Book Review: The Good Soldiers

Review Score: 4/5 Stars

The Good Soldiers is an account of a U.S. Army battalion in its deployment to Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. Led by Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, their mission in Baghdad was to pacify their assigned sectors of its eastern halve, including a southern portion of a district called Tisa Nissan Qada, or New Baghdad as it was called before. Compared to the other districts of the city, Tisa Nissan Qada was perhaps one of the most violent in Baghdad’s history, remaining lawless even during Saddam Hussein’s reign. The 16th Infantry Regiment was assigned to provide security and hope to the Iraqi people in that maze-like district, but it would instead protact into a year and a half long nightmare.

Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, the commanding officer of the Second Battalion, was hopeful in this noble endeavor. To turn one of the most violent districts in Baghdad to something resembling an American suburb, where children can go play soccer without fear of gunmen and people can cross the street without thinking if it would be their last day on Earth. And then we see this hope sway, waver, and ultimately flee as the months roll by. While the American populace saw the Iraq war with grand strategic lenses, the men could only concern themselves with the tactical, where, to them, it seemed they were on the losing side.

The entire situation seemed hopeless from their perspective, as their forward operating base kept being struck by insurgent artillery, and EFPs (explosively formed penetrator) were still being planted on the streets to strike Humvees, which dealt horrific casualties. Even after more than a year and a half of operations, the Iraqi people were still fearful. Innocent bystanders kept being killed, houses of allies were being burned down, and the insurgents in the district relentlessly attacked soldiers wherever they could.

This would reach its climax in the last month of their deployment, on March 25th. After seemingly weeks of quietness, the insurgents would launch an all out attack on positions throughout the district. Outposts, gasoline stations, and checkpoints were assaulted, and by the end of this day-long conflict, more than a hundred insurgents were left dead, while the battalion would suffer new casualties when they were days from leaving. And it was time to leave, they did not care if their FOB kept being shelled or attacked by rockets. They were done.

The stories, the losses, the heartbreak… The Good Soldiers shows how constant fear and loss can break the most trained and driven men in the armed forces. Facing a dangerous unknown that could rear its head at any moment without preamble, and maim, cripple, or kill you in one of the most horrific ways possible.

This is a book I definitely can recommend for people that want to read about the dangers of an urban insurgency and the horrible position civilians are trapped into by the opposing side.

4/5 stars, why?
The author of this book, David Finkel, can greatly convey human emotion, but coherence and chronology can sometimes fall flat. In some instances I wasn’t aware that a battle had been started until it was finished, and in some instances I wasn’t aware of a person’s motivation throughout a scene. For example, I kept asking myself why Kauzlarich was visiting an Iraqi national that was living in an abandoned school, who gave him ice cream and the both of them started watching a Vietnam movie. It was a heartfelt moment, but without context as to why they were there.