I have been anxious to review Donovan Campbell's book, Joker One, but have had to put some distance between the reading and the review. First, I must say that this book should be required reading for every American, no exceptions. It is easy for the general public to be "rah! rah! Let's go to war and kill those evil.....(fill in the blanks)" but the reality of war is not the romanticized, movie version, it involves boys (18-22 year olds are still boys when you have the luxury of age as a perspective) who may or may not be trained and more than likely do not have the tools they need to complete their objectives. We have not learned from the fiasco in Viet Nam when many of troops did not even have ammunition. I digress...read the book.

Having met and spent a little time with Donovan I have seen the articulate, extremely intelligent, caring, humble, thoughtful, good Christian man that he is. He is not the type of Christian who is a Bible thumper who uses his religion to hurt others but a man with a deep, abiding faith in God. One of the underlying themes of this book is how that faith is tested, questioned and rediscovered over the course of his time in the military.

Admittedly, the by the end of the book I was sobbing as Dono met with the mother of the Marine from his unit that was killed in action. I must also add that after finishing the book I went to the USA pages that detail all of those lost in the two ongoing campaigns and I looked at the pictures of those that were lost during the fire fights that were described in this book. I saw Bolding and Aldrich...handsome, very young men who paid the ultimate price for their nation and for YOU but I also took the time to look at all of those killed in that area during that time frame. Included in those men was Chance Phelps whose final journey home was detailed in the amazing movie, Taking Chance. Watch that movie! Actually seeing the young, eager, handsome faces of these men/boys that lost their lives made an already very real sense of what they encountered from reading the book that much more alive. That is a strange word describing the experience of looking at the pictures of deceased Marines but fitting. It made it more real and ultimately more devastating.

This is a love story of a leader and the love and concern he had for those serving under him. It is a testament to greatness that is often unbeknownst to those that possess it and those who have been around it until the situation arises where it can be released. Young people with virtually no life experience being able to muster courage, intelligence, prudence and self sacrifice that we often wonder if we ourselves would be capable of if the situation called for it. For the power of the human spirit to overcome conditions, both physical and mental, that would seemingly kill the average person. It is about the selfless love of sacrificing yourself to save others. Is that within you, me? I would like to hope so but you have to wonder when push comes to shove how you will react.

Young people coming of age much too early and seeing, hearing and experiencing things that will haunt them for the rest of their lives and aged them decades. The loss of youthful innocence, returning to the states a very different person then when they left and dealing with fitting in when so much of the crap that we deem important they realize means nothing in the scheme of things; being haunted by nightmares of sights and sounds, sensitive to loud noises around you...on and on. This is the reality of sending people off to fight wars...it makes it more difficult when the reasons we are there may be ridiculous and contrived for the benefit of the agenda of a few.

That brings me to Dono. He does not take time in this book to discuss his personal feelings about the war in Iraq; this was not the place for it. This was about honoring his men who fought with courage and grit. I know some of his feeling about the subject and I admire him for keeping his personal opinions out of this tribute. It would have done a disservice to his men and Dono was sensitive to that.

Read this book; it moved me, horrified me, disturbed me, and made me think about my own faith, my own courage and convictions. It is easy to impersonalize war and those who fight for us and this pulls down that curtain and makes you realize who we are sending to clean up the messes of our rich, white politicians. These are humans with human frailties and talents, personal issues and backgrounds that are so diverse and alien to one another yet they are forced to learn to trust one another with their lives. You will laugh with them with some of their antics during the few moments of "off time" as they attempt to relieve the stress of their daily existence. These are the people next door who have been called to something bigger than themselves and of the humans that are called to lead them. They are just men with insecurities, fears, talents, emotions, feelings and love...they are not killing machines that are desensitized to the realities around them. Yes, they become somewhat robotic in their approach to killing the enemy as things escalate and the reality requires them to go there to survive. The honesty with which Dono describes his own work and feelings is a testament to his humility. He could have painted himself as the "big, tough, jarhead" leader who never was fearful and led his men charging through this journey; rather he was reflective and honest about his love and concern for his men. His attempt at the balancing act required by all good leaders of being close but not too close to those under you was a constant learning curve and was helped along by some thoughtful, wise, younger Marines. The weight of carrying responsibility for human lives and the pain of losing one of his own in such a horrific manner carry a toll with it that will reside in him forever.

War is HORRIFIC! There is no other way to describe it. Those who experience it will never be the same and they lose a part of themselves they can never get back. Only those who fought together can understand what they think and feel but Joker One has made great strides in allowing those of us with the luxury of staying home and following (or not) the war from a far a look into what the realities are and the true price paid by all of those who have fought for their Nation. Thank you Dono for sharing the gift that were your men, I thank them for their service, their sacrifice, for allowing us to get to know them a bit and my thoughts and prayers are with them as they move on. To say thank you for your honesty and compassion is not enough, you have given us a gift of getting to know in a small way the men who fight for us without self promotion, exaggeration or distortion. Your service to this country was not necessary; you had many other options being a highly educated, extremely intelligent, talented human being who had the opportunity to start your professional career at very high places. You sacrificed for the greater good and to test yourself as a man and leader...you are an amazing man and I am blessed to know you.

All I can say is, READ THIS BOOK. Its incredibly well written, but more than that, it is an awe inspiring insight into what it takes to serve your country. If you know a Marine, of ang age, who fought in any war, and ever wonder why he or she cannot speak about what they edured, READ THIS BOOK. You will appreciate their silence, their courage and the guts it took to do what they did.

If you've read headlines and news of the war in Iraq over the past few years and wondered about what it was really like for the soldiers on the ground, look no further. This is a page-turner, an extremely well-written book that essentially drops you into the life of a Marine patrolling streets in Iraq. The tension and firefights that are experienced are gripping - rarely does a non-fiction book pull me in so effectively.

On a secondary level, "Joker One" provides a snapshot of the difficulties that our troops in Iraq face on a daily basis. Regardless of your views on the war, you can empathize with the difficulties that they face in trying to keep the peace, win over the Iraqi's trust, establish a new government, etc. Oh yeah, add in the insurgents and their complete lack of regard for civilians caught in the crossfire.

"Joker One" is a striking mix of tragedy, courage, leadership, etc. Read this book for a fresh appreciation of what our soldiers go through on a daily basis in combat.

As previous reviews have noted, Joker One has many exciting moments. In fact, the book gives some insight into just what it means to be in combat every single day for 7 months, by giving the reader a nonstop series of action-packed, stressful vignettes punctuated by moments of insight and dark humor. One challenge, however, is that there is so much action that sometimes the meaning is lost in the shuffle. The lesson discussed at the end of the book is great, and I definitely felt emotional effects at some of the most painful stories, but in some manner the growth of the characters wasn't as captured as it might have been. An epilogue discussing what the members of Joker One went on to do with their lives or how they lived out the lessons learned would have been appropriate. In addition, while the author's and his wife's pain at the separation was obvious, it would have been good to talk a little more about how the tour affected her, how they adjusted to the author's return, and so on.
***/4

This book was well written and gave an honest look at the life of an average soldier in Iraq. It did not denegrate our government or the military but showed the loyalty and dedication of the Marines to their oath and to each other. I felt like I personally knew the characters in the book by the time I finished reading it. I was glad that I read it.

A view of the war in Iraq and the men who fought it that you could never get from anyone else other than from a soldier who lived through it. It is an amazing story that you won't soon forget.

I always enjoyed watching videos of Marine boot camp, Marine parades and the silent platoon. This book shows work Marines really do in combat, and it's a lot less glamorous.

The author was impressed by the competence and generosity of his men, but he also tells us about "Ox" the XO who kept adding to the problems of the unit instead of solving them. We also hear about "Staff Sergeant," who's not dignified with a pseudonym and the narcoleptic Marine. In the end, the author ties everything together when he talks about the camaraderie in the platoon and the many acts of unselfishness, large and small.

I'd like to learn more about the author's re-entry into civilian life, especially at Harvard Business School. I'd be curious to know what he's doing at Pepsico and note the irony that he's working for a company that makes some food with questionable benefits.

I really liked this book. I have read some books on war. Joker One is different in that Lt. Campbell is so compassionate and sensitive to his men. The story follows the men from arrival to departure in Iraq. The story show the progressive maturity of the men as individuals and as a working platoon. I appreciated that Mr. Campbell is so well educated and probably could have stayed home, making lots of money and having early success. However, he chose to go into the Marine Corps to serve his country in a dedicated and determined way. Thank you.

Joker One is the story of a Marine platoon commander and his platoon's deployment in Ramadi in 2004. It is a great story and great read. I think you should add it to your reading list.

Donovan Campbell wanted to make his resume more impressive so he enrolled in Officers Candidate School. When he finished as Lieutenant Campbell, he did a tour of duty in Iraq as an Intelligence Officer. Like most Marines he was itching for a fight and the intelligence office was too much desk work for him. As an officer, he wanted to lead a platoon of marines.

This story starts with Lt. Campbell telling us why he made the choice to seek command, the organization of the Joker Company, meeting his troops, and forming the Joker One platoon. He takes the leadership role of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of his marines and training with them for the deployment. This leads inevitably to their deployment in the Iraqi city of Ramdadi.

Lt. Campbell comes across as one of those good leaders who realizes he is not perfect and seeks out help from those around him to make him a better leader. Much is spent telling of his personal struggles with the strain of leadership, knowing that a mistake could result in the death of one of his marines.

This story tells the classic marine complaints about not having enough of the proper equipment and living in poor conditions during deployment. Also with deployment comes the mental anguish, the ever-present risk of death and fatigue of the troops.

The book does not dwell much on political comments, other than the typical Marine comments about poor decsions coming from above. Lt. Campbell takes note of the lack of help from Iraqis even when a school of Iraqi children is blown up by insurgents. He paints a picture of how hard it is to fight a war when your enemies are not readily identifiable.

I was drawn to the book because one of my brothers is currently serving in the Marines and scheduled for deployment in a few months. I hope he is serving under a leader as good as Lt. Campbell.