Review Detail

A
Day in the Life of 16th Infantry Regiment

Jeff
Haley

It
was announced in January 2007 by George W Bush during a television
speech that the Surge into Iraq would be final. This action
would result in the movement of the 16^th Infantry Regiment
to Iraq that following April.

The
book The Good
Soldiers,
by David Finkel, is a description of the day to day operations of the
United States Military's Second Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment of
the Fourth Infantry Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division. In
the story David Finkel follows the soldiers daily missions in and
around Baghdad. During his stay with the Soldiers, Mr. David Finkel
witnesses what seems like hundreds of casualties on a daily basis.
The team was put into emotionally challenging situations, generally
filled with lost team members as well as IED's (Improvised Explosive
Devices). After 15 months of repetitive events, the troops finally
shipped home from what seems like an Eternity in Hell in a F***ing
Desert.

This
book is extremely graphic. If there is one thing that sets this book
apart from the next, it is the gruesome imagery and reality that does
it. In even the smallest missions, there was an underlying desire to
give as much detail as possible. Although this imagery is astounding,
the verboseness of the gore is not needed. Too many times do we get
to read about the broken limbs and ripped body parts of our soldiers.
In one particular instance, one of the Soldiers is shot in the head.
In the story he gives you every dripping detail and gory image.
Another thing is the use of language in unnecessary situations. It is
understandable why they use the curse words to express their
feelings, but some racial slurs are over the top. Besides the
points mentioned overall this book put you in the real life of a
soldier. You understand the underlying topics with a thoroughness you
could only experience elsewhere in real life. The issue of the surge
and the feelings of the towards George W Bush are worked through. You
feel as though you are coming with the team on each mission they go
on in an omniscient form. The anticipation David Finkel creates in
the reader always leaves you with a desire to keep reading. After
saying all of the following, I would recommend this book. This is a
read that a more seasoned reader could appreciate more than a young
person but it is still a good book. The use of over the top imagery
and curse words is unfortunate but it is the truth and this book
depicts it perfectly. The Good Soldiers is the perfect example of a
day in the life of the American soldier, but while you are immersed
in the real lives of our troops, take in the emotions the have to
deal with. Seeing their fellow man, riddled with bullets and close to
death is no laughing matter. This book is very very serious.