En tiempos de guerra. La historia de un soldado. (Wiser in Battle: A Soldier’s Story)
Reviewed by Alison Hicks, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder -- Críticas, 9/1/2008
Sánchez, Ricardo.
tr. by Rosario Camacho-Koppel. U.S.: Rayo: HarperCollins. 2008. 545p. ISBN 978-006-162641-8. pap. $14.95. POLITICAL SCIENCE
From being born of poor, immigrant parents in Rio Grande, Texas, to becoming the highest ranking Hispanic in the U.S. army commanding the coalition ground forces in Iraq, and presiding over the capture of Saddam Hussein, the life of Lieutenant General Ricardo Sánchez—widely known as Ric—was bound to make fascinating reading. The first half of the book examines his early life and his rise from a relatively poor Hispanic background to a highly successful career in the army. The focal point of this memoir, however, is the Iraq War, including his role in the ignominious scandal of Abu Ghraib. Perhaps most significantly, the book also covers Sánchez’s perceptions of the failure of the Bush administration; namely, there was little trust or experience in the army, and a sad lack of vision, funds, and training. In writing his account, Sánchez joins a growing group of generals who have defied military tradition and criticized their civilian commanders through reconstructed conversations, personal notes, newspapers, and official reports. Sanchez’s account is most memorable for the insightful view of the Abu Ghraib atrocities; while forced into retirement after the incident, he maintains throughout that the trouble stemmed from civilian mismanagement and he did the best he could under the circumstances. There are bound to be accusations of self-serving one-sidedness, but taken in context, this book offers a unique insight into the Iraq war and is a solid addition to the canon. This Spanish translation will be of great interest to Spanish-language; recommended for large public libraries.
View All Blogs
