The Good Soldiers

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The Good Soldiers
The Good Soldiers, 1st Edition Hardcover.jpg
The Good Soldiers first edition cover.
Author David Finkel
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Non-Fiction
Publisher Picador USA
Publication date
January 1, 2009
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Amazon Kindle
iBooks (electronic)
iTunes (audio book)
Pages336
ISBN 0312430027
Followed by Thank You for Your Service  

The Good Soldiers (2009) is a non-fiction book about the 2007 troop surge in Iraq written by David Finkel, chronicling the deployment of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed "Rangers", under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The story follows Kauzlarich as he experiences the reality of war, and loses soldiers for the first time.

Contents

Background

In 2007 David Finkel embedded with 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, also known as the "2–16 Rangers", as they worked to stabilize a portion of Baghdad. During this time he witnessed first hand the realities of war and the toll it takes on those who engage in it. Using his experience reporting on the United States activities in Yemen, David Finkel writes on the then ongoing Iraq War from the focused perspective of a single U.S. Army Infantry Battalion.

Reception

The Good Soldiers is a recipient of the ALA Alex Award (2010) [6] and the Cornelius Ryan Award. [7]

Related Research Articles

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The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operations to seize terrain. These operations can be conducted by mobile teams covering large distances, fighting behind enemy lines, and working in austere environments with limited or degraded infrastructure. Its unique battlefield mobility and high level of training have kept it in the vanguard of U.S. land combat forces in recent conflicts: for example, foreign internal defense and counterterrorism operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan in 2015–2016, and in Syria, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2018–2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Infantry Division (United States)</span> Active US Army formation

The 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) is a combined arms division of the United States Army based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. It is a subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps under U.S. Army Forces Command. Its current organization includes a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, two armored brigade combat teams, one infantry brigade combat team, one aviation brigade, a division artillery, a sustainment brigade and a combat sustainment support battalion along with a maneuver enhancement brigade. The division has a distinguished history, having seen active service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Global War on Terror. The Medal of Honor has been awarded to 61 members of the 3rd Infantry Division, making the division the most honored in the Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Infantry Division (United States)</span> US Army combat formation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 16th Infantry Regiment is a regiment in the United States Army and has traditionally been a part of the 1st Infantry Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Finkel</span> American journalist

David Louis Finkel is an American journalist. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006 as a staff writer at The Washington Post. As of January 2017, he was national enterprise editor at the Post. He has also worked for the Post's foreign staff division. He wrote The Good Soldiers and Thank You for Your Service. He is a 2012 MacArthur Fellow.

The 64th Armor Regiment is an armor regiment of the United States Army, organized under the United States Army Regimental System. It is descended from the 758th Tank Battalion (Light) that served in the Italian campaign during World War II. Redesignated as the 64th Tank Battalion, it was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division during the Korean War and it spent most of the Cold War stationed in West Germany before elements were transferred to Ft. Stewart, Georgia in the late 1990s. The regiment participated in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Desert Fox, Desert Spring, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 1st Battalion, 153d Infantry Regiment , is an infantry battalion of the Arkansas Army National Guard, headquartered at Malvern, assigned to the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 1–153rd has deployed companies in support of the Multi-National Security Force to Bosnia and to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Southern Watch. 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry has twice deployed as a battalion for Operation Iraqi Freedom, once from 2004–05 and a second time in 2008. The battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for the period, 17 March 2004 – 23 March 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

3rd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment was a United States infantry battalion, headquartered at Warren, Arkansas, assigned to the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Arkansas Army National Guard until it was deactivated on 5 September 2005. The history of the 3rd Battalion, 153rd Infantry as an individual battalion begins with the reorganization of the 39th Infantry Division in 1967 and the creation of the 39th Infantry Brigade (Separate). For history of the 3rd Battalion prior to 1967, see 153rd Infantry Regiment and 39th Infantry Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">32nd Field Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 32nd Field Artillery Regiment is a distinguished and highly decorated field artillery regiment of the United States Army, first Constituted in 1918.

References

  1. Bancroft, Colette (2009-11-20). "'The Good Soldiers' follows deployment of an infantry regiment during the Iraq War surge". St. Petersburg Times.
  2. Finkel, David (2010-04-06). "U.S. gunfire kills two Reuters employees in Baghdad". Washington Post.
  3. Finkel, David (2009-09-15). The Good Soldiers . Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN   978-0-374-16573-4.
  4. Finkel, David (2009-12-10). "The Good Soldiers (excerpt)". National Public Radio.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. Abel, David (2009-10-14). "The suffering behind 'the surge' in Iraq". Boston Globe.
  6. "ALA Alex Award Winners". goodreads. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  7. "The Cornelius Ryan Award 2009". opcofamerica.org. April 22, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2020.