What Are You Currently Reading? 2009

[Polarbear1605]

I just finished two interesting books, Warrior King by LTC Sassaman and Drowning in the Desert by Capt Gembara. The signifiance of the two books is that they reflect the author's view of their experience during a combat tour in Iraq that first year of occupation after our invasion. Both authors are members of the same Brigade, Sassaman is the commander of the 1-8 Infrantry Battalion and Gembara is the SJA at the brigade headquarters. Sassaman would receive a career ending letter of reprimand for a incident involving one of his platoon sergeants and Gembara, as the SJA, worked on the prosecutors case against the same sergeant. In my mind, Sassaman's book reflects what happens when the general officers could not come up with a strategy for those initial years of the occupation. Left to find his own solutions to the problem, LTC Sassaman uses his initiative to establish one of the most aggressive and successful programs within his brigade and division. The Gembara book supports this success and confirms that Sassaman is a "Warrior King". What I find interesting about the two books is that Sassaman is the combat commander fighting a rising insurgence using the rules of war. Gembara sees the same incidents through the eyes of a lawyer using the rules of law as the filter. These two views clash when in a operation conducted by one of Sassaman's company's a number of insurgents are captured and two enemy are killed. Gembara applying the rules of law sees it as a cover up for a war crime. Laws of War or Rules of Laws; which should you follow in a counter insurgency?

[jmm99]

Great White One,

Laws of War or Rules of Laws; which should you follow in a counter insurgency?

It depends !

[Jedburgh]

I just finished two interesting books, Warrior King by LTC Sassaman and Drowning in the Desert by Capt Gembara. The signifiance of the two books is that they reflect the author's view of their experience during a combat tour in Iraq that first year of occupation after our invasion. Both authors are members of the same Brigade, Sassaman is the commander of the 1-8 Infrantry Battalion and Gembara is the SJA at the brigade headquarters. Sassaman would receive a career ending letter of reprimand for a incident involving one of his platoon sergeants and Gembara, as the SJA, worked on the prosecutors case against the same sergeant. In my mind, Sassaman's book reflects what happens when the general officers could not come up with a strategy for those initial years of the occupation. Left to find his own solutions to the problem, LTC Sassaman uses his initiative to establish one of the most aggressive and successful programs within his brigade and division. The Gembara book supports this success and confirms that Sassaman is a "Warrior King". What I find interesting about the two books is that Sassaman is the combat commander fighting a rising insurgence using the rules of war. Gembara sees the same incidents through the eyes of a lawyer using the rules of law as the filter. These two views clash when in a operation conducted by one of Sassaman's company's a number of insurgents are captured and two enemy are killed. Gembara applying the rules of law sees it as a cover up for a war crime. Laws of War or Rules of Laws; which should you follow in a counter insurgency?

There is a fairly lengthy discussion thread on the board focused on Sassaman and his book.

[Polarbear1605]

Jmm99 says - It depends !
Ah Ha! and that is my point. I am glad we are starting to finally think alike.

Jedburgh - Thanks for the heads up on the Sassaman discussion thread. I have read about half of it and will continue tonight. Sorry I missed that one! I may comment later just to see if I can break those previous heart-rate records that it set