Review (PDF) Stryker: The Siege Of Sadr City
In the spring of 2008, Coalition troops responded in-force to what quickly became one of the largest, bloodiest and most influential battles of the Iraq War. For nearly three months, American and Iraqi troops fought for control over the most dangerous urban district of Baghdad, against the ruthless insurgent militia of the Jaish al-Mahdi - a struggle that would change the face of the entire war.Sgt Ludwig's gripping narrative offers and unfiltered view of the Final Battle of Sadr City, as seen through his eyes from behind the wrath of a machine gun. Still a young idealistic boy, he enlists with a high-impact urban assault Stryker unit known as "Bull Company" and comes face-to-face with his own oblivion. Up against the full might of the Jaish al-Mahdi, they embark on a one-way mission deep behind enemy lines, to capture a well-guarded militia stronghold and defend their ground "for as long as it takes."This is the story of what really happened in the late years of Operation Iraqi Freedom.The story our media neglected to tell.
File Size: 31066 KB
Print Length: 446 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Roland-Kjos Publishing; 1 edition (August 1, 2013)
Publication Date: August 1, 2013
Sold by: Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00EZW0HUM
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #122,455 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #43 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Americas > United States > Military History > Iraq War #48 in Books > History > Middle East > Iraq #145 in Books > History > Military > Iraq War
STRYKER really is "the story our media neglected to tell." But the truth is, only an Infantry grunt who lived through the very worst of the Siege of Sadr City could have written it--certainly not anyone higher up the military food chain, let alone an embedded reporter. It seems almost a freakish stroke of luck that Konrad Ludwig survived to serve as such an eloquent witness.From the terrifying prologue about Ludwig's first raid, in which the "twenty-minute-from-flash-to-bang" rule goes disastrously awry, to the haunting epilogue about his homecoming to a home that is no longer home, Ludwig guides us on a shocking, hellish journey. During that fateful spring of 2008, his Bull Company faced down the Jaish al-Mahdi, "one of the most expertly trained, well organized, and fully supplied insurgent militias in the world."Ludwig describes the battle with almost unbelievably vivid prose. We see the flash of the weapons, hear the monotonous din of battle, feel the aching sickness and exhaustion of weeks without sleep, and taste the bad food and the metallic terror of it all. Most of all, we smell everything--the pungent smoke from burning vehicles, the masses of dead flesh, and the ever-present Shit with a capital S. Many episodes are simply indelible. I know that I'll never forget the apparition of a rabid dog emerging from inside a rotting donkey's carcass.In the hands of this first-class writer, the unimaginable becomes real. Actually, the only thing I can't imagine is how Ludwig found the courage to write this book. His honesty is remorseless. He spares us none of his own horror, guilt, shame, and even bloodlust. He also fully conveys the intense and desperate bond that grows among comrades in war.
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