US Army Soldier

Synopsis

Osprey's survey of US Army soldiers' participation in the war in Iraq. In April 2003, after a month of heavy bombardment, Baghdad fell under coalition forces' control. The forces established the Coalition Provisional Authority and in the heart of the city, an 8km square mile "Green Zone" was formed to maintain order until the new Iraqi government became a reality.

This title focuses on the lives of those soldiers whose task it was to bring stability to the area, primarily recounting the experiences of Task Force 1st Armored Division (TF 1AD) ("Old Ironsides"). The division's first operation, dubbed Iron Dig, was intended to verify the death of Saddam Hussein by finding his remains in a bombed restaurant in Baghdad. This was the first of many operations that combined combat and intelligence skills in attempts to capture or kill significant numbers of former regime leaders that were thought to be responsible for the remainder of attacks on coalition forces.

This unique theater of operations severely tested the troops on many levels, both personally and professionally, as not only did they have to deal with living and fighting in extremely high temperatures, poor standards of living, and little respite, but also their operations became the center stage of a controversial debate surrounding the occupation.

Discussed are the soldiers' personal experiences from recruitment, specialist training, and weaponry; to the aftermath and effects that the conflict had on them. The author, Ken Estes, uses interviews and recently declassified material to offer a full and accurate insight into this controversial theater of war.