A gruesome chapter in the fight for Iraq
Ambush Alley: The Most Extraordinary Battle of the Iraq War, By Tim Pritchard, Random House, 320 pp., $25.95
''Ambush Alley" is a gut-wrenching account of unadulterated terror that's hard to read yet impossible to put down. London-based journalist and filmmaker Tim Pritchard, who was embedded with US troops during the initial stages of the American-led invasion of Iraq, paints a compelling picture of one of the costliest battles of the Iraq war that will at turns anger, horrify, and sadden, regardless of one's political views.
The events in the book occur over 24 hours on March 23, 2003. The story begins when Marines of the First Battalion, Second Regiment happen upon the burnt-out remnants of an Army convoy that had gotten lost in Nasiriyah. The story of the Army 507th Maintenance Company is well known; there's even been a movie made, based on Private First Class Jessica Lynch's captivity and rescue. But Pritchard's account adds another chapter to that story, and the follow-up to the 507th's ambush is a set of harrowing events that left 18 Marines dead and dozens injured.
One newspaper headline the day after the battle said that Marines had ''run into resistance" on their push into Nasiriyah. That resistance, according to ''Ambush Alley," was a fierce, urban battle that tested the wills of the troops and the might of the US military.
Pritchard takes the reader into the center of the battle, sparing few details. He demonstrates a staggering depth of military knowledge and experience, yet he translates the acronyms and lingo clearly for the layman. His writing is vivid and kinetic, so much that the reader can feel the devouring darkness around the young Marines trapped in a tank as the world outside explodes in deafening booms. Their desperation is almost palpable as Iraqi fighters feign surrender, only to open fire when approached. One's heart drops as an Air Force jet drops fatal ordnance, killing nine troops. Pritchard does not leave anything to the imagination. The blood, guts, fear, and anger are presented undiluted, bringing home the reality of the mayhem that occurs in Iraq every day.
The frustrations of war echoes throughout, and it is exasperating to read about the many mistakes made by the world's best military. Miscommunication, blunders, and lack of foresight bring about errors, several of them fatal. Radio communications break down. Equipment stops functioning. Commanding officers fail to lead. Plans are scrapped, confusion reigns, and several times young Marines find themselves abandoned, making their own decisions on how to fight.
''Ambush Alley" is starkly honest; it does not take political sides or attempt to make a statement. Pritchard does a great job of portraying the Marines in all their human dimensions. They agonize over having to kill Iraqis, having to discern between those who would hurt them and those who are innocent. It is even more agonizing to consider that most of these men are barely into their 20s. Once one gets to know their hopes, dreams, and backgrounds, it is wrenching to see them go through this horrible experience.
