Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq

by Karl Zinsmeister

Book Overview

Includes 32 color photos taken by the author during the month he was embedded with the 82nd in Kuwait and Iraq. This is a riveting account of the war in Iraq moving north with the 82nd Airborne. Units of the 82nd depart Kuwait and convoy to Iraq's Tallil Air Base en route to night-and-day battles within the major city of Samawah and its intact bridges across the Euphrates. Boots on the Ground quickly becomes an action-filled microcosm of the new kinds...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312326637
• ISBN13: 9780312326630
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Truman Talley Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

From the mother of an 82nd soldier

After wiping away my tears at the end of this book, with pride for the American troops, I have to thank the author for such a clear picture and tribute to Operation Iraqi Freedom and the professionals at all levels who participated. I only wish the author would follow up with another book about the still-ongoing efforts in Iraq. We could use more clear thinkers like Zinsmeister reporting to the general public.

I was there

I'm squad leader assigned to Company D 3-325. I was there all the the way from Camp Champion, through the prep for the jump in the airport and the last minute scrub. My Anti-Armor platoon was attached to A troop 1-17 Cav for the move to Talil and to A 2-325 for the push into Samawah proper. I was shot through the left hand while we were trying to seize the bridges over the Euphrates. This book does my men a great justice. I kept a journal out there and this book mirrors my experiences. I'm extremely thankful that our story has been told, and heard. All the men who were there and who still patrol Bagdahd are MY heros. I've never served with a finer group of paratroopers than my platoon. This book serves as a journal for all the men of 2nd Brigade.

Invaded my dreams

A lot of the war journalism I've read is much too heavy on "I" "I" "me" "me" and discussion of what the journalist is thinking, feeling, wanting. The tremendous strength of this book is that you really get inside the lives of the soldiers. It's about them, and brings them to life in a full and amazing way.I met a huge range of characters: medics, special forces soldiers, a medal-winning sniper, men who get shot, pilots, generals, Iraqis, civilians caught in the crossfire. Crisp and simple and unadorned portraits you won't forget.I thought I was sick of Iraq War discussions, but I heard this author on the radio and he sounded interesting. He is. I'm super-glad I got the book. This is a very different, very fresh perspective on the war, and a type of "up-close-and-personal" reporting on combat you rarely get. I found it gripping.P.S. I'm really not sure what book the reviewer who described this story as lacking action read. It sure wasn't the one I read. The action in this book has invaded my dreams.

Wow! A rare gem.

Wow, this book is a rarity. I love action-filled war novels. But I also love serious histories and current affairs books. I just finished this book and can say it combines the best of both worlds. As racing, tense, thrilling, and vivid as a Clancy or Mark Bowden story. (And when describing life with the troop surprisingly funny, and at times very moving and emotional.) But at the same time a deeply serious, wise, careful description and analysis of the Iraq war. You want to know what real combat, war zones, and fighting men are like? Here's your book. You ARE THERE. And that's before you even get to the incredible photos. The downside: I wish it was longer. I got hooked and had it read in a day.I'm giving this one for Christmas.

Personal and moving

The moment I began to read this incredible story that Karl Zinsmeister has written, I was attached. The story is vivid and personal which involves the reader to a point where they can't put the book down. This journalist ate, slept, and drilled with the soldiers. Their struggles were, in turn, his struggles. Their triumphs were his triumphs. I think this is what makes the book so interesting and heartfelt. It wasn't written by a TV newscaster who was only involved in the military camp life. It wasn't written by a reporter who lingered in the rear lines. Karl Zinsmeister was willing to risk his life (and did a few times) to give Americans the true story of what's going on in Iraq, from the point of view of someone who really appreciates our county's military. By the end of the book I felt so proud to be an American. I felt grateful that I wake up free every morning. I felt grateful for journalists such as Karl Zinsmeister who are willing and able to give such a powerful and moving account of an important event in our nation's history. This is a must-read story of freedom that will give you a new appreciation for all the men and women who are willing to fight evil so that we can live free, everyday.