I don’t generally have high praise for the New York Times or its reporters, but on my last trip through the airport I picked up a paperback copy of Rick Atkinson’s In the Company of Soldiers. I bought it mainly because I needed something to read on the flight home, but also because I thought the author made an excellent effort in his Pulitzer Prize winning An Army at Dawn. I don’t get much of a chance between work and school to read as often as I would like, but with a few dozen pages left to go, I’m satisfied that he has put together another searching overview of an army at war. Unlike his research into the invasion of North Africa, Mr. Atkinson had the opportunity to accompany the troops of the 82nd Airborne on their drive into Iraq. While his handling of Secretary Rumsfeld and others in the senior civilian leadership is heavy handed at times, he consistently displays a respect towards the officers and soldiers of the 82nd that they so richly deserve.

At just over three hundred pages set in fairly large type, it’s an easy read and I would have liked to see a book about twice the length to really get into the meat of the stories. It’s a good book for a quick fix of military history, but not so jargon-heavy that the casual reader will be lost in its intricacies. Lots of other books in the coming years, as well as the official record of the Iraq campaign that will ultimately be written by Army historians will fill that niche.

With that being said, I recommend Soldiers to you without reservation.