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The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division
 
 
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The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division [Hardcover]

Ray L. Smith (Author), Bing West (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 9, 2003
With unprecedented access and previously unreported detail, here is a first hand account of the 22-day march to Baghdad that takes you behind the scenes and to the front line...

No one reporting on the war in Iraq had the unique battlefield clearance afforded the authors of this dramatic eyewitness account. Unlike embedded journalists confined to a single unit, West and Smith acquired a captured yellow SUV and joined with whatever unit was leading the assault every day of the fight. The result is a report of what really happened from the heart of the action unlike anything you’ll read anywhere else.

“While we will move swiftly and aggressively against those who resist, we will treat all others with decency, demonstrating chivalry and soldierly compassion for people who have endured a lifetime under Saddam’s oppression.”—Major General J.N. Mattis, 1st Marine Division, Commanding

Here is the story that can be told only by those who actually witnessed the action of the famed 1st Marine Division’s march on Baghdad, from the shaky beginning of U.S. operations in southern Iraq to the capture of U.S. prisoners, the misreported “fierce Iraqi resistance,” and the aggressive assaults that led to a quick and decisive victory.

With over a half century of military and combat experience between them, bestselling author F. J. “Bing” West and Major General Ray L. Smith, USMC (Ret.), combine expert military analysis with dramatic battlefield reporting. They bring the reader on a march that ended in victory—but was shadowed by second-guessing, unexpected reversals, and the threat of catastrophe.


With access to three-star generals in the command centers and to privates in the field, the authors reveal how the strategic plan played out in battle, showing what went well and what failed, and detailing power struggles for military and political control never reported. The result is destined to become the definitive account of ground warfare in Iraq.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This very readable eyewitness history of the 1st Marine Division in the recent Iraq War was penned by two very qualified observers: both West and Smith served in Vietnam as Marines; Smith also served in Granada and Beruit, while West (The Village; The Pepperdogs) is a former Assistant Secretary of Defense. Unsurprisingly, their account of Marines advancing from Kuwait to Baghdad-and thereby ending up farther from the sea than any Marines in history-is far from anti-military. Perhaps more unexpectedly, though, they present their campaign history warts and all. The portrait of the division owes its breadth to interviews from several hundred sources, not all of whom survived. Two stand out: Shane Ferkovich, whose squad prevented sabotage of an oil-pumping station in the beginning of the march and helped take down Saddam's statue at the end; and General Mattis, the division commander and chief juggler of conflicting demands. An exceptional selection of photographs and better maps than most books to date on the war add to this account's appeal.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Although the political wisdom of the war to remove the regime of Saddam Hussein remains a subject for debate, the brilliance of the military campaign to topple him must be acknowledged. Smith is a veteran of conflicts in Vietnam, Lebanon, and Grenada. West, also a Vietnam veteran, was assistant secretary of defense during the Reagan administration. They were embedded with the First Marine Division, which spearheaded the 1,184-kilometer march from Kuwait to Baghdad. This is a gritty, insider's account that reveals, often in dramatic fashion, the tensions, disputes, snafus, and successes that characterize a military campaign. As received on television news reports, high-tech warfare often seems sanitized, but West and Smith repeatedly remind us that war is still a horrid, nasty business that revolves around successful killing of enemy soldiers. Despite the rapid defeat and collapse of the regime, they credibly assert that rapid success was not inevitable; it was the product of numerous decisions, often taken at the tactical localized level, as well as healthy doses of good fortune. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (September 9, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 055380376X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553803761
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,100,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

54 Reviews
5 star:
 (29)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (8)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (54 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Singing the Praises of Marines, September 23, 2003
By 
Michael H. Frederick (Gaithersburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division (Hardcover)
Dittos to the above reviewers. As a former Marine I find it hard to be truly objective about this book. The overwhelming impression about "The March Up" is honesty. The Marines, after reading this concise and crisp piece of work, come across as a stellar fighting force of the highest caliber. Isn't that what they've always been known for?

Regardless of how you feel about the invasion of Iraq you can't help but admire the professionalism, dedication and sense of duty shared by the young men at the tip of the American war machine. West and Smith, without glorifying anything or overdoing the Gung Ho banter, provide a precise Abrams tank's optical gunsight on one of America's elite fighting forces and, despite some errors and initial setbacks, the Marines come out smelling like roses. What other branch of service would allow two "lowly" grunt rifle squads to seize one of the war's most important objectives, the oil processing facility known as "the Crown Jewel?"

In action after action the Leathernecks come across almost as chained dobermans, straining for their chance to get into the thick of it. The riflemen are disappointed numerous times when their chance to take out an enemy position is missed, when it's over before they get their licks in. They curse the tankers who "get all the shots" at long range. They're eager to close with the enemy and destroy him. That's what they're there for and I'm darn glad we have them.

No other authors/journalists could have gotten as much access with the Marines as Smith and West did. Only former Marines can understand and, consequently, garner respect from the young hard chargers currently in the thick of it. I doubt if a retired Army general would have gotten as much respect or sense of camaraderie from the 3rd I.D. over on the left. The authors saw everything with experienced eyes and it shows in their reporting. If you want to know what really happened during those three weeks this is the book to read.

For one, I was interested to see some myths dispelled, especially the account of Iraqis surrendering en masse only to pull out weapons at the last second. I also enjoyed learning about what our modern weapons can do. You gotta love those optics and computers. From honing in on lone infantrymen with tanks' automatic weapons to calculating the azimuth of incoming artillery rounds, it doesn't behoove any foe to take our fighting force lightly. Nobody can touch us...in open combat. Consequently, we're now faced with cowardly guerilla tactics. They know they'd be obliterated with any other method.

There's an underlying feeling of Marine superiority (justifiably so, I think), especially when compared to our Army brothers-in-arms. One gets the feeling from the book that if it had been up to the Marines we'd have been in Baghdad in a week. Granted, there'd be some major mopping up to do but our casualties might have been even lighter in the end. I get the sneaking suspicion that if all of Iraq were occupied by these disciplined Marines we'd have fewer civilian deaths, less resentment and far less friendly fire incidents. Marines aren't perfect, just trained better. Just imagine if they had the armor the 3rd I.D. did.

Congrats to the authors on an excellent piece of work. They even got it on bookstore shelves with Marine Corps speed and efficiency. This must be the first (and will probably be the best) work on America's most recent war.

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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Xenophon redux?, November 5, 2003
This review is from: The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division (Hardcover)
There are going to be a lot of books about OIF. There were simply too many reporters for their not to be in the next year. However, to get a book, and such an excellent book written by two men (both former Marines themselves), that understand combat, logistics, operations, the fog of war, and most importantly the Marines involved in The March Up is going to make this book stand out from those that follow it's lead.

This story is filled with masterful anecdotes conveying brutality, indiference to danger, empathy to tragic circumstances, grievous mistakes, ignorance, fleeting command confusion, survival, death, anguish, and trial by fire. The technical capability of the troops, the competency of the officers, the capabilities of the NCOs, and the combat readiness of the Marines shine forth in this book. However no one is perfect, yet even the faults displayed are simply a contrast to a well organized and disciplined professional fighting force, more than any detraction of ability. The grit is as real as the dust layered on the vehicles of 1st MarDiv as they smashed into Baghdad, and what you experience will leave you with pride in the young men this country still produces to serve as Marines. Semper Fi.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars True to everyword, December 6, 2003
By 
This review is from: The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division (Hardcover)
The book The March Up was extremely accurate in accounting the war in Iraq. I had the unique experience to help write this book by my companys actions in Iraq. I serve with 1/7 Suicide Charley, 1st Marine Division. I was with the squad as they took over the Crown Jewel oilfields and eventually, Baghdad. The authors account truly depict the feelings the Marines felt from the start to the end. Every Marine in our company has read this book and couldnt agree with it more.
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