Fallujah Awakens: Marines, Sheikhs, and the Battle Against al Qaeda

by Bill Ardolino

The cradle of an insurgency that plunged Iraq into years of chaos and bloodshed, Fallujah conjures up images of the brutal house-to-house fighting that occurred during the 2004 U.S. invasion of the iconic city. But attacks in the area actually peaked two years later, when American and Iraqi government forces struggled with a reinvigorated insurgency and the prospect of premature withdrawal by U.S. forces. Fallujah Awakens tells the story of the remarkable turnaround that followed. Journalist Bill Ardolino explains how local tribal leaders and U.S. Marines forged a surprising alliance that helped secure the famous battleground. It is one of the few books to recount events from both American and Iraqi perspectives.
Based on more than 120 interviews with Iraqis and U.S. Marines, Ardolino describes how a company of reservists, led by a medical equipment sales manager from Michigan, succeeded where previous efforts had stalled. Circumstance combined with smart, charismatic leadership enabled Americans to build relationships with members of a Sunni tribe--once written off as dangerous and intractable-- who pushed al Qaeda and other insurgents from their notoriously rebellious area.


Accidental killings, intertribal rivalries, insurgents, and intrigue all conspired to undo the tenuous alliance forged between the Americans and tribesmen on Fallujah's Peninsula. But the partnership was cemented after a Marine commander's risky decision to welcome nearly 100 injured civilians onto a secure American facility after a ruthless chemical attack by al Qaeda.


The book's gripping storyline will appeal to readers of historical nonfiction. Its exhaustive documentation will prove valuable to military students, analysts, and historians and will help policy makers better understand what is possible in counterinsurgency. Photographs and maps further enhance the reader's understanding of everything from tribal dynamics to the geography of firefights.


100% of the author's proceeds from the first edition of Fallujah Awakens will be donated to the Semper Fi Fund to benefit injured service members.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2013

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Memorial Day, 2017, the mass media inundates Americans with the usual images of American heroism - Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Valley Forge, Gettysburg, and so on. It's a sad fact that there are far too many Americans worthy of remembrance than we have time to commemorate with due honor, but the Americans who fought in Fallujah in 2007 deserve to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any American soldiers of any war.

Bill Ardolino, war correspondent and editor of "The Long War Journal," conducted extensive interviews with soldiers who fought in Fallujah for the first nine months of 2007. As reliable as any account based largely on eyewitnesses from one side can be "Fallujah Awakens" tells the frustrating and inspiring story of young Marines turning the tide against a maddening insurgency and a seemingly apathetic populace.

Anyone who has read about America's intervention in Iraq comes away with an appreciation for what a colossal blunder it was. While America 'easily' won the conventional war, a series of uninformed political and economic decisions fueled an intense insurgency, one that all too often led to innocent Iraqis being caught between American soldiers they did not trust and foreign insurgents they feared. If, after seeing the latest news of an insurgent bombing of American soldiers and you have wondered, "Why the hell don't they understand that we are there to help?" this is a great book for you.

Ardolino writes with clarity and energy, and this short, well-researched book summarizes many of the political nuances without getting lost in the weeds. Suffice it to say that Fallujah for centuries has been an independent, militant city wary of outsiders, and the intensity of the local insurgency makes sense if you understand the factors in play. The Bush Administration did not understand these factors.

The Marines sent in during 2006 and 2007 paid the price for climbing up that steep learning curve. Fighting with one hand tied behind their back, limited in their ability to communicate with the locals, unaware of the roiling tribal political warfare, and culturally thousands of miles from home, the Marines put into practice their philosophy of improvising, adapting, and overcoming. They learn the hard way of the price they will pay if they accidentally harm a local. They learn to fight the "shoot and scoot" tactics of their foes. And they learn that treating the locals like humans will eventually pay off.

A powerful partnership with a local ambitious junior sheik, "Dark," pays off. So does the Marines' humanity as they achieve more in advancing the American military cause by coming to the aid of hundreds of local civilians brutalized by a chemical weapons attack that goes horribly wrong in the middle of the city. By putting aside prejudices and months of frustrations to come to the aid of the Fallujans, the Marines demonstrate in no uncertain terms that they are there to help, not to steal the oil.

A powerful book, "Fallujah Awakens" should be read by Americans who want to understand the impossible task our political leaders have foisted off on the Marines. Shame on them, and all due honor and respect to the Marines.

[Jacob Dennert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Fallujah Awakens. It was like jumping into Doc Brown’s DeLorean and zipping back to 2006-2007.

There's so much I didn’t know. So much I was completely oblivious to. I had just turned 19 in September 2006, so I was the youngest Marine in 3rd platoon... and my focus was certainly not on understanding the big picture of what we were doing. More like following orders while hiding fear and trying not to screw up.

Anyway, I had no idea that we'd made such a positive difference. And while nothing lasts forever, it's nice to know that things were better after we left -- at least for a little while.

Thank you, Bill, for all of the work you put into it... into telling this story. I’ve got a much more vivid picture of what I was fortunate enough to have been a part of, and a stronger understanding of what happened before and after my time in Iraq.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book that covers a pivotal point in the war in Iraq. As someone who was there, it was amazing to read about what was going on all around us, put together so it paints a picture we couldn’t see while embroiled in day-to-day survival. If you want to read about Fallujah and understand how a city that was one of the most dangerous on the planet turned on a dime in 2007, this is the book.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written historical account of what went on in Fallujah later during the U.S. involvement in Iraq (2005 and later). For those from Western Michigan, it is an especially interesting read since much of the book is about a Marine Reserve unit from Michigan that was over in the Fallujah area while this embedded reporter was there. One person, in particular, that I know is mentioned (in Chapter 12). I thought the book was easy to read (for a "history book") and I thought the information was factual and presented in a non-biased way. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in history or in wanting to know more about what went on in Iraq during the time-frame covered by the book.

[Melodi Bedell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well written book that gives you a look into what was going on in Fallujah, documenting events from the Marines' point-of-view. I really enjoyed this book and learning what was really happening overseas.

[Anand Gopal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful look at the period between 2007-9 in the "peninsula" south of Fallujah, and U.S. military efforts to work with the Albu Issa tribe there. Like many books in this genre, it unthinkingly worships U.S. power, but it's an insightful peek into local tribal dynamics.

[David Madrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look of the politics and behind the scenes with the locals and military that helped take that city back.

[Robert Kradoska · Rating 4 out of 5]

impossible job for the military