Product Description

Fresh from his tour as an embedded journalist in Iraq, bestselling author Oliver North reports in living detail the story of the real Iraq War. Includes 50-minute dvd of War Stories episode (FOX News Network) on the War in Iraq.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #528968 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 332 pages

From Publishers Weekly
North is a retired Marine infantry veteran of Vietnam and was a key player in the Iran-Contra affair. This book is a mostly workmanlike presentation of his experiences as a war correspondent for FOX (which shares copyright on this book) as the U.S. invaded Iraq. Any political uproar it may cause is likely to stem largely from Pavlovian responses to the name of the author, a response that ignores that he has written both fiction and nonfiction as well as having been a Marine officer. So it is hardly surprising that he does excellent work covering a Marine aviation unit, one appointed to transport assault troops and evacuate wounded in aging helicopters-never without risk and sometimes with bloody incidents. These are vividly and knowledgeably described, as is the Marines' courage and professionalism. Nor is it surprising to witness the empathy between a retired Marine about to become a grandfather and younger Marines about to see combat. The briefer coverage of the armored units of the 4th Infantry Division is a little frustrating, and the polemics against antiwar journalists and politicians, while unlikely to offend readers who share the author's views, feel redundant. So does the capsule history of Iraq in the appendix, although well-written enough to give the author credibility as a popular historian. Even the larger issue of the linkage between a correspondent, a network and a publisher who are all politically simpatico can hardly be made into anything especially sinister without the same kind of political partisanship that the book exhibits in its less inspiring moments. DVD of Fox News North special not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher
This book includes a free DVD featuring the hour-long Fox News Channel episode of Oliver North's War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom.

From the Inside Flap
The mainstream media are trying to discredit our victory in Iraq by saying there was no reason to take out Saddam. But Oliver North knows better. He was there. Contrary to some of the media's willing inaccuracies, in War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom you'll witness: * How an arsenal was provided to Saddam by so-called friends of the United States * Evidence of equipment used to disperse chemical weapons * The uncovering of huge caches of Iraqi weapons stored in hospitals, schools, and mosques * Evidence of terrorist bases and weapons in Iraq * The connection between captured terrorists and Saddam's regime North sweeps aside the empty secondhand chatter of liberal pundits in this riveting eyewitness account of the heroism, courage, and unflagging patriotism of the American military forces who ended Saddam Hussein's bloody tyranny. Embedded with Marine and Army units for FOX News Channel during Operation Iraqi Freedom, North (himself a decorated combat veteran) vividly tells the story his camera gave us glimpses of during the campaign to liberate Iraq. From the opening seconds of the war-when North witnessed the conflict's first American and British casualties-all the way to the takeover of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, War Stories lets you see the war in Iraq not as the liberal media wants you to see it, but as it unfolded before the eyes of those who fought it.

North gives insights into Operation Iraqi Freedom that only a warrior could provide. And he introduces you to the young warriors who put their lives on the line-the victors who now hope that their stunning triumph won't be stolen by naysayers, critics, and the antiwar crowd. With the authority of an eyewitness and the expertise of a combat veteran, North succinctly skewers the conventional view of the Iraq war, asking simply: "What quagmire?" He unblinkingly refutes accusations of Pentagon planning blunders, shortages of food, fuel, and ammunition, rejection by the Iraqi people, and expectations of huge American casualties. Now that the media establishment's embedded correspondents have returned home, those who have their quills in poison ink have the forum. But Oliver North isn't about to let them rewrite history. He offers here a trustworthy chronicle of the remarkable military force that did nothing less in Iraq than surpass all others in history: no military advance has ever gone so far, so fast, and with so few casualties. 7Filled with North's trademark honest, in-depth, and inspiring reporting, this is a gripping and insightful look at the latest crop of American and coalition heroes-those who fought and won Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Customer Reviews

Incredible First Hand Accounts of the Danger w/ Details
I like tales of war and I kind of expected this to be a nice, glossed over, made-for-TV version of the Iraq War (part II). But it was so much more than that! It was real! All the grit, gore, and horrors of war play out from page to page. You really get a feel for what it was like to be there, but you also get a taste of the strategy and tactics of the field brass, and a true feeling of what the grunts were going through. North was in Vietnam and occasionally brings in comparisons of that.

The DVD is just a really nice added bonus--as are the color photos in the middle.

NORTH GETS IT RIGHT!
LtCol North gets it right in this book!

Unfortunately, unlike a soldier from Columbus, GA who wrote the review dtd 16 January. The soldier impugns the veracity of LtCol North's account of the evacuation of a dead corpsman. How do I know what really happened? I am the pilot who DID evacuate the corpsman, and I can vouch for the version in the book. The statistics of the Medical Company in question have little or no bearing on whether this happened like North says it did. The Company should be offended at the actions of one of their own members, and not at North for telling the truth.

While there are minor inaccuracies in this book, (e.g., he lists my unit as Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 when it was actually 269) they are not substantive, nor do they alter the gist of the individual stories. This is a great read - LtCol North got it right!

Major Timothy Kolb

Historically accurate!
I served with the Marines in this Operation and can say from personal experience that this book is 100% dead on accurate. A great account of the war from a great American!