Sleeping with Custer and the 7th Cavalry: An Embedded Reporter in Iraq

By Walter C. Rodgers

Book Overview

An essential document of the first American war of the new century

Under a full opalescent moon in the spring of 2003, CNN correspondent Walter C. Rodgers and three colleagues climbed into an unarmored Humvee loaded with satellite transmission equipment and fell into column formation with the MIAI Abrams battle tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles of Apache Troop, Third Squadron, of the storied 7th Cavalry and crossed the Line of Departure between Kuwait and Iraq. Sleeping with Custer and the 7th Cavalry: An Embedded Reporter in Iraq is Rodgers's account of the fight from the Kuwaiti border to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

Rodgers was embedded with the "tip of the tip of the spear," the armored reconnaissance unit tasked with clearing the way for the invasion of Iraq. For the next three weeks Rodgers--a seasoned combat correspondent who has covered armed conflicts in the West Bank, along the "Green Line" in Lebanon, and in Sarajevo, Azerbaijan, and Afghanistan--was a first-person witness to the opening campaign of the most significant war America has embarked upon since Vietnam.

Rodgers and his journalistic colleagues in Operation Iraqi Freedom became pioneers in the process of embedding, the placing of journalists who can transmit video reports in real time under combat conditions with no censoring authority to block their reporting. During this journey into war, Rodgers and his crew embraced the dangers, the numbing fatigue, and the moments of stark fear of the young armored cavalrymen they lived with twenty-four hours each day, an experience that created for them the lifelong bond that only soldiers serving together under fire share.

Rodgers also details his return visit to Iraq a year later, reflecting on the nature of war and sharing his personal feelings about a conflict that has claimed the lives of over fifteen hundred American men and women. The volume is illustrated with photographs taken during the invasion by Jeff Barwise, the CNN engineer who accompanied Rodgers.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809326728
• ISBN13: 9780809326723
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Length: 243 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

No politics; a good inside view from the Cavalry perspective

During March of 2003, Walt Rodgers, an embedded CNN correspondent was a miraculous connection to the 3/7 Cavalry, my son's unit as they forged ahead to Baghdad with great speed through sandstorms, under fire from the Republican Guard without devastating casualties. His book tells us things that soldiers don't always choose to remember or discuss. Admiration for the soldier and lack of political bias make this a good read for those who want to understand more about our military.

Vital look at "embed" reporting

Walter Rodgers was consistently the best of the reporters embedded with American military forces during the Iraq invasion in 2003. One reason, we learn from Sleeping With Custer, was the remarkable rapport he had with the soldiers of the 7th Cavalry, including the top commanders. Anyone interested in the "embed" process--from whatever perspective--should read this book. Rodgers gives us a detailed, day-by-day account of the 7th Cavalry's drive from Kuwait to Baghdad. His unit was the "tip of the tip of the spear." It led the way. Rodgers and his CNN crew--four men total, including security--hunkered down in a used, unarmored Humvee vulnerable to even the smallest of small-arms fire. The reader understands why he feels fortunate to have survived. Rodgers pulls no punches. He felt lucky to be where he was, and he had great respect and admiration for the men he served with. At the time, he apparently believed fully in their mission. But even then, he recognized that a military force well prepared for combat was not ready for its role as occupiers. When he returned to Iraq a year after the fall of Baghdad, he found a land of danger and discontent, where Americans were seen not as liberators but hated infidel invaders. Thus his epilogue becomes almost a disclaimer, raising serious doubts about the ultimate success of U.S. goals in Iraq. This book is slightly marred by a lack of good copy editing. Unimportant but annoying text errors abound. These aren't factual errors, though, and they aren't Walt Rodgers' fault. They must not be allowed to detract from the importance of this vital and otherwise excellent book.