Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death

Jim Frederick's "Black Hearts" chronicles two headline-grabbing, extremely negative events from the Iraq War in 2006: the ambush and murder of three 101st Screaming Eagles soldiers near Yusufiyah and then the news of a horrific murder-rape of a teenage Iraqi girl, who was murdered along with her parents and five-year-old sister by four troops from the same unit.I had just returned from a combat tour in Iraq in late 2005, and was therefore intrigued by the backstory of the two events not so evident in the immediate news accounts and coverage of the soldiers' violent deaths and those of the Iraqi civilians. I hoped this book would put that unit's challenges and struggles in context. It does just that and more, telling an important story in what I feel is a balanced, even-handed manner.Frederick interviewed just about everyone involved from the platoon level all the way up through brigade and while the actions of the leaders and individuals is often damning, one can never truly comprehend the kind of stress these men were under.Frederick's book lays out the facts and details surrounding the platoon of Army soldiers involved, and how failures of leadership at nearly every level, exacerbated by a herculean and often undefined mission in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq at the time, came together to form an imperfect storm out of which one unit of about 30 troops found themselves at the center of a disastrous deployment, and one that had a negative strategic impact on U.S. efforts there at a time when the Iraq War was spiraling out of control.The book is powerful because it deftly tells the story of an infantry platoon that seemed set up for failure from the get-go. It reveals that the men and women of our military are not infallible, and that yes, the ranks are seeded with those who lack the morals and values that we as Americans expect from our warriors. And while 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-502d had its bad apples, Frederick also brings out the stories of those soldiers who were there and did their level best in a tough situation.This is not a good news story, but it's one that needs to be told. War is an ugly business carried out by imperfect people, but I think that Frederick handles the events the right way in what is a well-written, fast-paced account. It's tough not to sit in judgment of those involved after reading a book such as this, but I respect the author's attempts to give everyone their say.Not everyone is going to appreciate this book or its conclusions. I would imagine those closest to the protagonists may have some issues with Frederick's portrayals of the people and events. But, having served under and with personalities Frederick described like the battalion commander, sergeant major, company commander and platoon sergeant, as well as some of the soldiers at the heart of the events, I can certainly see how so much could go wrong in Yusufiyah the way it did. I wasn't there, but those who were know the real truth.I suspect that Frederick's book is pretty close.

"Black Hearts" is a brilliant description of combat as seen through the eyes of Bravo Company in the darkest days of the Iraq War. It serves as a case study for the negative impacts of poor leadership in today's Army and the general effects of heavy combat on young and strung-out soldiers.Frederick tells his story masterfully, obviously passionate about his subject, but remaining subjective enough to where he is able to describe things in such a manner that the reader is able to make their own decisions. This story is nothing short of a tragedy, and by the end, the reader is absolutely appalled at much of the cast of characters, many of whom work to bring about a series of horrible events for all parties involved.. The description of daily life is unbelievable for anyone who thinks they knew what the war was like for American troops. The multi-day stints at poorly defended checkpoints manned by three or four privates with zero supervision is something I didn't realize happened. The descriptions of combat are also top-notch, particularly one very gripping passage about the mental anguish soldiers faced while simply driving around, wondering if each second would be their last at the hands of a massive IED.Many characters in the story are sympathetic, generally at the platoon or company level, while the battalion level leadership is shown to be infuriatingly incompetent. I was especially incensed at the end, where you find out (SPOILER ALERT) that Kunk was promoted to colonel and Bravo's sympathetic yet clearly incompetent commander is an operations officer somewhere in the Army. Frederick doesn't make these judgements, but it is difficult not to make them yourself, for right or wrong. The abduction of US troops and the murder of an Iraqi family, while horrifying in their own right and very well described, are almost caveats to the overall story about this ill-fated group of men trying to survive their year in Iraq.Overall, this is an incredible book that serves to show a lot of what was (and still is) wrong with the Army's senior leadership. Still, even though there are antagonists at every level here, Frederick isn't indicating the US Army; there are good guys too, and plenty of them, which the author makes extremely clear. I'm glad to see the Army is taking this book seriously and using it as a learning tool for its leaders. This is a hugely important book and I can't thank Jim Frederick enough for writing it.

A complete unadulterated description of what war is really like - you get a complete sense of the horrors and pointlessness of it all, graphic and disturbing.

An enthralling account of how war can make or degrade one's character, the latter being discussed here, centered around a platoon of the famous 101st airborne. Explains what effect war has on a soldier's mind and the awful situation of families who have nothing to do with war. Gutsy.

The book is extremely well written by a professional journalist. Throughout the book the writer tries to remain objective about the circumstances of the descent into madness. I left the book reflecting on how any military professional could find themselves in this situation if they were presented with as challenging circumstances. It is extremely compelling reading. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Iraq conflict and military ethics.

Excellent

Unfortunately, I must start on a negative note. This book is presented to the public by the publisher, certainly in its paperback form, as some sort of roller-coaster thriller which happens to be a true story. If you are, in fact, looking for some sort of first-hand true account of non-stop action I recommend Dan Mills' Sniper One. With the publisher using phrases on the cover such as 'descent into madness' and words like 'climax', 'intense' and 'fast-paced' the casual observer might even pick this book up believing it to be fiction, and if that is what they are looking for I recommend they watch Apocalypse Now or read Conrad's Heart of Darkness; better still do both.Now, onto what this book is really about. This is a detailed investigation of a single atrocity and the events and circumstances leading up to and surrounding the soldiers and battalion involved. It is presented in the very best of journalistic tradition - at times one can sense the author's struggle to not pass any personal judgement - and is exceptionally detailed, revealing and sympathetic. You can read other reviews for information regarding this event. What I will add is that I believe this book to be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the stresses and strains placed on the modern 'western' soldier, especially in the US forces where tours of duty are much too long and often enforced second or even third tours. Beyond that, it is equally useful reading for any student of psychology and even students of organizational theory and ledership. In fact, I would warn any reader who is not au fait with terms such as 'The Pygmalion Effect' that they ensure they have psychiatric reference sources available to them during reading. With due deference to the appalling subject matter, especially to those directly involved on both sides and generally to anyone who esteems NATO's armed forces, this book is an exciting recounting of a company's deployment in the most extreme of circumstances, terifically well researched, edited and presented and deeply, deeply disturbing. Excellent.