MWSA Book Review

The Gulf War Chronicles

Author:  Richard S Lowry

Publisher:  iUniverse

Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA

The only book you will Ever need to learn about The First War with Iraq!

Richard Lowry writes the ultimate and most accurate and complete history of Operation Desert Storm in his superlative book “The Gulf War Chronicles – a military history of the first war with Iraq.”  His book is “the gold standard” for history books written about this war. There are none better or more compelling.

This is not a dry history of whom and what – but great story telling. It has details that not even those who watched the war glued to their TV sets knew about or even heard of. This book should be a part of college and high school history classes and certainly needs to be read at our military academies – which I would assume they do. This book is a classic already. It has captured all the pertinent and significant information from that war experience. Everything you would want to know about that war is there.

I have read several dozen books on Desert Storm over the last decade and a few volumes right after the war ended. I thought I knew all about the war and what happened. Lowry has years of productive research and he makes good use of it to paint the reader a very visual mental picture of what happened and when. His writing style is alive with energy as he takes the reader from the opening moments in the war and orchestrates a chronicle of events and people. He adds detailed touches to the operations as if he were an eyewitness to events that he is sharing with the readers.

Lowry is a gifted writer who knows how to tell a story and make it entertaining, exciting and educational as well. This is a must read book for all military and history buffs. The MWSA gives this book its highest rating of FIVE STARS! I also give it my personal endorsement!

MWSA's 2006 Distinguished Medal Award

Reviewer: Joe Fabel – MWSA Review Board

The author presents the factual reports, the events, the army-navy-marine-air force coalition participants in a straight forward manner. This is Desert Storm conflict as it actually happened, not a slanted newspaper reporter’s enliven creation which often comes with a political twist of the facts.

The reader is provided battle details, equipment rosters, fighting groups designations as well as the various commanders’ objectives for specific battles. In short, you have the means to judge what actually took place. You find that the coalition had a unified command and purpose. Proudly the United States fighting man was the best prepared, the best led, the best equipped and the most motivated voluntary fighting force in the world.

There is no withholding of the true facts: our equipment was damaged and some completely destroyed. Tanks were shot up, helicopters shot down and men and women wounded, captured and killed. War is not selective. However, by comparison, the enemy was practically obliterated as a fighting force.

In his Epilogue the author deals with the questions the opponents of the war demanded to be considered and answered. His views are most valuable in their presentation. They are definitely worthy of review.

This is a factual presentation. It does not contain the usually expected “spin.” It is to be read if one is to understand what truly took place and who was directly involved. In does one thing most needed: the story tells of the true price paid in terms of human sacrifice.