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

War and the Warrior have been discredited in our society. A service that once was agreed upon nearly universally to be one of virtue, honor, duty, and heroism, is now looked upon as a horde of bloodthirsty warmongers, who desire only for the complete and total destruction of whatever is in front of them. Servicemen are demeaned, insulted, and entirely abused by the nation, which they serve. Joker One is the story of Lieutenant Donovan Campbell, a platoon Commander in 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment’s Golf Company. Campbell and his Joker platoon were deployed to Ramadi in 2004 to relieve Army units stationed in the city. Ramadi, the capital of the Sunni dominated Anbar province, was home to 340,000 people in less than nine square miles, and would be home to Golf company and some of the most intense insurgent attacks throughout the entire war. Through this most trying time, the men of Joker platoon and Lt. Campbell demonstrate the qualities of the warrior in one of the most hostile environments war has seen. An excellent read, this story brings a human face to the war, confronting the brutality of war while also portraying the beauty within that horror from a perspective that only one so intimately involved in the rebuilding of Iraq could.

struggled getting through this book way too much talk of God for my liking. if you are a believer you'll probably enjoy it.

Definitely brought me back to Ramadi and a definite must read for future or newly commisioned 2nd Lieutenants.