Rating: 
Summary: War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Review: I received the book on time. Although I bought the book used, it looked brand-new. I was very satisfied with my purchase experience.
Rating:
Summary: Historically accurate!
Review: I served with the Marines in this Operation and can say from personal experience that this book is 100% dead on accurate. A great account of the war from a great American!
Rating: 
Summary: War truth or fiction? Words from a Soldier
Review: It is so important for the stories of our military men and women to be shared to honor their efforts, sacrifice, and selfless service to this country. Many books have been published that have done just that. However, in reading this book, I am concerned that the truth is not always being told. I know a soldier that is written about in one of the passages of this book. I wish I could say that the passage honored him and his unit for their efforts in evacuating over 740 soldiers, Iraqi's, and reporters in the first 4 months of their deployment, but it didn't. In reading pages 99 through 101 you will see a story that is so out of line that if you knew what really happened you would be stunned. What really happened? Oliver North and two members of a MEDEVAC team (Medical Evacuation by Air Ambulance) talked about a sensitive issue. This was an issue concerning the evacuation of a Navy Corpsman who had been killed in action. In his book, North describes a scene where he was outraged and attempted to assault an Army aviator. In reality, there was no roughing up and no shouting, just a calm conversation. What was requested was just not possible at that particular time due to a sand storm and other, more urgent patients. The MEDEVAC crew actually has a picture of this meeting. North and one crewmember even shook hands before he walked away. For him to have requested the movement of a KIA at that time shows that he has little knowledge of MEDEVAC operations. Regardless of what he says in his book, no aircraft launched that day, not even the aircraft that North was flying in. North got involved in a military issue when it wasn't his place, and has now created a fictitious account of an event that makes himself look like a tough guy and discredit an innocent group of soldiers who may have at one time respected him. We will never know if all the accounts in this book are true. I really hope that most of them are, because there are about 140 soldiers from this Medical Company and others in the MEDEVAC community who are insulted and hurt by the passage written in this book. I would hate to see other soldiers feel this way after sacrificing time away from their families and possibly their own lives during this conflict. This Medical Company did a superior job evacuating soldiers, Iraqi's and even reporters during a difficult time. North has essentially defiled these efforts and made a group of soldiers who put forth their best efforts to protect the injured seem crude and thoughtless. It's a shame.
Rating:
Summary: NORTH GETS IT RIGHT!
Review: LtCol North gets it right in this book! Unfortunately, unlike a soldier from Columbus, GA who wrote the review dtd 16 January. The soldier impugns the veracity of LtCol North's account of the evacuation of a dead corpsman. How do I know what really happened? I am the pilot who DID evacuate the corpsman, and I can vouch for the version in the book. The statistics of the Medical Company in question have little or no bearing on whether this happened like North says it did. The Company should be offended at the actions of one of their own members, and not at North for telling the truth. While there are minor inaccuracies in this book, (e.g., he lists my unit as Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 when it was actually 269) they are not substantive, nor do they alter the gist of the individual stories. This is a great read - LtCol North got it right! Major Timothy Kolb
Rating:
Summary: A Soldier's Story
Review: Oliver North's "War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom" is a straightforward and compelling view into the Iraqi war as told through the eyes and voices of the young American's who were fighting it. This is as refreshingly-far from the armchair generals and TV talking-head analysts as one can get, providing unique insight into what was happening as seen by North while embedded with the Marines as they fought their way from Kuwait to Baghdad to Tikrit in March-April, 2003. Told in a series of vignettes - "sitreps" in mil-speak" - Retired Marine Colonel North relates the story as he sees it, depending more on the perspective of the enlisted men than of the senior officers of his unit. North captures the details of day-to-day life in desert, where sacrifices are routine and acts of heroism common and mostly unsung. He delivers these tales with straight prose and clinical precision, resisting any temptation to sensationalize or to evoke pity. It is an honest and unvarnished view of the Iraq war, at least as seen through the rather narrow sights of the unit with which North traveled. (In fact, as North notes frequently, he and he troops on the ground had scant insight to the progress of the war in the "big picture". An occasional opportunity to catch a Fox News transmission were their best sources of intelligence). It is unfortunate that some will dismiss or disparage this fine documentary simply because they disagree with Oliver North's political views. I happen to believe that Colonel North is an inspiration and a great American, but notwithstanding, "War Stories" is a powerful first-hand portrayal of one of the most important historical events of our time. If not for North, then read it as a tribute to our young volunteer armed forces who have sacrificed so much.
Rating:
Summary: A Soldier's Story
Review: Oliver North's "War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom" is a straightforward and compelling view into the Iraqi war as told through the eyes and voices of the young American's who were fighting it. This is as refreshingly-far from the armchair generals and TV talking-head analysts as one can get, providing unique insight into what was happening as seen by North while embedded with the Marines as they fought their way from Kuwait to Baghdad to Tikrit in March-April, 2003. Told in a series of vignettes - "sitreps" in mil-speak" - Retired Marine Colonel North relates the story as he sees it, depending more on the perspective of the enlisted men than of the senior officers of his unit. North captures the details of day-to-day life in desert, where sacrifices are routine and acts of heroism common and mostly unsung. He delivers these tales with straight prose and clinical precision, resisting any temptation to sensationalize or to evoke pity. It is an honest and unvarnished view of the Iraq war, at least as seen through the rather narrow sights of the unit with which North traveled. (In fact, as North notes frequently, he and he troops on the ground had scant insight to the progress of the war in the "big picture". An occasional opportunity to catch a Fox News transmission were their best sources of intelligence). It is unfortunate that some will dismiss or disparage this fine documentary simply because they disagree with Oliver North's political views. I happen to believe that Colonel North is an inspiration and a great American, but notwithstanding, "War Stories" is a powerful first-hand portrayal of one of the most important historical events of our time. If not for North, then read it as a tribute to our young volunteer armed forces who have sacrificed so much.
Rating: 
Summary: These Are Book Reviews Not Political Statements
Review: Ollie North is not a literary heavyweight but lets give the guy some credit. He went over to Itaq under difficult wartime conditions, ducking bullets, putting himself in harms way and came up with a first hand account of the war in Iraq. It is a creible effort from a guy with military experience. The book is a reasonable effort for what he is trying to do. I think that should merit 3-4 stars so lets give him a 4 star. Jack in Toronto
Rating:
Summary: WTF?
Review: Ollie North, distinguished in war as he may be, was shown to be a criminal who has the ability and does lie to Congress, as evidenced in the Iran-Contra hearings. His viewpoints on anything beyond why he isn't in jail are not taken kindly.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book that tell what really happened during the war
Review: Ollie writes about what really happened during the war, and what the liberal media does not want you to know. In thi book you'll read about the battles we won, during what was the most sucessful military operations in world history! Don't be fooled by negative reviews about this book, they are by liberals who have not even read the book. They WANT TO KEEP YOU FROM KNOWING THE TRUTH!
Rating:
Summary: too few stories ...
Review: To truly inform readers, especially those who are US tax-payers, North should have given serious attention to why so many average, non-Baathist Iraqis seem to see the US military and its allies as occupiers rather than as liberators and why so many US soldiers, stationed in Iraq, do not plan on remaining within the military upon the completion of their required time of government service.
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