Customer Reviews

TUSKERS: An Armor Battalion in the Gulf War

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had the privilege of being a scout platoon leader during the Gulf war. Most people share a common memory of the Gulf War -- press briefings and dramatic footage of "smart bombs." The author shares his perspective as a staff officer and soldier (and family man) serving in 4-64 Armor, one of two battalions in the 24th Infantry Division to receive the Valorous Unit Award. If you want to know what the orchestrated carnage of the "Hail Mary" maneuvering 24th Infantry Division sounded like away from the press room and at the task force level, this is a must read book. Ask any ground war Gulf veteran. If they saw any action, they all talk about "the smell." Pierson gets it right. Tuskers is a story is worth telling and a worthy read at that.

A truly captivating account of one of the finest Tank battalions in the world. I served with 4/64 Armor as a Air defender from 1/5 ADA. I rode along side LTC Craddock 50-100 mtrs to his right rear flank. This book provides a great opportunity to regain memories lost. A honest an impartial look at modern warfare. Things done right as well as wrong by a Armor Bn are honestly portrayed for both civilian and military readers in a language easy to understand. A must get product.

This book gives a unique perspective on what it was like to be part of an armored task force during the Persian Gulf War.

I was apart of the 4-64 "Tusker" task force as a member of the attached engineer company, A Co, 5th Engineer BN out of Fort Leonard Wood, MO. David Pierson captures all of the details and emotions of the months that we spent sitting and waiting during Desert Shield, as well as the fast-paced and chaotic environment of the battles that we fought. Reading this book brought back a lot of memories, as I was apart of most of the battles described within.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the Gulf War and the soldiers who fought in it.

Having been an enlisted soldier who fought alongside the Tuskers in 1st brigade, I'm a little prejudiced. That being said, I found the story to be dead-on and relating our experiences intelligently and truthfully. If you are interested in what adventures today's soldiers go through, during deployments and combat, here is your book. Interesting additions are the 'lessons learned' sections, pointing out battlefield problems and how they were handled or how they should have been.

I felt the book was well written. It is an excellent account of a soldier preparing for a battle. It systematicly evolves toward the tank battle in the desert. The officer's background as well as the thoughts of his comrades are cleverly woven into the final countdown before the battle. Never having fought in a war, I could only imagine the horror, destruction, and death that was vividly described in various encounters with the enemy----and visualize how I might have reacted. I thoroughly enjoyed Officer Pierson's account of the War in the Desert.

I was a M1 tank platoon leader in Desert Storm so I was a little skeptical when I found out the author of this book was just an "Intell weenie". Well I was surprised at how well written this book was and how knowledgeable the author was on tank operations.

This book was totally OUTSTANDING! He does not bore the reader with endless speeches about how right or wrong the war was or trying to explain every facet of training and deployment. He writes just enough about the life of this battalion before, during and after the war to keep your interest.

His writing style is easy to read and understand and the few maps included in the book were easy to follow and added to my understanding of what was taking place.

I always wondered about the battle against the Iraqi Republican Guards divisions that took place in March and now I know. The author portrays a vivid picture of what went on and shows that it was more than just an "incident" like the news portrayed it.

This book was worth the wait and the money I paid for it!

Over the last couple of years, I have read most of the currently published books about the Gulf War. So far, this is one of the only ones that gives a true-to-life account of what it was like there, on the ground, in Iraq.

I served as a private in A Company of 4-64 Armor and would rate David Pierson's book as one of the best I've read. It vividly captures the tension and frustration of the months we spent in the desert, as well as the chaos of the battlefield in Iraq. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the Gulf War and the soldiers who fought in it.

WOW. I served with the 4-64 Anvil Company. I was with Fiorillo's boys. We were the Wrench. This book brought back alot of memories even ones that I had forgotten that were not mentioned. Thank you. I will cherish this book and pass it to my children. I have lost contact with everyone. I would love to get in touch with anyone who was there with Anvil. Even you Fiorillo, dispite the conflicts we had on board the M113. We had some good memories. Victory to all of the 4-64. .. God Bless and thank you Mr. Pierson.

SPC Leal 63E10
Wrench 1 (Driver)

A nice read of an Armor Battalion in modern conflict. Best available source on Battalion and Company level operations for a tank unit in the Gulf War. Dave Pierson captures the feelings and thoughts of the leaders as they deploy, defend, and attack for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

I served as a Dismount TM Ldr with C 3/7 Inf attached to TF Tusker during the Gulf War. This book was a very insightful perspective on some of the HQ's decisions during our time there. I'm thankful we had good leadership during the conflict. If you are a TF Tusker vet I highly recommend adding this book to your library. Or if you'd just like a good look at how a armor battalion operates in today's Army, then you should buy this book.