Twice Armed: An American Soldier's Battle for Hearts and Minds in Iraq

Military Review,  May-June, 2007  by David F. Longbine

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TWICE ARMED: An American Soldier's Battle for Hearts and Minds in Iraq, R. Alan King, MBI Publishing Company, St. Paul, MN, 2006, $24.95, 304 pages.

The United States and the Iraqi Government continue to fight an intense and deadly counterinsurgency in Iraq that threatens to boil over into full-scale civil war between Sunnis and Shi'ites. Undoubtedly, U.S. efforts in Iraq have not produced the desired results, and the insurgent, criminal, and terrorist threats to the country are as strong as ever. What caused this failure, and how can the United States turn things around and emerge victorious on this front line in the War on Terror? Twice Armed, by R. Alan King, attempts to explain the challenges, errors, and strategy for ultimate success in Iraq based on its author's personal experiences as a civil affairs battalion commander and deputy director of the Office of Provincial Outreach, Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).

King devotes the first 11 chapters of Twice Armed to describing his personal experiences during the ground war and the initial occupation of Baghdad and in subsequent stability operations. Initially, King commanded the 422d Civil Affairs Battalion (attached to the 3d Infantry Division), and he details his efforts to conduct initial stability operations in Baghdad amidst the power vacuum created by Saddam's fall and the delayed arrival of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. We hear about how he dealt with various Iraqi sheiks to secure the surrender of some of the most wanted former regime officials (including "Baghdad Bob") and his efforts to prevent bank robberies and recover artifacts looted in the initial chaos. King goes on to tell of his experiences in the CPA, where he interacted with over 3,000 sheiks and used his understanding of both the Qur'an and the Bible to call tensions and gain trust during several tense situations.

While King's personal experiences are certainly entertaining, the final two chapters and postscript comprise the "so what" of the book. They contain King's thoughts about what went wrong for the United States in Iraq and what must be done to win there and against the broader ideology driving Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. King discusses the events that changed Iraqi perceptions of the U.S. presence, several situations the United States should have handled differently, how democracy fits into Iraqi social and cultural norms, how radicals use religion to incite hate and hide their true political agenda, and the implications of pulling out of Iraq before the job is done. His thoughts are insightful and give Twice Armed particular relevance as the United States continues the fight in Iraq.

Special attractions include 16 pages of color photographs of King during meetings with various sheiks and average Iraqis, an appendix that contains a handwritten letter (with translation) from Saddam Hussein to one of his military aides ordering torture for soldiers who desert, and an appendix featuring several psychological operations products disseminated in Iraq that illustrate King's points.

Unlike the authors of many recent books published about the Iraq war, King was there, in uniform; he has sufficient credibility and experience to make his book authoritative. Moreover, he was involved in many critical aspects of the ground war and subsequent stability operations, including the cease-fire talks during the first Fallujah battle and confrontations with Muqtada Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. King's in-depth understanding of Islam and Christianity lends additional credibility to his arguments.

Regardless of why the United States went to war, the mistakes it made, and the bleak outlook facing Iraq right now, the United States and its allies must ultimately win to ensure freedom and democracy for the Iraqi people and to deny a fertile home ground for Islamic extremists. While Twice Armed is somewhat civil-affairs-centric, it offers unique insights into dealing with the Iraqi population that could contribute to an eventual successful effort. It should be a must-read for all field grade officers bound for duty in Iraq.

MAJ David F. Longbine, USA,

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

COPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. Army CGSC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning