Imperial Grunts, The American Military on the Ground by Robert D. Kaplan; 2005; 421 pages; Random House, New York, NY; 1-4000-6132-6; 8/13-8/21

Robert Kaplan travels the globe meeting real soldiers and marines.  He did not hang with a bunch of REMF but hung with the troops on the front lines in many different places from Colombia to the Philippines, to Afghanistan to Iraq.  He did not talk to them and then let them go out and debrief when they got back.  He went out on operations with them and was embedded with them eating MRE’s and sleeping on the ground with them.  He was there as the bullets were flying, in Fallujah with the Marines in 2003.  He wanted to see what it was like to be the tip of the spear that is wielded by those in D.C., sees how the troops have to deal with all the political correctness and innumerable rules that have flowed down hill like so much *&(#.  I believe that he provides an accurate picture of those in the military and why they do what they do.  This is the first in a multi volume set that will deal with the American military.  RRRR