World Famous Comics: In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002
In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002
By: Bill Murphy Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Henry Holt and Co. Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 384 Publication Date: September 16, 2008 Release Date: September 16, 2008
The dramatic story of West Point’s class of 2002, the first in a generation to graduate during wartime
They came to West Point in a time of peace, but soon after the start of their senior year, their lives were transformed by September 11. The following June, when President George W. Bush spoke at their commencement and declared that America would “take the battle to the enemy,” the men and women in the class of 2002 understood that they would be fighting on the front lines. In this stirring account of the five years following their graduation from West Point, the class experiences firsthand both the rewards and the costs of leading soldiers in the war on terror.
In a Time of War focuses on two members of the class of 2002 in particular: Todd Bryant, an amiable, funny Californian for whom military service was a family tradition; and Drew Sloan, the hardworking son of liberal parents from Arkansas who is determined to serve his country. On the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Todd, Drew, and their classmates—the army’s newest and youngest officers—lead their troops into harm’s way again and again.
Meticulously reported, sweeping in scope, Bill Murphy Jr.’s powerful book follows these brave and idealistic officers—and their families—as they experience the harrowing reality of the modern battlefield. In a Time of War tells a vivid and sometimes heartbreaking story about courage, honor, and what war really means to the soldiers whose lives it defines.
Left Wanting In a Time of War Ever since reading Absolutely American (Lipsky, Houghton Mifflin 2003) I have waited for In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002. I would have been happy to wait longer for a better book. In a Time of War takes its title from President George W. Bush's graduation address to the 2002 class of the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA). The 2002 class entered the academy in peacetime but graduated into active duty wartime service. Mention is made that the USMA class of 2008 not only graduates in a time of war but entered the academy with America in two wars. Perhaps books will be written about this group of admirable people also.
While frequently fascinating and riveting, In a Time of War falls flat in places and portions of the last few chapters verge on being boring. I would have liked to read an epilogue that would go something like: "As of press time, x of the 2002 class of West Point have been killed in action; y are currently deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Z% of the young captains and lieutenants have left military service. America has yet to see how this group of extraordinary individuals will shape her future. May she be receptive to their leadership and worthy of their sacrifices."
The Road from Idealism to disillusion ... Author Bill Murphy offers a compelling portrait of selected members of the West Point class of 2002, the first ones to graduate after 9/11 and help launch the global war on terrorism (GWOT). From patriotic fervor to growing disillusionment with the costs, aims and strategy of the war, the Army officers undergo a transformation. Some pay the ultimate sacrifice. Others bear surgical scars. Still others bear psychological wounds.
"In a Time of War" is not an anti-war polemic, but it will provide fodder for those who question America's strategy there. It will also offer a vivid portrait of the sacrifices called upon those who serve there.
My biggest issue with the book was that the cast of characters was so wide that it was difficult to keep track of the different subjects of the narrative. Old men start wars and young men fight them. "In a Time of War" illustrates the price paid by those young men
Interesting I enjoyed this book. I thought that the author could have integrated the various soldiers' stories more cleanly than he did. The story about Todd Bryant is just tragic. Such a promising young man cut down in the prime of his life. And the effect on his wife was just devastating. It's interesting that even among West Point officers there is mixed support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If nothing else, this book puts names and faces to headlines.
Of course, as for the West Point mystique, I did not really get that. The book focuses more on the war than on West Point. As someone from a non-military family, I do not understand why West Point is the place it is. But then again I am an outsider not part of the military culture.
Good book.
Must Read As a veteran of the Iraq War, this book was deeply personal for me. If you are a veteran who hasn't reflected on your service, then you should read this book. I didn't know any of the young officers in the book, but I felt their struggles and their friendships because the book does an amazing job of demonstrating what it is like to serve. I feel as if most books either talk of the evils of the war and paint soldiers as victims of an out of control administration or they are Candyland sugar coated stories about the glory of serving. This book does neither. It is the true story of young officers experiencing the war. You get a sense of their love of country and their love for each other, but you will also understand their frustrations and their sadness. Soldiers are not one dimensional and this book shows their inner turmoil. I thank Bill Murphy for writing the book, but my fear is that it will only be read by those who already understand what it is to serve.
In Time Of War I have a grandsond, class of 2002 who has been in Iraqi and wounded by IED, now in Afghanistan and a co. cmndr. It is well written but seems to co-op some of the content from The Long Road Home which was also a wonderful well written book.
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