Joker One

A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood

De: Donovan Campbell

Narrado por: David Drummond

When Donovan Campbell's platoon deployed to Ramadi in the spring of 2004, they believed they'd be spending most of their time building schools, training police, and making friends with the citizens. But shortly after arriving, when Campbell awoke to the chilling cry of "Jihad, Jihad, Jihad!" echoing from minaret to minaret across the city, he knew they had an altogether different situation on their hands.

For nearly the entire day, Joker-One---the 40-man infantry platoon that Campbell was charged with leading---fought house-to-house to rescue other units, sometimes trading grenades with their enemies from just a few feet away. In the days and months that followed, hundreds of hard-core insurgents launched simultaneous attacks on the Marine forces in Ramadi, their ranks swelled by thousands of local volunteers drawn from the citizens of a city whose primary export was officers in Saddam Hussein's army. By the fall of 2004, nearly half the men in Campbell's platoon had been wounded in some of the fiercest urban fighting since Vietnam; less than a month after they withdrew, the forces in Ramadi were doubled, then tripled.

Although Joker One is set in Iraq, the book's themes---brotherhood, honor, and sacrifice---are universal. Campbell shows us how his Marines' patience, discipline, and love for one another created a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts, and how the essential goodness of these men remains unchanged by all of the pain and the terror surrounding them. His sharp-eyed, evocative, and unflinching account of his deployment is just as impressive as the man himself---a man who chose to enter the military because of his patriotism, sense of privilege, and deep religious faith when most of his Princeton classmates were cashing in their ivy league educations for lucrative careers among the financial elite.

©2008 Donovan Campbell (P)2009 Tantor

A well told story

Overall I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Some overuse of certain terms, and some military terms misread by a narrator who presumably doesn't have a lot of first hand knowledge of them was my only real gripe. Good book, for sure.

Great read from a Platoon Commander's Perspective!

Donavan Campbell did an excellent job in describing the atmosphere of Ar Ramadi back in 2004 and what it was like to lead. He delivers on the Marine Corps' debate on mission accomplishment versus troop welfare. He shows strength and weakness, success and failure, happiness and frustration.

Having been one of the company commanders to replace 2/4 in Ramadi and the Combat Outpost, I can say Campbell's description of the environment was spot on. He helped answer put together some of the pieces that were unknown to me. I found myself laughing and on a few instances crying. Overall - nicely done. S/F

Simply the best

Among the very best accounts of military life and combat I have ever read. Campbell is down-to- earth and tells it like it is from a perspective that most Americans in "fly-over-country" share. Not a book for liberal ideologues occupying ivory towers and with axes to grind.

Childish Narration

Being a combat wounded Veteran of the Iraq war, I found it very frustrating that the narrator portrayed the young Marines in child like voices. Regardless of our young age, I can reassure any reader of this review, that not once did I hear Marines talk in such unsure and prepubescent tones.

Somebody real wears those boots on the ground

Donovan Campbell puts us at his side during his tour of duty in Ramahdi, a hotbed of factional terrorism, murder, hatred and exploding ordinance. Hot, dusty, overextended, under provisioned with transport and communications, this young Marine lieutenant and his men slog through the daily grind of keeping the peace in a city thats circling the drain into madness. You will appreciate the courage and fortitude of these men who have been ordered to do the impossible and yet suit up on a daily basis and do just that. David Drummand does a great job of narration.