reviewed by Commander Philip Kapusta
Small Wars Journal
A Review of Joker One by Donovan Campbell (Full PDF Article)
In brief, Joker One is a compelling story superbly told. Written by then First Lieutenant Donovan Campbell, the book chronicles his platoon's experiences in the cauldron that was Ramadi, Iraq in 2004. Ironically, Donovan and his platoon were afraid that they had missed the war, and when they first arrived in Ramadi, they were concerned about whether they would even qualify for Combat Action Ribbons. That worry was soon eclipsed by their struggle to stay alive, as the thinly stretched Marines found themselves in daily firefights against shadowy and surprisingly well armed insurgents. Campbell's platoon was a part of the single Marine Corps Company that prevented Ramadi from descending into the medieval chaos that enveloped the nearby city of Fallujah as the insurgency intensified throughout the country and in Al Anbar province in particular. Wisely, Campbell leaves the strategic and Washington-level analysis to others and concentrates on what he knows -- the street-level reality that was Iraq as the insurgency blossomed.
A Review of Joker One by Donovan Campbell (Full PDF Article)
