The Devil's Sandbox: With the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry at War in Iraq

by John R. Bruning

Citizen soldiers have played a unique role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - and their extended deployment and role in the wars battles have changed the towns, cities, and states they hail from as well. The Devil's Sandbox - a nickname for Iraq - is the story of the 2nd Battalion of Oregon's 162nd Infantry Regiment (2/162), and provides readers an intimate look at the reality of National Guardsmen at war. Follow the 2/162 from their call-up in the summer of 2003 to their return home in the spring of 2005.
Witness some of the fiercest fighting of the Iraq War and some of the most rewarding and forward-looking civil affairs projects aimed at rebuilding the broken nation of Iraq. Read how the town in Oregon struggles to do without the people - the accountants, lawyers, mechanics, et. al. - who went to serve in the war.
"The Devil's Sandbox" offers a rare insight into what this war means for the citizen-soldier at home and abroad, and chronicles a battalion that earned the respect of the regular Army soldiers who fought alongside them in some of the toughest battles in the Iraq war.

369 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

John Bruning is the author or coauthor of twenty-two non-fiction books, including four New York Times best sellers, and seven national best sellers, including the critically acclaimed "Race of Aces," "Indestructible," "Outlaw Platoon" (with Sean Parnell) and "House to House" (with David Bellavia).

In 2011, he received a Thomas Jefferson Award for his photojournalism and reporting in Afghanistan during the surge in 2010.

He lives in Oregon with his family and writes with an office staff that includes three dogs and two cats, one of whom identifies as canine and enjoys swimming, hiking and urban exploration.

For further information on John, his office staff and his published words, please check out:

johnbruning.com

John R Bruning on Facebook

and Sylvie_the_canine_cat on Instagram

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I started reading this book, but was unable to finish because the subject matter was too close to my heart. This book is about the men that my husband was stationed with in Iraq. As I started reading it just brought all the fears, heartache and anxiety back that all of our families were feeling during this deployment. I do, however, highly recommend this book everyone.

[Shannon]

I should someday buy this book. This is my unit while in Iraq. While I am not mentioned in the book, I worked with the names of those written inside. It should be on my bookshelf for my grandkids (someday, after kids first) to pull down and say "look at what grandpa did".

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amazed as to how facinating I found this book. I think it should be required reading for every American citizen.

For the majority of the book, the author tries to write as an objective observer. But the respect he had for the men (and women) came through.

It is not a page turner like a Harry Potter book that you can't put down because you have to find out what happened nextl. But it was definitely worth reading.

Trish

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it is about my unit w/ the army.

[Gregory Acres · Rating 5 out of 5]

2-162's story needed telling and Mr. Burning did an A1 job of it.

If you're not afraid to learn of combat, camaraderie, courage, and death, The Devil's Sandbox is the book. Read this book.

[Jim Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I rate a nonfiction book I'm rating it on whether it is truthful, whether it told what it was supposed to tell, and whether it was clear and concise. This book does that. It gives us a good look into the lives of these soldiers and the intricacies of the operations in Iraq.

[Reb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard subject to write about but the author did a good job of telling the multiple stories that this book entailed.