United States Army at War: 9/11 Through Iraq

Army, Nov 2003 by Hymel, Kevin M

United States Army at War: 9/11 Through Iraq F. Clifton Berry Jr. Naval Institute Press. 182 pages; color and black & white illustrations; maps; index; $34.95.

When the nation came under attack on September 11, 2001, the U.S. Army sprang into action. Across the country, National Guard, Army Reserve and regular Army soldiers worked to aid victims, provided security and deployed globally to oust the Taliban and pursue al Qaeda in Afghanistan and to topple Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. With the conventional fighting over, the Army is still engaged in nation building and low-intensity combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

United States Army at War covers the major events of the war against terror. Each of its eight chapters is a photo essay of the events in three different theaters: the United States, Afghanistan and Iraq. Each chapter begins with a short overview, followed by photographs. The pictures are compelling and tell the story well. From frontline combat to the men and women behind the lines that keep the Army fighting, the pictures show an Army in almost constant movement. Active and reserve components of the Army are all well represented in the book. The photographs are provided by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army and Dennis Steele, ARMY Magazine's staff writer who was embedded with Army units in Afghanistan and Iraq. Overall the pictures show the texture of the different terrains and dangers of the distant battlefields and domestic operations in the war against terror.

Photographs of President George W. Bush and top Department of Defense and Army officials help complete the picture of the Army at war.

This book is a quick read and the pictures bring the Army's war alive. It can be enjoyed by both the professional soldier and civilian alike as one of the first books to record the war on terrorism. It is a book for all those who wish to learn more about the U.S. Army's major role in this global war.

-Kevin M. Hymel