Reality war stories are often harrowing, haunting, and incredibly intriguing. The experience is not unlike the observation of a car wreck....you don't really want to, but can't help but look. I heard Donovan Campbell interviewed by Terri Gross (the NPR Fresh Air program) and was totally fascinated by this young man's understanding of leadership, his exercise thereof and his accounts of how he learned how to lead while serving as a platoon leader (as a Marine Corps lieutenant) in Iraq. To quote from the Harvard Business Publishing, " Donovan Campbell is currently a Zone Sales Leader Designate working for Frito-Lay in Dallas, Texas. He returned to Frito in September from a year-long involuntary military recall, during which he helped Special Operations Command Central start its Tribal Engagement Initiative in Afghanistan. After four years as a Marine Corps infantry officer, intelligence officer, and sniper platoon commander, including two tours in Iraq, Campbell graduated from Harvard Business School. His book about his Marine platoon and their 2004 Iraq tour together, Joker One, [was] be published in 2009."
The book, Joker One (the name of his platoon) is no disappointment. Campbell was assigned to Ramadi in 2004, which turned out to be one of the hottest spots of insurgent activity in the entire country. Campbell describes his introduction to Iraq, his getting to know and then getting to lead the members of his platoon, and the action events in which the platoon participated. While not totally objective (who could be?), Campbell does an outstanding job of introducing the laymen to modern urban anti-insurgency warfare, concisely and incisively describes firefight action, and brings the heat, terror, fear, and physicality of war very much into the reader's consciousness. I will not belabor the aspects of fighting and attack - suffice to say that by the end of his tour he has pretty much decided he will die (and has moved on beyond that) and that his (and his even more experienced gunnery sargent) hands shake continuously.
What is most fascinating about Joker One is how Campbell describes his job relative to both his superiors and his subordinates, the men in his care. The leadership lessons, examples, and teaching/training (both on-the-job and that provided by the Marine Corps) is extraordinary to read. The fact that he came home in one piece - and that is platoon suffered only one KIA (many wounded) is astonishing. That all of this happened when he was about 24 or 25 years old is testimony to the kind of individual he is and the kind of training you get as a Marine officer. I was hard pressed not to be incredibly impressed with the thoughtfulness, composure, compassion, and commitment demonstrated by Campbell and his men.
You can read the transcript of his interview on NPR at Joker One/Donovan Campbell on Fresh Air. The book and the interview are very much worth your time.
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