Martin Stanton was the operations and training officer (G3) for the 2-87 battalion of the 10th Mountain Infantry Division during the United Nations Somalia operation. Stanton is a gifted writer who manages to be factual, candid, and entertaining as he describes his battalion’s experience protecting aid convoys, dealing with ever present bandits, and trying to contain riots and violent street battles between different tribes. The book starts with Stanton describing how the division and his battalion were structured (which I found very informative). The author gives a concise and insightful history of modern Somalia (which alone makes the book worth reading). Stanton provided me with an accurate analysis of why the Somalia mission was doomed to failure. Finally, the book describes Stanton’s battalion’s difficult, confused mission (which was hindered by the restrictions that prevented some of the battalion’s units from being deployed to Somalia).