This is an accurate and well written first hand account of life in Baghdad with the military. I was there at the same time and knew all the members of the MJ 12. Every page brought back a flood of memories. I give it my highest recommendation.

A masterful storyteller, 'Top' Lynch provides an insightful look into life beyond the Green Zone. He and his team demonstrate time and time again a warrior ethos and the American fighting spirit. America should be proud to have sons and daughters in uniform like the 'Maji'. He choreographed a team of ass kickers all of whom volunteered to risk it all and do a job no one else wanted.

Master Sergeant Lynch is a confident thoughtful leader. That is one of the things I really liked about the book is how Lynch creates an environment of camaraderie, teamwork and enthusiasm within his unit. All of this while dealing with the back stabbing politics of a multinational joint forces environment. And for anyone who has ever worked for inferior bosses before, this book is for you. Top doesn't pull any punches on his thoughts or actions against the rear echelon commandos and some of the timid leadership his team had to deal with.

Any Officer or NCO could do a lot to enhance their tactical knowledge and small unit leadership in reading this book.

`The Majestic Twelve' is a book that with no holds barred, neither opinions (political or military) or in its' language describes the war in Iraq. It is from a marine's viewpoint and many of his descriptions of life describe what the ground forces face in the army too. Although one must be aware of the marine's more elite status as a force, (always has been from the draft army to the volunteer army of today).
The conflict in Iraq needs to be delved into. Master Sergeant Lynch describes having to pay $1,500 for protective plates, and fighting without the equipment he should have had. I can attest that this is all too true even from the beginning of the Gulf War, having watched good logistics men reduced to frustration and then deception to try to supply their units with what should have been theirs with no question. This book shows the real life military, not what is in the movies or even in the reporting of newsmen `on scene'. It tells the cruel truths in a readable way.
My one disagreement of Master Sergeant Lynch is with his feelings that they are looked upon as dupes serving in an illegal war - there is much anger there and it can be justified to an extent. There are always the idiots out there who will react to a uniform, but having myself and my family spit on and yelled at, at BWI airport during the Vietnam era and watching the military of today departing and coming home at that same place, there is a huge amount of support for the services today from the American people.
So if tough language and the real descriptions of what war is like and what it can do to a human's body will disturb you, then you might not find this book suitable for your reading; but as someone who has been connected with the military all their life, I wish more were aware of what the services are faced with, especially the enlisted.
With that -it is good to have a comprehensive, in depth description of war from the enlisted point of view, it is enlightening for all and it proves the maxim I was brought up with...that the sergeants should run the military. Read the book and learn the real truth.

If you have not read The Majestic Twelve it is a must read for every American. I was advised to read this book from a guy I went to high school with. He sent me an email to tell me that his cousin Bo was one of the 12 men written about in the book. As an advent reader I purchased the book and could not put it down. Like most Americans I only know what I read and see in the media. I was so overcome with emotion for this team I was up till the wee hours of the night until I was finished. I had no idea what a Marine goes though let alone one in combat. This team as well as other U.S. military are fighting for all of us and it would be an honor to know these men and women. Master Sergeant Jack W. Lynch 11 is the utmost leader that others could not only learn from but illustrates the character and skill of a true hero. The men and women who are putting their lives on the line for us everyday deserve the utmost respect,honor and awards that are truly deserving to all of them. I had no clue what is really going on with this war, the Green Zone or the Palace and the reader will get an inside view. Thank you Majestic 12 for fighting for our country, for me, my children and for my family, and thank you Sergeant Lynch for writing about it. This compelling story and the bravery of these warriors is a gift and I will cherish and honor what you have done for our country everyday.