Stryker: The Siege of Sadr City

This book is a great read for anyone who is interested in learning what our boys went through in Iraq. I graduated High School in 2008 and had many friends who served in Iraq during this time frame. RIP Sgt. Moon 🌙 Love ya buddy.

This book pulls no punches. It provides a very clear insight to the harsh physical and mental demands imposed on our troops by the invasion and occupation of Iraq. You will experience moments of sheer terror, outrage, and consternation during the conduct of daily combat operations throughout the book. You will probably be as frustrated by some military commander's decisions as the troops were themselves. You will also see great leadership being exercised by commanders in the field.The book could have used a little bit more editing were the author dwelled on some sections a bit longer than necessary, but you can scan forward a few paragraphs and get right back on track. This book was written by a soldier, not an english Phd from Cambridge so a little tolerance is reasonable on the readers part. As for the language in the book I served 3 years in the Army and I found it to realistically be the way we soldiers talked and thought back during the Vietnam era.The book and what transpired in Sadr City will leave a permanent and indelible impression on you of how serious a decision it is to send out troops into combat, frequently with one arm tied behind their back by our government and military leaders. The only way I want to see out troops committed to combat in the future is with a clear mission and authority to kill all the bad guys as quickly as possible and then get the hell out of dodge.

Konrad Ludwig puts us in the middle of the battle with Bull Company for Sadr City in a gripping and very personal way. Hereveals his own thoughts and emotions in an incredibly unflinching way making no attempt to pretty it up. We see howdifficult it is to make split second kill decisions in a packed city environment. How hesitation is death and mistakes aregut wrenching, leaving permanent scars. We feel the vulnerability of being under attack for days with little or no restknowing that any complacency or inattention is sure death. We learn that the physical and mental demands required toprevail in this kind of battle way exceed world class endurance sports. I didn't know the world of the Grunt. Myperspective is as a USAF Forward Air Controller in Viet Nam. I knew my life in the air was a cake walk compared to theconstant threat and deprivation ground troops endure for days, weeks, and months on end, but, my God, I had no real cluehow dramatic the difference is. I came away from Ludwig's book with a huge admiration for our ground troops whovoluntarily put themselves in unbelievable danger to protect our way of life. Konrad Ludwig is also an insightfulteacher of the philosophy and realities of war. He teaches us the lessons our senior leaders often cannot remember fromprevious wars. "There isn't a weapon in the world that's worth a half-baked s*** if you're not allowed to pull thetrigger." Profound and classic on many levels. "Let me make this clear: I believe in the laws of war. I believe in thediscretion of violence. I believe there is something vital and essentially human preserved in the Rules of Engagement."He makes a strong case that the ROEs are mostly "about saving face in the headlines." I think Ludwig believes as I dothat micro management of a battle by absent higher ups loses battles and gets people killed. When soldiers are sent intoharms way they need the freedom to make life and death decisions in a split second without fear of being charged withmurder for a mistake. "Combat is assertive. It favors agression. It demands action." Soldiers can't do this with theirhands tied and ROEs requiring hesitant actions. The military's job should have been to "show up and fight, to fight untilthe fight was over." He observes that politics often takes over to stop the fighting before the stated objectives areaccomplished and is the same as defeat. Confusing politics with mission is deadly. My review only scratches the surfaceof lessons learned from this great book, destined I think to be a handbook for decision makers. For me, it was a joy getting toknow Sgt. Ludwig and his fellow soldiers. Thanks for giving us all something to be very proud of and for a great book.

I have been studying the Battle of Sadr City at work and decided that my efforts would be enriched by using a first person source rather than depending on official reports from the units that took part in the engagement (I have 1-2d SCR's After Action Report).I found that once I started reading, the author's writing style proved to be so refreshing and vibrant that I had a difficult time putting it down at night when it came time to getting ready for the next days early am commute into Washington DC. It is well done, revealing, and authentic.The author made it a point to explain that he did research the available records to ensure as few mistakes as possible crept into his book. I think he did a fine job since the only error that I caught was his identifying C/2-30th Infantry as part of 10th Mountain Division (they belong to 3d Infantry Division and were attached to 10th ID - see Dale Andrade's "Surging South of Baghdad").In addition to the narrative, the author provides a schematic of the M1126 Stryker and several maps at the beginning of the book. The only point of interest that I could not readily locate was the checkpoint where the Iraqi lieutenant was killed. Otherwise the maps were very helpful.He is the second person to bring to light the refusal of the engineers to emplace the T-wall barrier along PL Gold after one of their number was hit by a sniper. The former XO of C/1-68 Armor works in the building next to mine and I intend to ask him about the incident.Organized with a prologue, ten chapters (each around 30 - 35 pages), and an epilogue. Maps and reference are on page viii, a section on Bull Company, 1/2 SCR begins on p. XI, special contributors on p. xvii, acknowledgements (p. xix), and afterward (p. xxv). There isnt an index, but that really does not pose a problem to somone who reads the book thoroughly.Very good editing. Did not catch a typo until sentence 8, para 1, p. 373 (banned versus banded) and the only one other on p. 377 (toe versus tow in sentence 6, paragraph 4). That is exceptional for all but the largest publishing houses nowadays.Ludwig's insights on leadership and camaraderie in battle were especially illuminating. Highly recommended. It will have a prominent place on my OIF reference shelf.

Ludwig does an amazing job with describing the monotony of military duty both on the line and in the rear.Describing the stress and horror of combat.Describing the catastrophal conditions a combat unit has to face in theater.Describing the problems that counter-insurgency tactics have to face by the enemy, the own command-structure and the Publizist.But most importantly he describes the mental changes of combat to young Soldiers.I recommend this book to every Soldier. Entlisted and NCOs van get an impression what they have to face. Officers get an impression of what their subordinats will have gone through.I recommend it to every politican who wants to send people to war.I recommend it to every civilian.An outstanding book!

A soldiers story of combat in Sadr City, I have a great respect for soldiers and their stories and very proud......

Good read