days of this book.
The slams are really off-base, and way out of line.
They are also inaccurate and childish.
Mike Tucker was a great asset to my snipers in war.
We did not hesitate to ask him for advice on missions
and to listen to his professional, constructive criticism
and his insights and remarks when we'd debrief--I am
damned glad he was with us in Iraq.
The book is accurate and my wife even loved it, and
she is rarely keen on war books. Hawk--which is what
we called him, because that's HIS nickname--added
immensely to our missions, on desert reconnaissance
with my snipers, and on raids and patrols.
This is how it was for us, in the guerrilla war in Iraq.
No one, outside the 5 star reviewers on this book,
appears to understand that the book works on many
different levels. I had no idea, previous to reading
AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ, that Xenophon's pivotal
battle at Cunaxa in 401 BC occurred near present-day
Fallujah. Talk about irony! And if Bing West's book
is so vastly superior to Hawk's, how come West
never pointed that out IN EITHER of his books on
the Iraq War? Riddle me that, Kemo Sabe.
Tucker got to us on his own, through
Special Forces and the Screaming Eagles, through
our brothers up north. That's COMMITMENT.
He made it happen for the Kurds in
HELL IS OVER and he made it happen for
us. He was an invaluable asset to us, speaking
Arabic to Iraqis at every opportunity, giving us
advice on raids and reconnaissance whenever we
asked him--and we came to understand that asking
Hawk for advice on raids and reconnaissance is like
asking Michael Jordan for advice on basketball.
And in response to the two previous reviewers,
I saw the bolt action Lee Enfields in the illegal
weapons market on Operation Weapons Market raid
in Fallujah on January 2, 2004. And my men, the
men I served with in combat in Iraq, paratroopers
and Special Forces, did not lose Fallujah. Like
the actions covered brilliantly by Hawk up north,
everything you read in the Fallujah section of
this book is completely exclusive to the book, and
it is fascinating to me even though I already
lived it with Hawk on these missions.
Also, in response to the previous reviewer,
this is a book on combat actions of US Army
light infantry, snipers, paratroopers, and
Special Forces, with considerable intelligence
analyses and remarks on the war from
CIA sources and Special Forces sources.
It is not a book on Marines, though I know
that Hawk is now, right now, late December
2005, with Marine infantry and Marine
scout/snipers in Western Iraq.
AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ is the only book that
does justice to the combat actions of my
brothers up north and out west in Iraq
at a time when NO OTHER AUTHOR had the
balls and brains to gear up, take care
of business, go in harm's way with us,
share our griefs with us, drink coffee
with us and listen to us, and make
damned sure that the combat actions of
my brothers up north and out west, men
in this book like Sergeant Ariel Morales,
Sergeant Joe Thoman, Specialist Tyler
Gordy, 1st Lt. Joe Thomas (all of the
101st); Colonel Jefforey Smith, 1st Lt.
Matthew Leclair, Sergeant Corcione,
and Sgt. Major Regan (all of the 82nd);
and Ghost, Phantom, and Cool Hand Luke,
the magnificent Special Forces A team
commandos who were fundamental to our
successful raids in Fallujah, stand tall,
and deservedly so.
Mike Tucker has honored my brothers,
he has written a book that THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE has
rated as one of the five best books on
the Iraq War, and he didn't kiss any
backsides in the media to get it done.
The few, but vicious and ignorant,
bone-headed slams against this book
on Amazon reflect people who are
ignoring the heart and soul of this
great book, the voices of my brothers
up north and out west. To the readers
of this site: note that the five
star reviews are many, varied and
it's interesting that women dig the
book, too, like my wife.
Hawk listened closely to us
and he listened well. He made
damn sure that our tactical
and operational analyses are in this
book, so that our brothers still going
in harm's way can read this book in
Iraq and Afghanistan and learn from
the missions. The detail is that exact.
I have read and re-read AMONG WARRIORS
IN IRAQ many times since its release
in May 2005 and I am still astounded
by Hawk's ability to convey exactly
how it feels in combat and to capture
our souls.
This is how it was for us,
this is how we felt, this is what
we said, this is it--and I am forever
grateful to Hawk for keeping his word,
for honoring my brothers, for honoring
my snipers, and for making sure that
our criticism and our praise is front
and center throughout AMONG WARRIORS
IN IRAQ.
There was never any doubt among
my snipers and all of the men Hawk was
around in the 82nd Airborne, and every
other unit in Northern and Western Iraq
he bravely attached to, as to Hawk's
credibility.
For the record: Mike Tucker
is at home in combat and he is one of
the most professional, brave and smart
men I've ever had the good fortune to
go to war with. He is all that, no question.
I was with him and it was a privilege
to be with him and learn from him on
counter-terrorism and guerrilla war.
He is, as a reviewer noted, "the real deal."
Buy this book, enjoy this book, and
know this, from one who was there:
every combat action and every word is
accurate, dead-on, solid and exact.
No bulljive, no punches pulled, and
refreshingly, Hawk focuses throughout
the book on real advice on combat that
can help our men on the ground in Iraq,
who are still in combat in Iraq--like
1st Sgt. Nathan Fulks' counter-IED
tactics, given directly by 1st Sgt. Fulks
in Mosul.
1st Sgt. Fulks is a legend in
the US Army and he was a Delta Force sniper
at Mogadishu (CAG). He was a good friend
of both Shugart and Gordon, who received
the Medal of Honor for their actions in
Mogadishu. Fulks gets his spotlight in
AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ, and deservedly so.
In no other book will you find Fulks quoted.
Why? Because Mike Tucker listened to Fulks,
he respected him and he cared about his
opinion.
Do not save your money when you're
in a bookstore or on-line and you see this
book, spend your money and get a real
insiders' look at who we are and what
we do and what we think and how we
believe we can kill terrorists and insurgents
in Iraq--the title is accurate, like
everything in the book: AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ.
And in response to the previous reviewer,
who denigrates Mike's credibility, Mike
Tucker's credibility was never doubted
by me or anyone else in combat with him
in Northern and Western Iraq.
Mike Tucker's credibility is beyond
all doubt--anyone who questions his
credibility is simply someone who
has never had the privilege of being
in combat with him. Like I said earlier,
Mike Tucker knows raids and reconnaissance
like Michael Jordan knows basketball.
AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ: 5 stars. I wish
I could give it 5 billion stars, because
Mike deserves them all for his courage
and exceptional, powerful, and poetic writing.
5 stars.

I have been waiting for book that begins with the
voice of a warrior, and that lends tactical, operational
and strategic insight to the ongoing guerrilla war in Iraq.
I have found it. This is that book: AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ.
Agreed: it is the best damn book on the Iraq War.
Magnficent. Five Stars. Tucker does justice to our
warriors, no doubt because unlike so many embeds, he
is strictly an author, has deep counter-terrorism and
guerrilla war experience in Spain, Burma and Iraq, and
he is a praised poet and historian--dig his work on the Kurds.
Outstanding.

Buy this book! Best book on the Iraq War, by far! The American
warriors in the thick of the fight in Iraq come alive in
this book like in no other book by any other embedded author.
I have been waiting for a book from the Iraq War that pulls
no punches in describing the combat there and that puts me
in the heart of the action. My wait is over. This is that book.
The writing is gripping, lyrical, poetic and incisive. Tucker,
additionally, gives solid "intelligence analyses" throughout the
work, weaving in a very well-honed historical background to the Iraq War.
Magnificent. Timely and Timeless. It will stand, in our time, and for all time.
Bravo, Mike Tucker.

AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ is the best damn book on the Iraq War.
Mike Tucker gets the voices of the warriors heard, right
from the front lines, and he understands guerrilla war. I bought
this book yesterday and read it through; could not put it down. It is magnificent and really has unique, insightful views on how the Bush administration has fought, and not fought, the guerrilla war in Iraq. Mr. Tucker's deep operational experience in counter-terrorism and Marine special operations make this
a very unique work, also; as with THE LONG PATROL, his profound experience in combat gives the narrative a very sharp cutting edge which other writers of his generation just don't have.
Tucker, like Hemingway, indeed, as other readers have said.
Buy it, read it, love it, and cherish it: the Hemingway of our generation, Mike Tucker, really comes through on AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ. Magnificent. Five stars, all the way.