cover image Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer's Combat Experience in Iraq

Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer's Combat Experience in Iraq

Jane Blair. Rowman & Littlefield, $24.95 (296p) ISBN 978-1-4422-0876-6

Beginning in 2003 with her squadron landing in Kuwait, Marine Major Blair (then a lieutenant) reflects positively on her experience in Iraq. Her unit provided backup for army troops, and she was in charge of deploying unmanned planes to bomb suspected enemy emplacements without hesitation. As a new officer she had to face fellow officers who tried to push her to the sidelines, but with the support of her superiors these conflicts faded into the background. "Marines made war an art form" she writes, describing an incident of friendly fire, "...I knew no matter how much the plan was screwed up %E2%80%A6 the infantryman's decisive actions would win this war." Blair writes with honesty as she describes feeling fear during her first experiences in battle, but the greater challenge for her turned out to be the hardship of poor quality MREs (military "meals ready to eat"), months without access to showers, and sheer boredom. The author is not concerned in this memoir about broader issues to do with the Iraq war nor does she engage fully in the larger issues of gender discrimination. This is rather one marine's on-the-ground account of her pride in being part of a military history. Likely of greatest interest for someone%E2%80%94male or female%E2%80%94contemplating a career in the military. (May)