I guess I should start off by saying that I served under Lt. Col. Sassaman's command during OIF 1. I've always told my family and friends that I am proud to have served under him. I ended up reading the book in a single sitting. I feel that the information provided in the book was accurate and actually captured some of the views of the soldiers under his command. Sassaman was well liked by his men, and better yet trusted.

I believe in my heart that the We, under his command, did what was necessary to at least have a fighting chance. Combat is an ugly nasty beast. War hasn't changed since men started waging it, just the means of fighting it has. Combat/War has unfortunately always meant the death of innocent people. That's right, great grandpa in WWI, grandpa in WWII, dad in Vietnam...it hasn't changed. It's a sad truth and American's need to wake up and realize that.

I'm glad this book was published, I'm not ashamed of the things I did over there. Further more, I am glad to have something to show/pass down to my family, I just wish I could get it signed.

Fighting Eagles!!!!
Wolverine 6D/Rock 6G

Sassaman will do almost anything to avoid taking responsibility for his own failure of leadership. He flails around blaming anyone and everyone around him. The fact remains that he was in charge and failed to provide the needed oversight to prevent his men from murdering Iraqi civilians. The buck stops at the man in charge even if he's desperate to blame everyone else. Do not buy, it's a waste of time.

Should be called Moaning King...So you went back from the first class cabin, huh? TO check on the men...Such leadership... So many facts wrong... The 2nd Battalion of the 503rd REGIMENT not division is bad enough but and no MP's with them...

An absolutely misleading and horrible read...

I know warriors sir... You are not that.

Based on the book alone, I think Lt. Col. (ret.) Sassaman has created a compelling story of his Army career and experiences as a mechanized infantry battalion commander in Iraq. However, when reading "tell all" autobiographies, I am always leery of how much the ego and self-interest plays into it. Sassaman blisters his brigade commander relentlessly, but this is all the word of one man and his own POV.

The reviews are telling, though. Several of his former officers/soldiers have praised him and his leadership, so you can make the case that much of what he says in the book is true, and that he believes in his heart that he did the right things.

What military professionals are going through these days is a far cry from the peacetime armed forces of the 80's and 90's, and the kinds of moral and ethical dilemmas Sassaman faced have proven to be the undoing of others across the various services. It's always easy to play armchair general, so I respect the colonel's service and his attempt to tell his story. Not having served in his unit, I can only take him at his word.

I found the book to flow well and it certainly kept my attention throughout. His descriptions and images are pretty accurate given that I served in the same part of Iraq a little more than a year after he returned to the States.

The bottom line for me is that while I think it is a good book and interesting read, I would caution those unfamiliar with the military/army and the war in Iraq to not take this as an absolute rendering of what has happened. For those in opposition to the war, this is something to latch onto as proof of failed foreign policy, but every single battalion and brigade AO is different, and all meet with different results. Painting his account as the definitive Iraqi war story is a mistake- this is just part of the mosaic, and you should also read Tom Ricks's "Fiasco", David Bellavia's "House To House", Jim Lacey's "Takedown" and Michael Yon's Moment of Truth in Iraq" to gain a different perspective.

My fear is that someone reads "Warrior King" and decides in his or her own mind that this is the way it is all around the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan and that is simply not so. I have served under some amazing brigade and battalion commanders, and there are a lot of good stories coming out of Iraq as well. Knowledge is power.

Sassaman's book is a worthy read, but he clearly has an agenda, and the way he goes after his superiors is something to be noted. How much of it is absolute honesty, and how much of it is self-serving revisionist history is a question only the author can answer.

This is certainly a passionate book about one Soldier and officer/s experience in war. My role in this war was the director of plans for the commander of land forces in 2002/03. My feeling on reading this book is that the truth is somewhere in the middle. I do not know LTC Sassaman. I do know now BG Rudesheim. He is a good man and a good Soldier. I was not there in theater when these incidents occured. what this book points out is that war is a cruel business and not to be taken lightly. We citizens should consider the cost of war and ask questions of our leaders before and during war. If there are questions or incosistencies in the rationale for war we are obligated tobring these up. Many people accept the assertion that there was no planning for what to do after our forces got to Baghdad. I assure you that there was a plan. The question is why was there no follow through. Sassaman does a credible job in presenting his version of the events in one area during one period during the on going war. I urge peple to read MORE about this tough war and about the Soldiers Marines Sailors and Airmen who are fighting it. Remember though that one man or woman/s experience in this war cannot be THE definitive work on it.

LTC Sassaman's book, The Warrior King, was an insightful book that was helpful to our family to see a picture of what is really going on in the Iraq War. Just watching the news and reading the newspaper does not portray the real story. It is a shame that LTC Sassaman's career was ruined by the combination of the administration's failure to set forth proper goals for winning the war, failure to set rational policies for rebuilding Iraq, the Army's willingness to sacrifice one of it's top soldiers in an effort to have better public relations regarding detainee abuse and Colonel Rudesheim's policies of appeasement and "offend no Iraqi's" in the midst of the supposed war.

It saddens me that someone with the character and heart of a Warrior, like LTC Sassaman , isn't being honored. He should be a General by now.

The Bush Administration and the military's complete lack of planning regarding the occupation, rebuilding and departure from Iraq is appalling.

This book should be required reading for all high school students!!! Kudos to you Nathan Sassaman, for sharing your story. Can't wait to see it on the Big Screen!!

In another war, Nate Sassaman's aggressive leadership would have merited a statue somewhere. Instead, as "the right warrior for the wrong war," his career was sacrificed to satisfy the needs of an army obsessed with appearances instead of winning. His is a story of brave men faced with hardship and hostility, having to make snap decisions in the heat of combat, only to be second-guessed by careerist officers sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of their offices. The parallel to big city police forces does not go unnoticed - "there is no war right now," he writes. "It's law enforcement, and we're losing ten, fifteen soldiers a week to law enforcement." If you oppose the war, you need to read the book to appreciate the sort of people we send over to fight it; if you support the war, you need to read it to understand why LTC Sassaman, a true warrior, writes, "Bring the soldiers home - now. Start today."

The U.S. military is often viewed by many people that have never served as being a monolithic organization. This couldn't be further from the truth. Because in reality it's nothing more then a beauracratic leviathon. LTC Sassaman does an excellent job of showing the reader how having this sad reality naturally present can become a grave achilles heel in a nation's larger foreign policy when it's combined with a disengenious political idealogy.

I could not put the book down...It captured my heart and gave me a new perspective on the war,the people in Iraq,and our military.I think it takes great courage to speak the truth and share an experience such as this. Nate has done it in a profound way and has obviously put his heart and soul into this book. My heart goes out to every soldier serving in Iraq and I think every American needs to read this book.
I have to make a comment about the fallen soldiers,first my heart and prayers are with the families(I can only imagine the heartache).Second,I know Nate personally and I know his intent for dedicating his book to them was for no other reason than to give respect and honor where it is due.I think people need to understand that many lives and families have experienced great pain from this war.If you can some how use it to help others through their pain, then it becomes a labor of love and hopefully great healing. I believe that not only every American needs to read this book but also every leader in our government.

I served with LTC Sassaman during the time this book covers. It is accurate, well written, and reminds me of what an excellent leader LTC Sassaman is. I learned more about leadership by working for him than from any book or class available to me. I am proud that he has told our story and I am proud to say I was a part of it. I will always consider him my Battalion Commander and would follow him anywhere even to this day.

Warrior King is a compelling story and one that everyone must read...especially those of us who have no earthly idea what really goes on in combat situations. It opened my eyes to what has happened and still could be happening in the war in Iraq.(without getting bogged down with too much military terminology) It gave me perspective of how leadership at every level really does affect the outcome of a war and those caught in the middle pay a heavy price. I am inspired and challenged by the strong and courageous leadership of Nate Sassaman and determination to win and bring all those serving under him home.(with the exception of two) I want to thank him and every soldier who has served so bravely on the battlefield. This is a story that needs to be told and causes us to reexamine why and how we fight any war and potentially could bring about needed change in the military. Don't miss it!!

Sassaman dedicates this book to my beloved nephew, Eric Paliwoda, and another soldier, both of whom died under Sassaman's command in Iraq. He then proceeds to insult my family, in particular my sister and brother-in-law, people he has met for less than five minutes in his entire life. The descriptions of his contact with them (which did not occur until eighteen months after my nephew's death), their political views and relationship to my nephew, and the circumstances of the Army's non-notification of my nephew's death (in fact, my niece, Eric's sister, is the one the Army finally notified - she had to tell her parents their son was dead) are inaccurate, misleading and omit facts.

There was no attempt made by anyone connected with this book, either Sassaman, Layden or the publisher, to contact my family and verify any of this information, let alone to have the common decency to see if we wanted him to discuss this matter in a for-profit book.

We are outraged, disgusted and hurt by Sassaman's cruel and vicious invasion of our family's privacy. Why would someone who claimed to be my nephew's friend suddenly attack his parents in writing? People he hardly knows and who have done nothing to him. If he thinks that Eric would support what he has done, then he never knew him at all.

Stop exploiting my nephew's tragic death for commercial purposes, Sassaman. Stop hurting my family. Eric does not belong to you - he belongs to us. He was our life. Where have you been every birthday, and Christmas, and anniversary, as we suffered and mourned? Suddenly, years later, you appear to bring more pain and anguish to our family. What kind of human being would do what you have done to a dead soldier's family? It is disgusting beyond words. And you dare speak of betrayal?

A brutally honest betrayal of life in a war that a president and congress have no idea on what to do next in? Are we in it to win it or are we just occupying space. Nate Sassaman pulls no punches when describing how he entered a war zone with the idea that he was there to win only to find out through the unnecessary deaths and casualities of his men that there was no real plan on how to achieve, or even define, victory. The American government and military should be ashamed for sending our men into battle with no clear definition or plan to win. War is ugly and violent and our soldiers are having their throats cut by the very politicians and leaders who send them into battle.

This book should be required reading for every politician, general, and soon to be enlisted man in the military. I could not put it down as it was stimulating, frightening, and incredibly honest.

Soldiers with the courage and honesty of Nate Sassaman should be awarded promotions and career advancement as well as financial incentives to entice them into continuing their military service. They should not be subjected to second guessing and monday morning quarterbacking by people who have never dirtied their clothes on a battlefield.

Read this book and most importantly have your friends and neighbors read it as well.