NR readers will recall that Karl Zinsmeister contributed several fine articles to our enterprise as an embedded reporter in Iraq. Boots on the Ground–his book on spending a month with the 82nd Airborne–is now available. Here’s the description from the jacket: “This is a riveting account of the war in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division as it convoys north from Kuwait to Iraq’s Tallil Air Base en route to night-and-day battles within the city of Samawah, and its bridges across the Euphrates. Boots on the Ground becomes an action-filled microcosm of the ultramodern war fighting showcased in the overall battle for Iraq. What exactly does it feel like to travel with a spirited body of fighting men? To come under fire? To cope with the battlefield stresses of sleep deprivation and field rations for weeks on end? Zinsmeister, a frontline reporter embedded with the 82nd, brilliantly conveys the careful planning and technical wizardry that go into today’s warfare, even local firefights, and he brings to life the constant air-ground interactions that are the great innovation of modern precision combat. This racing story reveals the humor that bubbles up amidst intense fighting. It captures the pathos of a badly wounded boy. Ultimately, Boots on the Ground is a human story: a moving portrayal of the powerful bonds of affection, trust, fear, and dedication that bind real soldiers involved in battle. This is a true-life tale of superbly trained men in extraordinary circumstances, packed with concrete detail, often surpassing fiction for sheer drama.”