Wiser In Battle: A Soldier's Story

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Wiser In Battle: A Soldier's Story

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Amid all of the criticisms of America's war in Iraq, one essential voice has remained silent—until now. In his groundbreaking new memoir, Wiser in Battle, Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, former commander of coalition forces in Iraq, reports back from the front lines of the global war on terror to provide a comprehensive and chilling exploration of America's historic military and foreign policy blunder.

With unflinching candor, Sanchez describes the chaos on the Iraqi battlefield caused by the Bush administration's misguided command of the military, as well as his own struggle to set the coalition on the path toward victory. Sanchez illuminates the fallout of the communication breakdown between the leadership on the front and the politicians in Washington, revealing fractious discussions he had with, among others, Ambassador Paul Bremer and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Drawing on his tenure on the ground, Sanchez shows how minor insurgent attacks grew into synchronized operations that finally ignited into a major insurgency and all-out civil war. He provides an insider's account of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, explaining the circumstances that led to the abuses, who perpetrated them, and what the formal investigations revealed—all the while reflecting on America's objectionable use of torture and the grave need for the country's leadership to pursue an ethical course of action in the war on terror. Sanchez also details the cynical use of the Iraq War for political gain in Washington and shows how the pressure of an around-the-clock news cycle drove and distorted critical battle decisions, such as troop drawdowns, the fight for Fallujah, and the transfer of sovereignty.

In addition, Sanchez shares the story of his career. He tells of the journey from his poverty-stricken youth on the Texas banks of the Rio Grande to joining the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at sixteen and later serving in Kosovo, Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and, ultimately, Iraq. At the time of his retirement, Sanchez was the highest-ranking Hispanic in the U.S. Army.

The first book written by a former on-site commander in Iraq, Wiser in Battle is essential reading for all who wish to understand the current war and the American military's role in the new century.

Customer Reviews:

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-28
Interesting personal memoir.
All memoirs tend to be self serving and this one fits the usual template. General Sanchez seems never to have made a mistake in his career or his life. And the bureaucratic details with their endless abbreviations and acronyms are sometimes confusing. There are minor spelling mistakes but that's the copy editor's responsibility. All that aside, this is a pretty believable story about an Hispanic guy who came out of the wilderness and rose to command an army in Iraq. The good general doesn't clobber any of his army comrades, although he insinuates, and saves his carefully expressed displeasure for the civilian leadership. Not so much Bush, who comes off as usually sincere, sometimes loony, but for Rumsfeld and the Democrats in Congress, both of whom come out looking like either lying morons (Rumsfeld) or angry but uninformed (Congressional committees). One can question some of his claims but his description of the Marine's abortive battle for Falujah is supported by a recent documentary being shown on the Military Channel. Sanchez was forced to retire and was deprived of a star for political reasons, mostly having to do with Abu Ghraib. He claims to have done the best possible job at the prison and elsewhere in Iraq, given that he was usually 60% under strength. I believed him, but you can judge for yourself.

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-28
A Soldier's Conundrum
"Wiser in Battle" made for interesting reading, but it also pointed up the soldier's dilema when faced with the conflicting objectives of politicians and the military.

Throughout the book, General Sanchez had nothing but positive things to say about results achieved under his command, but at a certain point, when it was abundantly clear that things had gone badly wrong, he finally laid the blame where it should have been in the first place: The President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of State, as well as Condi Rice.

For those interested in studying this phenomonem, it's worth reading. It is a pity, however, that honorable officers are put in the position he was, where he had a choice of speaking out or resigning.

If all the retired generals who are now criticizing the war had resigned en masse, perhaps we wouldn't be looking for a 100-year occupation, as the good Senator McCain suggests.

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-22
Sour Grapes
LTG Sanchez probably has a legitimate complaint as to how his retirement was handled.....but this book is a poor way to express it. He has taken great liberties with the facts and his view is not necessarily the correct one. He has written a puff piece about this poor Hispanic Texan who rose to three stars in the Army. As a minimum, he should have gotten people's names correct; among others it is "Rick" (not Ric) Brown, the CG at Ft Knox, who gave him considerable responsibility early in his career. Overall, a disappointing book. I blame the editors for allowing it to be published without some fact checking. Might have been a better book with just a little more work!

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-21
How things went wrong
Being a retired soldier myself I can now understand how things went so wrong in Iraq. LT GEN Sanchez has identified the poor planning of our national leadership and their lack of understanding in military matters. The military is not a business and can not be ran like one. Our old Texas A&I student has served his nation well. CSM, USA Retire William R. Notz

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-13
Government Leader's "Dumber in Battle"
A scary and soobering look at the described reality of the Iraq war and our government through Lt. Gen. Regardo Sanchez's eyes.

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