Thunder Run is an account of a pivotal armor incursion into the heart of Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The book was written in 2004, and doesn't really step back and judge the overall merits of the war, but that isn't his purpose. Zucchino was an embedded reporter with the Spartan Brigade of tanks and personnel carriers. They were (much to their surprise) tasked with a bold charge straight up the central highway into the heart of Baghdad, and two days later, were then sent right into the heart of the city to capture and then hold the central government palace. The book, much in the mold of Black Hawk Down, is an account of the battles and the men who were involved. It deals with command decisions and the overall flow of the battles, as well as recounting in vivid detail the experiences of the soldiers tasked with these challenging duties.
The book is well written, and the story well told. It brings to life a key moment in this first stage in what we now understand to be a long and ongoing conflict in Iraq. The books strengths are its immediacy and the vividness with which it captures the ebb and flow, the confusion and planning, that are involved in an urban battle. And Zucchino also doesn't shy away from either the carnage of battle or the mindsets of the soldiers taking part. His insight into why soldiers fight and how they feel about killing is itself one of the most worthwhile elements in his reporting.
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