Customer Reviews

Under the Gun in Iraq: My Year Training the Iraqi Police

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

 

 

What a TALL tale, not a shred of truth anywhere. Boot Camp,, please,, we stayed in a very comfortable Hotel with maid service. I have been here well before Cole arrived and am still here with over 1000 combat patrols under my belt, cole has taken stories from several different sources and incorporateed them as if it happened to him. To claim he knew our KIA and the circumstances surrounding their deaths is disgraceful. You were in Kirkuk!! and spent a couple of weeks ON FOB 7. You have dishonored all of us by this pack of lies.
MB

Mr Cole has written a nice little story book about Iraq. I believe the only thing he knew about Iraq was, it is hot in the summer and the people spoke a differant language.
As a former Army MP,Police Officer and Contract worker in Kuwait,I knew going in that persons from from arab countries did things very differant.
After 3 months of living in Kuwait, I was never surprised at the things I saw.
Mr Cole never seemed to understand that. He just asummed that all police do and act like police from the USA. From basic police patroling to investagation work. They just spent 30 some years under a dictator rule, they were not police officers, they were security officers. To keep ones job and life they had to keep their mouths shut and play the game.
If you go to any county to work,learn about the culture and it's people 1st. It will make your life and job so much more enjoyable.
I am glad that I did not buy this book,it was a gift. If you want to read it, get a used discounted or library copy.

There are several of us here reading the book now, in Iraq, in the same place Mr. Cole claims to have written this book about. All any of us can say is.....WOW! We have all been here since either late 2003 or early 2004 and none of us have found a shred of truth yet in his rendition of life and times here. This has to be one of the most sensationalized peices of "non-fiction" that I have ever seen. We collectively believe it should be moved to the science fiction section of your website.

Finally, an objective account from a subjective angle. No, that is not as contradictory as it may seem -- Robert Cole has captured the reality of life and limb in Iraq, and delivered it with bold sensitivity at a time when faux-experts (politicians) seek to paint a picture far from the reality that Mr. Cole has lived and survived. This is not a matter of massaging egos and presenting rosy pictures to dupe the public.... and it is far from a save-face approach.... more like an in-your-face introduction to the hardships that plague both Iraqi and American in Iraq. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to be there, getting a sense of it all through Mr. Cole's eyes.

I used this book as a first hand account in a paper for my intermediate writing class. I though it was a great first hand account to offset the scholarly research papers I have been reading about the police training in Iraq - the book gave feeling and realism to a situation that is often misunderstood. I appreciate the work of our soldiers more now that I have read for myself a little of the situation across the world in Iraq.

Author Robert Cole is a retired police officer and international police trainer, who adds his technical insights to this story of training Iraquis in handling security challenges. His survey of the realities of life in Iraq and the challenges facing local police offers an unusual stark, realistic portrait of daily life in the country, plenty of insights into why traditional Western strategies won't work, and makes for excellent, involving reading suitable not just for military libraries but for any strong in Middle East culture.

I love this book! This book was sent to me by someone in the Military Police in Iraq as a slice of life over there. It was fascinating. In fact it was a 'can't put it down' page turner. I highly recommend it. The only problem is that better editing is needed to correct spelling errors, very amature indeed.

Having spoke with an individual who went to Iraq in the same capacity as Robert Cole, the book paints an accurate window into the day-to-day survival and challenges in Iraq, not only of Americans and our allies but also of the Iraqi people. Even with the best intentions and efforts of the highy skilled trainers such as Robert Cole, the reader is left with the impression that because of Iraq's culture and history, the overall war-effort looks bleak and unsurmountable. Many of the events mentioned in the book were covered in newspapers as the events occurred, long before the book was published. This is a must-read for anyone seeking the truth about the situation in Iraq.

I found nothing in the book that was slightest bit unbelievable. It takes a certain amount of courage to tell the truth regarding Iraq when there are so many powerful (and well-armed) people wedded to comfortable (and profitable) lies and delusions. Other reviewers claim that Robert Cole is lying or distorting. Well, fine, - but why? Where's his profit? Nothing he has to say is the slightest bit sensational or an expose likely to increase sales of his book.