Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood

by Donovan Campbell

Book cover for Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood

After graduating from Princeton, Donovan Campbell wanted to give back to his country, engage in the world, and learn to lead. So he joined the service, becoming a commander of a forty-man infantry platoon called Joker One. Campbell had just months to train and transform a ragtag group of brand-new Marines into a first-rate cohesive fighting unit, men who would become his family. They were assigned to Ramadi, the capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province that was an explosion just waiting to happen. And when it did happen—with the chilling cries of "Jihad, Jihad, Jihad!" echoing from minaret to minaret—Campbell and company were there to protect the innocent, battle the insurgents, and pick up the pieces.

Thrillingly told by the man who led the unit of hard-pressed Marines, Joker One is a gripping tale of a leadership and loyalty.

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  • On May 18 2016 Tom Copeland (USCG) read this book and commented:

    Really heavy stuff; you can see Campbell getting burned out over time. By the end of the book the tone was way different than at the beginning. Is it just the pace and stresses of modern urban warfare, or is that generally near the upper end for combat effectiveness?

  • On May 12 2016 colleen (USA) read this book