I've got multiple items to cover in this post, so I hope you'll bear with me... after 5 years, I have some more things to cover.
I just finished reading a couple of books that I thought I'd review for you- On Call in Hell by Richard Jadick, and We Were One by Patrick O'Donnell. Both were excellent reads, and I recommend them both. What is becoming more interesting is how these books both cover the same battles in Fallujah (On Call more so Fallujah I) but seem to be very separate battles; very different perspectives, and this is why I enjoyed reading them back-to-back.
On Call can best be described as a 'Battlefield Surgeons Guide to War'. It details how the good doctor was able to convince his superiors that bringing the aide station into the battle was the best way to save lives. Given the urban combat environment, and the close-order of the conflict, this was indeed a fortuitous decision to implement. But even more so, it gave a ring-side view of what the Marines were facing, and how this type of battle was impacting them. As any one of them can attest to, some of the most fearless and selfless acts were performed by the 'docs' in the units- I can't see a medic from the Marines ever having to buy a meal again :).
What was especially touching was how he described the care given both the wounded and the mortally wounded Marines and Soldiers fighting in Fallujah. Sometimes, this type of care even extended to the enemy as well as civilians in the area. Anyone that thinks we are cold, heartless killers needs to read this book. Again, a recommend.
Now, We Were One has a different perspective on Fallujah, one far closer to the heat of the barrel. The author, embedded starting with the 509th, then to the 2d RECON Battalion, and finally the 3/1 Marines, describes in excruciating personal detail the dangers faced by the Marines sent in as the point of the spear for Fallujah. While the book starts out, in my mind, somewhat stilted and disjointed in the narrative, it finishes quite well, and has some marked passages:
"How many of you are veterans from OIF I [the push into Baghdad]?" Over half the Marines raised their hands. "How does this compare to OIF I?" "It doesn't- this is the shit," responded the tired Marines in unison.
One entry refers to intel reports that said ''over half of Fallujah's 99 mosques were used as arsenals and fighting positions.'' My personal experience there reflects that there were 89 identified mosques, and all but 10 had been found to contain weapons by mid-December of '04. A far greater percentage than the author states.
The experiences of these men were grueling, costly, and courageous to a man. One squad lost all but one man, and better than 40% of one, Lima, had become casualties. It compares to Bing West's book, but details Fallujah II better than West. It details what Marines do best: take care of each other, and kill bad guys. But not indiscriminately- even given their youth and experience prior to the battle, they react and adjust very well to the conditions they were facing. I actually wish the book were longer, covering the unit's follow-on exploits in western Anbar along the Syrian border.