Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq by Peter R. Mansoor

From the Publisher

This compelling book presents an unparalleled record of what happened after U.S. forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003. Army Colonel Peter R. Mansoor, the on-the-ground commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division—the “Ready First Combat Team”—describes his brigade’s first year in Iraq, from the sweltering, chaotic summer after the Ba’athists’ defeat to the transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government a year later. Uniquely positioned to observe, record, and assess the events of that fateful year, Mansoor now explains what went right and wrong as the U.S. military confronted an insurgency of unexpected strength and tenacity.

Drawing not only on his own daily combat journal but also on observations by embedded reporters, news reports, combat logs, archived e-mails, and many other sources, Mansoor offers a contemporary record of the valor, motivations, and resolve of the 1st Brigade and its attachments during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Yet this book has a deeper significance than a personal memoir or unit history. Baghdad at Sunrise provides a detailed, nuanced analysis of U.S. counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, and along with it critically important lessons for America’s military and political leaders of the twenty-first century.

The Washington Post -

Mansoor's unflinching new account, Baghdad at Sunrise,…is nearly unique, because his position was rare among military memoirists. An Army colonel is the highest-ranking officer many soldiers will ever meet. He is entrusted with their leadership—and their lives. (During his year-long tour, 24 of Mansoor's soldiers died, and he is careful to mention each.) But stripped of its martial dignity and veneer, Mansoor's account reveals the colonel's role as a middle manager. He tells the story of that fateful first year of the Iraq war from the point of view of one who saw decisions being made at the highest echelons, yet led soldiers in executing those orders day by day. This is a serious book for a serious audience.

Publishers Weekly

This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a U.S. brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless-and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with "command memoirs." Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences. He presents an eloquent critique of the armed forces' post-Vietnam neglect of counterinsurgency and makes a strong case for integrating military forces with civilian experts who can aid reconstruction in counterinsurgency operations. Above all, Mansoor reasserts the enduring impact of "fog and friction" on war. There is never an easy solution, he says-or an easy exit. Maps. (Sept.)

Edwin B. Burgess - Library Journal

Colonel Mansoor was one of the officers who rewrote the counterinsurgency manual at Fort Leavenworth for General Petraeus, based in part on his experiences as a commander. His insights on this chapter of the war make up a crucial part of the history of the campaign. Important for any Iraq collection. [This reviewer oversees the library at Fort Leavenworth but did not undertake direct work for Mansoor and is not personally familiar with him.-Ed.]

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents