McCoy's Marines: Darkside to Baghdad

by John Koopman

Overview

San Francisco Chronicle reporter and marine veteran Koopman was embedded in the Third Battalion, Fourth Marines, during the most recent war in Iraq. He enjoyed a close working relationship with the CO, the battalion sergeant major, and several other members of the battalion. This didn't destroy his ability to distance himself from aspects of the military that he never liked, or from political judgments on the war. The combination of embedding and prior service did give him a rare perspective on the gritty (literally, when a sandstorm blew up) details of ground combat in Iraq and how the modern American marine relates to his buddies, his enemies, and his family back home. The conclusion of the book offers equally rare material on the nation-building efforts that continue, with sympathy for both the U.S. military and most shades of Iraqi opinion.—ALA Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616732769
Publisher:	Zenith Press
Publication date:	10/08/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

John Koopman enlisted in the Marines at 17 in 1976. A veteran journalist and editor, he is a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, and lives with his family in San Francisco.

John Koopman enlisted in the Marines at 17 in 1976. A veteran journalist and editor, he is a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, and lives with his family in San Francisco.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments: 11

Prologue: 13

Chapter 1: Growing Up 20

Chapter 2: Journalism 35

Chapter 3: Preparation For War 48

Chapter 4: Leaving Home 68

Chapter 5: Invasion 108

Chapter 6: On The March 125

Chapter 7: The Road To Diwaniyah 146

Chapter 8: The Compound 168

Chapter 9: Baghdad 190

Chapter 10: Going Home 221

Chapter 11: Back To Iraq 234

Chapter 12: Hearts And Minds 257

Chapter 13: A Totally Different War 272

Epilogue: Images Of Iraq 286

Afterword: 297

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Marine Corps Gazette, July 2005“If McCoy himself were the reviewer, I imagine he would judge this book faithful to the guidance he gave Koopman before the war.”

Los Angeles Times, Sept. 25, 2005“In McCoy’s Marines: Darkside to Baghdad, San Francisco Chronicle reporter John Koopman inserts himself into the story, and much of the book is his account of the problems, joys and fears of being an embedded reporter during the Baghdad assault in 2003. Koopman, a former Marine, had either the good luck or foresight to attach himself to one of the Marine Corps’ go-for-broke characters: then-Lt. Col. Bryan McCoy, whose radio call sign was ‘Darkside.’ It was his battalion that fought in Al Cut and then toppled Hussein’s statue in Baghdad; not for nothing is he known by other Marines as ‘Killer’ McCoy.”

Follow Me (Second Marine Division newsletter), September 2005

“War, death, pathos, personal sacrifice, courage, bravery, leadership, charisma, history…these are but a few of the issues Koopman addresses in his gripping true account of ‘McCoy’s Marines’ in Iraq”

Editorial Reviews

Follow Me (Second Marine Division newsletter), September 2005

“War, death, pathos, personal sacrifice, courage, bravery, leadership, charisma, history…these are but a few of the issues Koopman addresses in his gripping true account of ‘McCoy’s Marines’ in Iraq”

Marine Corps Gazette, July 2005
“If McCoy himself were the reviewer, I imagine he would judge this book faithful to the guidance he gave Koopman before the war.”

Los Angeles Times, Sept. 25, 2005
“In McCoy’s Marines: Darkside to Baghdad, San Francisco Chronicle reporter John Koopman inserts himself into the story, and much of the book is his account of the problems, joys and fears of being an embedded reporter during the Baghdad assault in 2003. Koopman, a former Marine, had either the good luck or foresight to attach himself to one of the Marine Corps’ go-for-broke characters: then-Lt. Col. Bryan McCoy, whose radio call sign was ‘Darkside.’ It was his battalion that fought in Al Cut and then toppled Hussein’s statue in Baghdad; not for nothing is he known by other Marines as ‘Killer’ McCoy.

From the Publisher