false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255576780m/5146351.jpg 5146351 4 Right after graduating from Princeton, Donovan Campbell, motivated by his unwavering patriotism and deep sense of faith, decided to join the service, realizing that becoming a Marine officer would allow him to give back to his country, engage in the world, and learn to lead. In this immediate, thrilling, and inspiring memoir, Campbell recounts a timeless and transcendent tale of brotherhood, courage, and sacrifice.<br><br>As commander of a forty-man infantry platoon called <i>Joker One</i>, Campbell had just months to train and transform a ragtag group of brand-new Marines into a first-rate cohesive fighting unit, men who would become his family: Sergeant Leza, the house intellectual who read Che Guevera; Sergeant Mariano Noriel, the “Filipino ball of fire” who would become Campbell’s closest confidante and friend; Lance Corporal William Feldmeir, a narcoleptic who fell asleep during battle; and a Lieutenant known simply as “the Ox,” whose stubborn aggressiveness would be more curse than blessing. <br><br>Campbell and his men were assigned to Ramadi, that capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province that was an explosion just waiting to happen. And when it did–with the chilling cries of “Jihad, Jihad, Jihad!” echoing from minaret to minaret–Campbell and company were there to protect the innocent, battle the insurgents, and pick up the pieces. After seven months of day-to-day, house-to-house combat, nearly half of Campbell’s platoon had been wounded, a casualty rate that went beyond that of any Marine or Army unit since Vietnam. Yet unlike Fallujah, Ramadi never fell to the enemy.<br><br>Told by the man who led the unit of hard-pressed Marines, <i>Joker One</i> is a gripping tale of a leadership, loyalty, faith, and camaraderie throughout the best and worst of times. 5213256 10 3 2009 Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood total:145|5:47|4:68|3:26|2:3|1:1| 145 592 356 61 4 3 false false Sun Nov 23 17:59:34 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 12 10:52:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 2 false false Thu Mar 05 22:08:31 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 22:09:22 -0800 2009 4 3 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Apr 19 03:32:43 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 03:51:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Apr 15 07:54:27 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 08:02:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sun Mar 08 08:42:50 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 08:52:25 -0700 2009 interview with the author on Fresh Air (NPR). This book reminds me of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, and John Eldredge's Wild at Heart both at the same time.

In the interview, the author shares his experience of being a platoon commander in a marine unit stationed in Ir...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Oct 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 08 19:58:52 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 01:23:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 01 07:24:03 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 08:08:16 -0700 2009 Critics praised Campbell as a gifted and deft writer who retells his Iraq tour in "powerful, exacting detail" (Dallas Morning News). While Campbell avoids much analysis of the war overall, or even his platoon's specific mission, most critics found this to be a virtue. As the New York Times...

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I just finished reading this Early Reviewer book and have mixed thoughts on it. While I know the copy I received was not the final, edited version, I found quite a few spelling and grammar mistakes. I gave this book to my brother to read. My brother i...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 13:11:24 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 13:11:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed May 20 11:33:40 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 11:44:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jan 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 05 07:41:07 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 07 12:58:32 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 12 10:31:19 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 08:54:46 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 10:31:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 06 06:37:42 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 06:21:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 21:09:32 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 21:23:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 15:36:54 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 15 14:56:17 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 19 11:46:20 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 10 15:22:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Nov 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 05 09:08:39 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 08:10:39 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Oct 25 23:18:53 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 23:18:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 22:03:13 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 22:01:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5146351