Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq [Hardcover]

David J. Danelo (Author), Steven Pressfield (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 2006

The dynamic story of the life and times of five Marine corporals and sergeants, men at the front lines of the war in Iraq

First extended account of the Marine experience fighting the Iraq insurgency from the grunt's perspective

Author interviewed charismatic and controversial Marine Gen. James N. "Mad Dog" Mattis, a legendary Marine commander revered by the grunts and gives new details about the battle for Fallujah

A sometimes harrowing, often humorous, and occasionally tragic look at the Marine Corps from the inside out in its struggle with the insurgency in Iraq. Drawing from personal experience in the confusing, deadly conflict currently being fought in the streets and back alleys of Iraqi towns and villages, Danelo focuses on the young Marine leaders--corporals and sergeants--whose job it is to take even younger Marines into battle, close with and destroy an elusive enemy, and bring their boys back home again. Sadly, there are losses, but true to the Marine Corps spirit, they soldier on, earning their blood stripes the only way they know how--the hard way.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Vivid and eminently readable, Danelo's book portrays a marine infantry battalion in action in Iraq in April 2004. Most of the fighting was done in small-unit actions, in which the Iraqis had the advantages of knowing the territory and having, if not the support, at least the lack of opposition by the locals. The marines' advantages lay in training, discipline, and firepower quite aside from the artillery and air support they could call on. Above all, they had a collective code of ethics enabling them to maintain high unit cohesion against opponents who were frequently faction-ridden and as apt to shoot one another as to shoot the marines. The book subscribes to the thesis that the U.S. Marine Corps has substantially revived the ethos of the classical Spartan warrior and thereby has made its men the contemporary masters of ground combat. Another of those books that suggest that failure in Iraq, if it does come, won't come through the failure of U.S. ground troops. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Danelo's narrative is both entertaining and a tribute to the Marines who do the heavy lifting in Iraq. -- Maj Jeffrey W. Megargel, USMC (Ret), Marine Corps Gazette, June 2006

Get this book. . . . an intense account of war, raw as a wound, that reads as swiftly as a novel. -- Ralph Peters, New York Post, May 21, 2006

The honor, terror, pride, and heartbreak of the war in Iraq are in these pages. -- Nathaniel Fick, author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (April 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811701646
• ISBN-13: 978-0811701648
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #765,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leaders at the tip of the spear., February 12, 2006

By 

T. X. Hammes "former Marine" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq (Hardcover)

If you want to understand what it is like to lead at the "tip of the spear", read Blood Stripes. I have read many of the new books on Iraq and this one is unique. Dave Danelo captures the non-commissioned officer's view of the war. Following the story of four particular NCOs, he introduces us to their friends, their families, their Marines and their officers -- warts and all. He captures the courage, pride, ingenuity, intensity, insanity and love that bind the Marines to one another and keeps them going in the very personal urban combat they experience. If you want to know what Marines in the fight think, feel and fear, buy this book.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bird's eye view of Iraqi Hell, July 10, 2006

By 

M. Vince Turner "Celtic Warrior" (Bristol, Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq (Hardcover)

Passing in Review
"Blood Stripes", written by David J. Danelo
Review by M. Vince Turner
July 2006

The guts and grit of war in Iraq come alive in "Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq". Author David J. Danelo, a US Naval Academy graduate and former platoon commander in Iraq tells this story through the eyes of his enlisted (non-officer) men who served with him.

"Blood Stripes" provides a bird's eye view of what the ground war in Iraq is about. It is tedium, at times mayhem. Our US Marines have been put in the middle of what best might be described as a snake's nest, never knowing for certain who is the enemy, who is the ally.

"Blood Stripes" speaks candidly about death and injury, sparing the reader from the graphic detail one often finds in books about WWII or the Vietnam War. Yet, the message is clear.

The reader becomes familiar with the various men in this story, players in an act of violence and death that takes these men to the limits of their sanity. War is hell, and that hell is effectively portrayed in "Blood Stripes".

One cannot help but stand in awe of these men, most of them younger, who must fight in the desert heat with full military clothing and battle gear that can weigh from twenty-five to nearly eighty pounds depending on what the soldier is carrying. The sheer personal torture these men are subjected to simply from doing their job and doing it well demands respect for them of the highest order.

While there is some joy in this tale, there also is sadness. War, after all, is neither comedy nor romance lest it is romance in the demonic sense. Rapid response to gunfights comes from a constant state of alertness. Relax and you or your buddies are dead. Boom! End of story. Exhaustion and fatigue are yet another enemy these fighting men must combat almost daily.

The reader learns considerable about how each personality reacts or responds to a given situation. Despite the clear message about the horrors of this war, there are moments when the reader will smile or laugh aloud. These men are pretty good at keeping cool heads even in the worst of moments and often find ways to bring humor into those moments.

One message is clear throughout "Blood Stripes": Each Marine must rely on his fellow Marine. Unity of purpose and action are critical both to staying alive and completing the mission.

"Blood Stripes" is a real life on-the-ground exposé about fighting in Iraq. No matter the political stripe of the reader, or even that of the warrior, these Marines are doing their job because they have been told to do it. More importantly, they want to do it. These men are indeed "the tip of the spear". One cannot help but come away admiring and respecting them for what they do.

The epilogue, titled "Citizens", closes with some truly superb high marks about how these men move on afterward. Some remain in the Corps. Some return to civilian life. The mother of one of the men who died becomes a crusader of sorts, helping with a new training program that may save the life of someone else's son in the future.

For anyone who enjoys reading books of this genre, and especially anyone yearning to learn a bit more about the goings-on in this Iraq war, "Blood Stripes" is a must read.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting!, May 3, 2006

By 

Charles F. Mitchell "~G" (New Bern, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq (Hardcover)

grunt: [noun] (1) a deep, short throaty sound (2) a U.S. Army or Marine foot soldier (3) one who routinely does unglamorous work.

The above definition opens the prologue of this intense "blood and bones" account of the deployment of a US Marine Corps infantry unit through their preparation and deployment from February through August of 2004.

The author delves into the "spiritual energy" required of modern "Spartan Way" warriors. This encompasses the "reconciling of the twin yin/yang cultural precepts of Order and Disorder" of mortal combat. Major General James "Mad Dog" Mattis, a "Marines Marine" gave pep talks to all USMC units upon arriving in Iraq during his tenure as 1st Marine Division Commander. MG Mattis uses a quote of General George Marshall of WWII fame on the subject: "Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars."

The heroes are the lower military pay grades with the limelight on the Sergeants, Corporals, and Lance Corporals of a combat US Marine Infantry platoon. Danelo includes a prologue that includes short biographies of the characters, and an epilog of their current situations.

The intensity of urban combat pervades this account of the men and officers involved. The compelling, gritty, profane, coarse "grunt" language, "in your face" attitudes regarding the "Muj" insurgents are contrasted with the tenderness of the encounters with the "hajji" children and citizenry. The accounts of casualties are handled with sensitivity and compassion for the next of kin (NOK) of the fallen Marines.

The author, is a US Naval Academy graduate, and held the rank of Captain, USMC in Iraq during the period of this account. His command of the English language is well above average, a true "wordsmith". I became aware of him through his emails home that were forwarded to me. I sought his permission, which he granted and I posted his emails on my blog. The emails were riveting, as is "Blood Stripes."


Charles F. Mitchell, CWO3 (Ret.)