The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq

The Strongest Tribe

In The Stongest Tribe, Bing West gives us what could be the definitive account of the Iraq war.

Commandant's Reading List!

I can offer only the highest praise for The Strongest Tribe. Like No True Glory before it this historical work should sit on the bookshelf of every Marine. Author Bing West vividly details the events from fall, 2006 through the middle of 2007 that led to the collapse of al Qaeda in Anbar Province. His experienced writing style will give the reader a view of the tactical and operational levels of the Marine Corps in action. From IED blasts and firefights to operational planning on a battalion scale, West has deduced his own lessons on counter-insurgency. Most of the concepts are not new. However, The Strongest Tribe will show the reader their implementation. The subsequent success in Anbar is evidence of their worth.

Great, insighful, informative on Iraq and our Men & Women involved.

I have read The Village, No True Glory..., and am about to finish The Strongest Tribe. Thank you as each are excellent. Besides being informative and insightful on the conduct of war as well as the politics the only thing Bing's books have missing is smellavision! I was a Corpsman with 2nd platoon Echo Company 2/1 later Senior Corpsman then 2/1 BAS Corpsman from 11/66-11/67. I made contact with then Capt. Zembiec and his Senior Corpsman ( Doc Jason Duty) on the run to Baghdad and in Fallujah. I sent them about 10-13 xerox boxes of various gedunk, batteries, and cigars, chewing tobacco, and cigarettes. As a result they invited me to 2/1's Ball in 2004 after they came back to California from their 04 deployment. It was my first ever Marine Ball and to do it with my old unit and these new Marines was special. I maintain contact with Doc Duty who is with an EOD unit in Coronado and I'll see him in early November when I attend Vietnam 2/1's reunion in Oceanside. Doc Jason Duty was on a year tour in Afghanistan when Major Zembiec was killed and he has been devastated that he could not attend services. When I got out of the service in 1968 I became a Physician Assistant and ended up doing 28+ years at the Dallas VA Med Center all on the Mental Health service and the last 18+ years I worked as a Counselor on the PTSD clinic. Since retiring I still meet weekly at lunch with the CO of Suicide Charlie 1/7 who supplied several men to the CAP in your book the Village. His name is Capt. Ben Goodwyn. Also with us is a Guadalcanal Corpsman and an Iwo Jima machine gunner med evac'd on day 26.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.