Rating: 
Summary: These Were the Best of Times, These Were the Worst of Times
Review: "One weekend a month, your a**", a sign seen by Rick Atkinson, at the end of his assignment, as embedded reporter for the "The Washington Post" with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. A foretelling of the mindset of the American soldier after months of war.Rick Atkinson was a staff writer and senior editor for The Washington Post for twenty years. His many awards include the Pulitzer Prize for journalism and history, and he is a best selling author of "An Army At Dawn" and "The Long Grey Line".
He has written an extraordinary account of his days with the 101st Airborne Division. In late February 2003, Rick found himself at Fort Campbell, Kentucky learning the ins and outs of warfare and how to protect himself from weapons of mass destruction and chemical warfare.
He was granted complete access to the commanders and the troops of the 101st. He saw first hand the preparations in Kuwait through the occupation of Baghdad. He was able to meet with Major General David Petraeus, on daily basis, often spent days with him. Gen. Major Petraeus was called "the most competitive man on the planet", and he would often challenge his troops to pushup contests, which he always won. This is a man to be admired- he ran a 'tight ship" and would suffer no fools. Rick Atkinson also spent time with the regular soldiers, learning their stories, and reading the emails from their families. From February 2003 through the end of April 2003, Atkinson spent time with the 17,000 soldiers in combat. He tells their stories of battle and the challenges they faced with the hostile environment. Atkinson tells the story of the Muslim soldier who fragged his colleagues and killed one of the officers. This was the first casualty of Major General Petraeus's command, and was a somber, telling event. Monday, April 14, the Pentagon declared an end to major operations in Iraq. The military success of the early Spring threatened by the end of the year to become a politico-military morass. As I sit typing this, the war continues with fierce fighting. At the beginning of the war, 20% of the active-duty Army was deployed it Iraq, two years later the figure has climbed to nearly 50% with the National Guard and Reserves just as strained. When will this end? The Pentagon expects to keep 100,000 men in Iraq through 2006. Rick Atkinson has written a life altering novel for him and for us. The war has indeed come into our living rooms- this book is recommended heartily. prisrob
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: After reading "The March Up" and "Boots on the Ground" I found Rick Atkinson's, "In the Company of Soldiers" a profound disappointment. Though it is well written, it lingers with a dull spark of high expectations. It is further dampened by Mr. Atkinson's petty observations about President George Bush. If readers desire a solid story, I am inclined to direct you to "Blinded by the Sunlight" and "A Fist in the Hornet's Nest."
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Summary: Great For Drives To Work
Review: After reading a glowing review of the full book in the NY Times, I sent this CD to my son, a naval officer on active duty. He's well read on defense and security issues. He told me that he thoroughly enjoyed listening to this going to and from work. He told me that the author is the reader on the CD and does a fine job. The chronological narrative permits one to start and stop without losing much in comprehension.
Rating: 
Summary: Unprofessional, but worthwhile
Review: Although I haven't read any other books by Rick Atkinson, I have no doubt that he is an excellent writer, but in this case, he let his personal feelings of disdain for the Bush administration overshadow his professionalism. In some cases, for instance the latrine grattiti, he purposely distorts the attitudes of our military troops to make his point "that President Bush deceived the American public." He had a unique opportunity to really show what it is like to be an American soldier in combat, but he fell short. I say this because I've spent over 20 years in the US Military and have been very heavily involved for the past three years with Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The troops out here have been and still are very excited about helping the Iraqis to share the same freedoms we have in America. Many of the troops I deal with daily volunteer to extend because they feel they're making a difference and they enjoy the challenges of the combat environment.
Rating:
Summary: Well written but a misnomer
Review: An incredibly readable and fluid account of the Screaming Eagles' trek to war. Atkinson put you there on the ground, describing the action, moods, tactics, and drama in vivid and poetic detail.
Without dumbing down his writing, Atkinson deftly introduces the military to lay people in a "The Army for Dummies" format, without overusing the particular jargon, slang and lingo only soldiers would understand.
This is a keen view from the top, with MG Petraeus playing the starring role in a decidely un-general officer-like manner, undistilled and full of candor. From the perspective of the division commander, we get an atypical view of war: from the middle managers who must put our men in the path of harm.
It is this particular aspect which is somewhat unpredicted given the title. The title suggests a "troop level" perspective while Atkinson stays primarily with the division commander, his deputies, and the brigade commanders which provides a limited, albeit rare, view of light infantry combat. Instead it gives us a glimpse of the challenges and highlights of putting a 10,000 man division to war.
The only other distraction is the author's political views which appear sporadically. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised given his place of employment, but Atkinson's criticism of the Bush administration are typically without a bigger context and these snipings don't seem to serve any purpose than to let us know which side of the voting line he lies.
Regardless, an accomplished work that will impress the soldier and citizen alike.
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Summary: twenty-one gun salute to the 101st Airborne
Review: As an embedded journalist with the 101st Airborne ("Band of Brothers" fame), Pulitzer Prize winning correspondent and military historian Richard Atkinson provides a deep look at the Iraq War from the perspective of the American troops. Though the concentration is more on the field grade officers, no one seems to have been left out of this effort. Readers learn how the soldier sees things whether it is equipment and supply shortages or overages (sounds contradictory, but is a big concern) or the individual and group safety in a hostile environs. Mr. Atkinson furbishes insight from the moment the division is called up to leave Fort Campbell to deploy to the desert until the capture of Baghdad when the author returns to the states. Military history buffs will realize that the author salutes the army for their superb efforts to win a war while fighting nature and preventing civilian casualties though not all went well. IN THE COMPANY OF SOLDIERS: A CHRONICLE OF COMBAT is clearly anti this war yet fully supportive of the soldiers that the books raves about as courageous, sincere, and capable. Mr. Atkinson condemns the administration for lack of logistical planning and for its rationale for armed combat (being revised by the winners to we did right removing an abusive dictator; if that was the cause then the administration should have taken that thesis to the American people). Rumsfeld bashing aside, Mr. Atkinson clearly congratulates the deserving 101st with a twenty-one gun salute. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: Mediocre Journalism, Not History
Review: As opposed to earlier selections from Atkinson's works, In The Company of Soldiers falls far short as a work of serious historical perspective. Like much of what passes as journalism today, Atkinson's effort seems more preoccupied with conveying his opinion than with informing the reader with an accurate account of the events. With the exception of an overreliance on military parlance, the book is well written and engaging. Regrettably, Atkinson ruins the experience by continually interjecting a few themes that have no place in the book. The first and most annoying is his opinion on the veracity of our current politcal leadership. If Atkinson wants to wax on about the veracity of the President, fine. But do it on Crossfire, not in a chronicle about the 101st Airborne. Second, the reader is apparently supposed to appreciate just how witty he remained throughout the saga. He quotes himself incessantly, often to record the wittiness of his quips for the ages. Finally, the reader cannot escape the clumsy intent of the author to convince us that the soldiers liked him, accepted him, and respected him. Atkinson clearly has multiple agendas, and providing an undistracted, straightforward chronicling of the events is not the primary one. For a noted historian and Pulitzer Prize winner (he reminds us) it is all unbecoming, but unfortunately, among journalism of today, not at all uncommon.
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Summary: Great book....one concern
Review: As usual, Atkinson writes a riveting story. His style is the type that keeps me up late into the night. This is a very readable and informative account of Operation Iraqi Freedom from the vantage point of the 101st Division Staff. Good coverage of the progress of the war, if a bit brief. I would recommend this book. My concern is, it appeared to me, as a reader of all of Atkinson's books, that he was trying to attain some level of credibility with the "Liberal Establishment" by tossing out random pot shots at President Bush. My concern was validated, when, a few days after I finished reading the book, NPR News gave him a prime time interview (a plug) as an expression of approval. In any case, good book and I look forward to his next.
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Summary: Pedestrian, limited in its view and a bit biased
Review: Atkinson was a stafsf writer and senior editor at The Washington Post for 20 years. He has written several other books. This one recounts his experience as an embedded journalist with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. In particular, Atkinson follows Major General David Petraeus, commanding general of the 101st. His subject is perhaps his misfortune. Atkinson's view is both from the top down and the peripherary, since the 101st was employed primarily in a supporting role. The overall result is a portrait of a commanding general with a broader overview of the entire Iraq campaign grafted to it. The book is well-written, interesting but ultimately unsatisfying in some ways. There is little feeling of the struggle inherent to any military campaign and essentially no connection with the individual soldiers fighting the war. This definitely is not Ernie Pyle. Atkinson, unfortunately, mars this pedestrian account with the seemingly mandatory "told you so" about the aftermath of the campaign. His critique seems a bit strained and out of place in a book that is ostensibly about the campaign itself. That said, reading "In The Company Of Soldiers" left me eager to read "An Army At Dawn," Atkinson's history of the campaign in North Africa. I think, frankly, that may be a better canvas for his skills. Jerry
Rating:
Summary: "The March Up" is a far better book
Review: Atkinson's book is far more about his experience as an embedded reporter than a work of military history. There is virtually no discussion of tactics, and his contact was limited mostly to the division commander and his staff, with little input from the soldiers on the point of the spear. This book does not approach the standard of An Army At Dawn. By contrast, The March Up explains how the Marines actually fought the Iraqis, and is more about the Marine infantrymen than about the author or the brass.
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