Customer Reviews

The Gods of Diyala: Transfer of Command in Iraq (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series)

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When training up for their Iraq mission, an overconfident, neocon Harvard scholar told them they'd be like the "gods of Diyala." As it turned out, the soldiers commanded by Caleb Cage and Gregory Tomlin often found themselves, in that restive Iraqi province, at wit's end to keep matters under control.

Yet the Gods of Diyala is no anti-Bush smear. As Cage and Tomlin point out, they and the men with whom they fought accomplished a great deal. More than a year before the successful "surge," some smart decisions made the most dangerous part of Iraq just a little bit safer.

There's irony aplenty -- and more than a little nuance -- but also the reader feels pride at seeing the purple thumbs of voters and the smiles of children given a brighter future. This is a war in which good men are lost, but the writers seem to find some peace by helping to improve the lives of noncombatants.

This is neither a celebration nor a condemnation of the current administration's war in Iraq. Nor is it a chest-pounding ode to America's Army. Instead, it's a very real and sometimes really visceral account of a year in the lives of soldiers who devoted themselves to making Iraq -- and, they hoped, America -- safer and more secure.

Being someone who doesn't really enjoy reading or have the time to read outside of work, I am really enjoying this book and every second I get, I try and read at least a chapter.

The book is interesting and is written in a way that allows the reader to actually feel what the authors were seeing and going through during their tour of duty.

I really am enjoying the book.

As a former Captain and West Point officer, who served with both Caleb Cage and Greg Tomlin, this is a first rate book. I have read many books and articles about Iraq and this is this is the most accurate depiction from soldiers who served on the front lines. Caleb and Greg were two of the best officers I have served with and its no surprise they wrote such an incredible piece of work. Anyone who has served in Iraq should be proud that these two officers took the time to share their experiences. Great job!!!

If you are looking for a book to provide you with an accurate portrayal of the daily ins and outs of life in a non-conventional urban combat zone....look no further.

I very much enjoyed each page of this book. As the authors mention we live in a society where information is distributed worldwide in a blink of an eye, and more often than not that information is merely a variation of what events actually occurred. And with a war that doesn't necessary have the highest `global buy-in'...distortion is probably more prominent in Iraq than anywhere. This book gives you the straight forward answers you need to determine that we as a nation are indeed doing the right thing to help liberate an otherwise oppressed people.

This book should be a mandatory read for school systems nationwide. It seems that all too often this conflict gets the naïve assumption to be about money and oil. This book displays the great perils that our men and women in the armed forces face daily to provide the Iraqi people with basic luxuries that we take so much for granted, such as casting a vote in an election, sleeping safely in their homes, ect...

You can see the pure passion that Cage and Tomlin had not just in serving their country, but to help rebuild a corrupt and corroded nation. The actions of the Iraqi people in this book make it evident to me that we are indeed doing the right thing.

In their book, The Gods of Diyala: Transfer of Command in Iraq, Cage and Tomlin present an unvarnished account of the problems and perils faced by two U.S. Army lieutenants in the early days of the Iraq war.

Arriving in the dangerous Sunni Triangle during the months following the fall of Saddam Hussein, and commanding infantry platoons comprised of recently retooled artillery personnel, these officers faced daunting challenges. Language and cultural problems, ruined infrastructure, extreme weather conditions, mutually antagonistic religious sects within the local population and a murderous insurgency of imported Al Qaeda fighters, all presented seemingly insurmountable obstacles to accomplishing their mission of helping bring about the nation's first democratic election.

Thoughtfully conceived and crisply written, The Gods of Diyala, takes the reader along with American ground forces down the alleys and on to the rooftops of Baquba, as they battle well-armed and unrelenting insurrectionary fighters. Moreover, the book provides a unique glimpse into the sometimes-ambiguous attitude of U.S. infantry troops toward "imbedded" news teams; especially during that early, chaotic period when American forces were developing (largely through trial-and-error) effective tactics for combating this unexpected and aggressive insurgency.

The Gods of Diyala is an account of war refreshingly bereft of bravado and ego. Yet, this unembellished and unpretentious narrative of sacrifice and achievement could not more highly honor the officers and soldiers of 1st and 3rd platoons, C Company, Task Force 1-6.

I served with both authors in Iraq.I was at the police hq for my entire deployment and knew Tomlin.The authors left out a lot of facts and credit for the other units in Baqubah.After reading this book one would think that 1-6 FA did all the work not true.There was a large role played by a Natl Guard unit at the police hq.They also failed to mention the role of Special Forces in the area and the work of civil affairs and psyops.
There was no "Green zone" in Baqubah more attacks and car bombs went off between the goverment buildings than the authors thought.It wasn't a matter of if you would get hit it was when.I also did not like the bias the authors showed.They seemed to only include their buddies in the book.One of the officers was sent over because of incompetance.He was good in a staff role but when a convoy he was accompanying got hit he went into panic mode.I know i was treating casulties and returning fire.
For me it was interesting to read about the area i fought in and to see the photos of people i knew and made friends with.Other than that it was very self serving and typical of a ringknocker and still serving officer.Me and some of my battle buddies are working on our own book project which will tell a better story.Get it from the library.

A pathetic fictional comedy. To hear U.S. Army Lieutenants whine about their missions in Iraq and their leaders is disgusting. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY BUYING THIS BOOK!!! If you would like to buy a book to teach the next generation how to fail as leaders... buy this book now! If you are looking for a book to professionally develop your soldiers...LOOK ELSEWHERE. A chest thumping portrayal of everything combat leadership should NOT be. You cannot turn a page in this book without the authors complaining about fighting in combat. Newsflash gents...I'll refresh your memory on the mission of the Infantry...it is "The mission of the Infantry is to close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver to defeat or capture him, or to repel his assault by fire, close combat, and counterattack". So my question is, if that's what you did...why do you feel the need to tell the whole world about it? To vent your frustrations? To make yourself feel better? A true warrior accepts his plight in life (see above..."mission of the infantry")and doesn't feel the need to solicit the rest of the world to help him feel sorry for himself. Hopefully these sorry excuses for leaders are not serving our country anymore. If they are, I feel sorry for the soldiers they are leading. These boys persecute the media, their leaders, the U.S. government and this country, while they put themselves on a never-ending pedestal. Shame, shame, shame. I would expect more from men trained to lead this country's sons and daughter's into combat with distinction...as for me Amazon.com is getting a very quick return!!!