Customer Reviews

Warlord: No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Regardless of political affiliation or attitude about the war, everyone should read this book. It is not pro/con or red/blue. It is the story of a man's fight for survival in the sand of a foreign land and a courtroom of his own country. He tells a heart warming yet heart wrenching story.

There is something for everyone in this book. It is a life story, a love story, a war story, and a courtroom story. The reader is given deep insight into his love for his family, his men, and his country. It is not written as a daily account of war from a daily log. It is written from the heart of a man. He challenges us to think, to soul search, and expand our thinking.

There are great sacrifices being made in this war, but only by a few. After reading Warlord, you will know this man, and yourself, better.

Warlord is a solid memoir of a Marine in combat. The best account to come out in many years, and one that I will not soon forget. Pantano's true story is as honest as a first hand account of a grunt can be. The excellent manner in which Pantano gives you the essential details, that still paint a vivid picture keep the reader glued to this book. The style of the story is unique, combining the court room drama and the circumstances that put him there. Written in this manner the book is tight and fast paced.

The internal struggle of an intelligent man going in combat is portrayed perfectly here. Pantano shows the constant inner struggle of a leader doing what is right and what he needs to do to get all his men home alive, the entire time doing that under frustrating rules of engagement. At times this would be hysterical if it were not true.

This hero's story is one that should be known to every American. He sacrificed everything he thought dear to him, and more than he could have possibly imagined. His story is both touching and motivating. This story should be required reading for every man considering becoming a United States Marine, and this will end up on the "Commandant's Reading List."

Full disclosure: I was 2nd Lt Pantano's chaplain in Iraq in 2004.

The book is a quick read. The intermixing of the Article 32 hearing report with Lt Pantano's background helps the book's pacing considerably. The writing is crisp for the most part, and it certainly gives one as good an impression as any mere book can of the realities of combat, both in theater and in a military court. I frequently found myself back in the Battalion Aid Station, or up in the C-I-C as the reports came in.

But the book is more than just a good summer read that does an excellent job of presenting this war from the perspective of a bona fide warrior.

Our military, and certain intelligence assets are at war, but we have not yet become a nation - a people - at war. To the extent people read and really pay attention to what 2nd Lt Pantano is saying, this is a step in the right direction. I am still afraid that it will take another attack on US soil to drive the point home that we are in a war with a determined enemy, though I certainly hope not. If that happens, I pray it puts steel in the American spine and inspires a remorseless pursuit of victory in our people, because, as I have said before, this war will not be won until we do to our enemy what Sherman did to Georgia. The legal beagles, euro-weenies, and hyper-sensitive won't like that, but it is so. War is force - disciplined violence with the intention of breaking the enemy's will or killing him. We can win their friendship after the war. Until that time, we must face the facts. Our enemy will not permit a truce (a la Korea). We cannot afford a defeat (a la VietNam). And one cannot achieve victory with half-measures. The sooner our enemy fears us, the sooner we will win - and the fewer people (on both sides) who will die in the process.

As a great military leader once said, "Audace, audace, tou jour l'audace!" Lieutenant Pantano is nothing if not audacious.

It's a good read and I heartily recommend it.

I too am a Marine Infantry Officer who has spent over a year in Iraq. The reason people don't understand why Pantano did what he did is that they have never been in his situation or are incapable officers. We are TRAINED to make the occupants of a vehicle search it in case it is rigged with explosives - Pantano followed his training.
Second, the most important aspect of counter insurgency is the information war - PsyOps. Putting the sign over the bodies sent a message - we are fighting a war of ideas, not a war of tactical battles like WWII. Iraqis respect strength and Pantano projected strength. It is a professional embarrassment to read a review from such a cowardice officer. I would hate to be in your unit.
Pantano is part of a dying breed - men that fight. Men that sacrifice high paying jobs and urban lifestyles for battlefields. Men that excel under the hardest conditions, stand by tough decisions and win.
Everyone with XY chromosomes should read this book. It's hard, gritty and gets to the heart of what's wrong with America and the war. If you want to come out of bubblegum fantasy land for a while and see what the world is really like and what needs to be done if America is going to survive - Read IT.

Warlord is an extraordinary account of an American hero. Pantano masterfully takes the reader through his life, both in and out of the Marine Corps, and his Article 32 Hearing. Pantano's account of combat and court equally encapsulate the reader, thus stirring unsettling emotions of astonishment and admiration. In life, we encounter few individuals with indispensable honor, courage, and commitment; obviously, Lt. Pantano personifies this creed. As our nation was attacked, Pantano's warrior spirit is immediately manifested with an unwavering determination to seek revenge and defend our country. Pantano does not blame the Marine Corps for the investigation, nor does he discuss the rationale for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Through reading this memoir, one can discern the complexities and danger of OIF. Moreover, one can conclude this war may not be won through an undermanned operation or inflexible ROE that result in troops second-guessing themselves for fear of legal ramification. I strongly recommend Warlord!
Semper Fi, AB

As a former Marine with two tours in Nam I get outraged at the way our government 'does' war anymore. With the Rules of Engagement the Author outlines in this book most of us in Nam would be sitting where he was. This is a must read on Iraq because for one it outines the nature of the 'war' and you realize from this book that they've made policeman out of our Marines and Soldiers.

Lt. Pantano was obviously a brave leader, his men said so at trial. He takes you through the war from his viewpoint and the style of the writing took some getting used to but once I did I like how it is done. He interspreses the trial or hearing rather with his life and how he became a Marine and served enlisted in the first Gulf War and reenlisted and became an officer after 911.

I am glad he got off for the charges brought against him because I think in most cases it is tough to sit here and judge people in combat especially in what you realize is going on over there from reading the book. I was impressed that his men were complimentary and he was from their account a good leader under the gun.

Where I walk away wondering is why a guy would have two unarmed men, probably bad guys and send away all his close security around him so he alone then empty two magazines into them when they make a move towards him. Not sure why an experienced guy like him wouldnt have one of his men covering him when he took the cuffs off them (of course it is ridiculous this cuffing of combatants, I mean are these guys allowed to be Marines or are they cops in Baghdad and beyond) Rumsfeld is McNamara reincarnated I mean read the book and you'll get a clue whats going on.

It is a good read and a must read to get a grunts eye view of Iraq but he was a little cowboyish to me on the one hand but on the other he is a patriot and I know first hand there is a fog of war as they say and I wasnt standing there when it happened. Read and wonder but read.

This is a great book that I didn't want to put down. I didn't think the language was "rough," I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about. You will put the book down feeling very proud that there are people in this country like Ilario Pantano. The book jumps back and forth between the events leading up to the incident he got in trouble for, and the article 32 hearing itself, and it manages to be coherent and easy to follow. Bottom line is, this is a great book and I highly recommend it.

I heard Lt. Pantano recently on the G. Gordon Liddy show describing his tribulations. From that I decided to buy his book and read his first hand account, and what an account it is. It pains me to read others who disparage him and his service. War is a messy business, always has been. Toward the end of the book, Lt. Pantano summarizes the US's two most important failures in Iraq: "our reluctance to use decisive and overwhelming force, AND our inability to capitalize on and publicize our victories." Two observations that are quite succinct and happen to be very true. (Lt. Pantano should run for congress.) I heartily recommend this book, it will be a quickest 405 pages you ever read.
Thank you Lt. Pantano for your service, and thank you to the others who served with you.

As a Company Grade Officer who has fought in Iraq I am glad that this book was written and I am glad it has gotten so much support. I enjoyed (for the most part) the fact that it was written the way Marines talk. (Yes, it's true. We say bad words sometimes.) The book also does a good job of capturing the brotherhood that exists between Marines deployed to OIF and OEF. I don't necessarily agree with Pantano's point of view as far as "the incident" goes, but then, I wasn't there, I am willing to admit that I might have done the exact same thing, I've done some stupid things in my life, take my word for it. It's a funny little war, and things do get confusing over there, I will admit, and yes, most civilians have no idea what we go through. At the end of the day, I would recommend Nate Fick's book 'One Bullet Away' over this one.

I was at Lejeune when a lot of the events described in the book were going down and as a recent combat veteran, I was one of the "salty Lieutenants" walking around thumping my chest closing ranks in support of Pantano. We heard that some shady stuff was going on and it sounded like he was being railroaded. I don't think that was the case today.

I give this book 2 stars because, well, for somebody who prides himself on his marksmanship, spending two magazines on two men,...well, that's just ridiculous! I mean, not only is it excessive, but,....it's a waste of ammo!!! Marines don't waste ammo. Also, whoever or whatever the two Iraqis were, they weren't armed and they weren't shooting at him. Okay, see, that's Murder. and a Violation of the Rules of Engagement. and, Marines don't do that either. Also, for somebody who makes such a big deal about quoting General Jim Mattis (a hero of mine) "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy." Maybe he should have looked a few lines up and seen the words "Engage your Brain before you Engage your Weapon System." If he wasn't thinking he was doing something wrong when he was changing magazines, I question whether he has a brain at all! I just don't buy his logic behind his actions.

Now, I'm just one Marine talking, and I'm not the smartest, and like I said, if I had been there I might have done the same thing.....

Lieutenant Ilario Pantano is a unique man in a very difficult time. Giving up a career in Manhattan's financial district for the life of a Marine in wartime is a huge sacrifice in the minds of most of us but was Pantano's only choice given his strength of character.
His tactical proficiency, love of his Marines, ability to take the fight to the enemy, and consummate professionalism all come through in this narrative though he is naturally humble and self-effacing.
How the Marine Corps staff overreacted against Pantano - stimulated by the arrogant Naval Investigative Service types who claimed that there was a case against Lt. Pantano - makes for very frustrating reading by Americans who are more concerned with winning the war than with fostering a culture of political correctness.
Pantano has been vindicated but America has lost a most dedicated officer and gentleman, a man who could have been one of the future leaders upon whom the survival of our country depends. That chance is lost forever due to a self-absorbed bureaucracy consumed with its own importance. This book is many parts: adventure, valor, and ultimately tragedy. It ought to be in the library of every American who wonders about the quality of the military we are fielding today. Buy it immediately - you will like it a lot.