Forrest's Reviews > No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah

"In war, Authority and responsibility should reside in the same organization."

CHAOS - This is a riveting and detailed account of Fallujah, the political brawl down to the horrors of battle.

The author provides a wide scope of the Battles for Fallujah from the perspective of the top brass including CENTCOM, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the fledgling new post-Saddam Iraqi government, and the individual generals, commanders, and soldiers on the ground. This book covers the period of time soon after the overthrow of Saddam's regime, beginning when three former military Blackwater Contractors were murdered, burned, mutilated and hung from a bridge in Fallujah. Fallujah was also a major hub for extremists, the recruitment center for local and foreign insurgents, and bomb making capital that produced the deadly IED's that led to the deaths of so many of our troops. To make matters worse, the city is filled with hundred's of mosques. Due to established Rules Of Engagement (ROE's) that prohibited the targeting of mosques or even entry by non-Islamic allies, they were ideal locations for terrorists to safely and quietly recruit and deploy death upon our troops.

The author specifically follows the Marines and writes extensively of General James Mattis (Mad Dog), his heroic actions and the manner in which he would insert himself into battle.


Discusses the diplomat challenges in Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Another major subject were the decisions made by Paul Bremer, administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). He was responsible for disbanding Iraqi police force, members of the former military and professionals who were previously members of the Baath party during Saddam's reign. These decisions made by Bremer we're very unpopular and counterproductive. This led to the rise of the insurgency following Saddam's disposal. Iraq's most skilled and experienced military and civilians and operators were immediately out of work, regardless of what solidarity they may ore may not have had with their former leaders. The chaos that ensued was a major contributing factor behind the violence and unrest that led to the first and following invasions of Fallujah.

How the Press Poorly Portrayed Iraq
"The Western Press covered incidents of misconduct more full than the multiple instances of bravery such as that of Sgt Norwood. The stupid corrupt acts of Abu Ghraib prison cast a shadow over the decency of hundreds of thousands of other soldiers."

Al Jazeera engaged in information warfare and false and misleading propaganda for the benefit of the insurgents. "Al Jazeera's repeated assertion of horrendous civilian casualties, buttressed by selected pictures evoked sympathy and anger in Iraq and worldwide."

"The singular lesson from Fallujah is clear. When you send our soldiers into battle, let them finish the fight. Ordering the Marines to attack, then calling them off, then dithering, then sending them back in constituted a flawed set of strategic decisions. American soldiers are not political bargaining chips."

General James Mattis
"The General (James Mattis) traveled light, with three or four Humvees and a command LAV (light assault vehicle) outfitted with six radios... more than once Mattis was thrown out (during sharp turns). The men enjoyed moving with Mattis. They saw the countryside and they saw action. They were hit three times by IED's and fought off two ambushes, losing one Marine and having three injured. Some on the staff believed the insurgents were targeting Mattis, who shrugged off the warnings. In an LAV he could move around, stopping wherever he wanted, without covering anyone in dust with the backwash from a helicopter. Mattis never mentioned the attacks. "

The Gore of Battle
"At a few places, they had left the dead where they had fallen. When Corporal Villalobos of Batallion 3/4 had shot up cars careening toward his position, one of the drivers lay out in the field where he had been shot, unattended. The body, black with flies had swelled and split apart, the stink of rotting death wafting into the house where Villalobos and his squad lived. They doused the body with gasoline and tried to burn it which only increased the mess. A dog carried off a roasted thigh.