Mark Stoneman

Veteran, Author, Teacher

 

Driving Around, Waiting to Get Blown Up

Hearts, Minds, and the Occupation of Iraq

Mark Stoneman

Veteran, Author, Teacher

 

Driving Around, Waiting to Get Blown Up

Hearts, Minds, and the

Occupation of Iraq

Driving Around, Waiting to Get Blown Up is now available to buy on Amazon and at all book stores.

“Just drive down that road until you get blown up.”

— General George Patton

Driving Around, Waiting to Get Blown Up by Mark Stoneman is the no-holds-barred story of what the occupation of Iraq was really like. It’s a memoir for people who don’t read war stories. It demonstrates how American soldiers did the best they could in a confusing and dangerous environment, how the Iraqi people were often willing to work with them in the hope of a better future, and of how the United States government ultimately squandered the opportunity.

"The Iraq War is mostly forgotten now. Relegated to the history books and lost in the shadows at the end of the day. But what was done there, what we failed to learn, still haunts our nation. In his superb memoir, Mark Stoneman goes far beyond the headlines of that debacle. He details his journey as well as what we appear eager to repeat on the world stage, until we discover otherwise.”

 

– Tim Wendel, bestselling author of “Rebel Falls,” “Cancer Crossings,” and “Summer of ‘68.”

“A war story told with wit and clarity. The author chronicles the mundane, sometimes terrifying day-to-day lives of the artillery unit he commanded as they patrolled the rural Diyala Province in 2005. Stoneman’s perspective is both typical and unconventional: As a captain, he was a cog in the United States’ vast military machine; he’s also British-born and moved to America as an adult. This cultural remove, along with the affection he clearly had for the soldiers with whom he served, make him a fine observer of class, racial, political and organizational dynamics… Overall, Stoneman’s prose is crisp and lucid, and even his wry depictions of boredom in the field (“We had run out of things to talk about four months ago, but conversation persisted like the heat”) and Army administration shine with humor and real insight. Recommended.”

 

Kirkus Reviews

"This is an incredible story [of] ordinary soldiers forced into extraordinary circumstances… Stoneman’s style is clean and compelling, … and [h]is eye for detail is sterling. Fans of Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down or Chris Kyle’s American Sniper will enjoy this blend of action-adventure and policy engagement.”

 

– BlueInk Review, December 2024

"An insightful military memoir, Driving Around, Waiting to Get Blown Up is an unvarnished account of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Throughout, Stoneman’s anecdotes are infused with intellectual depth. The book takes account of both its successes and failures, …is analytical [and] represents an accurate picture of what most of the one million soldiers deployed there did, following the course of Stoneman’s deployment with trenchant observations. Rating: 4 out of 5"

 

– Clarion Reviews

“I wish I could have read this book before my last deployment, and it is definitely a permanent title on my personal reading list that I could wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who serves in the military.”

 

– Amazon 5 star review

“This book is at once wide ranging and also compact. It is easy to read, funny, engaging, and often poignant. If you want to know what it was really like for the boots on the ground, this is a truly unique peek into deployed life during Iraqi freedom with its good times and bad.”

 

– Amazon 5 star review

“Mark Stoneman has shown what this is really like for the soldier on patrol, not knowing if the next parked car he drives by is going to blow up and kill him, yet he does it in a captivating way. I literally couldn't put it down.”

 

– Amazon 5 star review

"The author’s “approach was almost an algorithm or a flow chart on how to stay sane during times when a person cannot act on a situation he knows he can make better. But more importantly, a decision making process, decided ahead of an event, that keeps as many people alive as is possible. Because he cared.”

 

– Amazon 5 star review

“A terrific read. Many talk about winning hearts and minds to combat counter insurgency, see Roberts & Petraeus, but few have given examples of actual tactics to achieve this and the moral courage and innovative thinking required. Read this book and officers will learn how to take their men on the journey with them and will see clearly how being on the ground requires adroit thinking and planning… I laughed, cried and felt the fear as I read. A must for all ranks and for anyone seeking practical examples of business management under true pressure and the tactical implementation of the “mission”."

 

– Amazon.co.uk 5 star review

“Just drive down that road until you get blown up.”

— General George Patton

Driving Around, Waiting to Get Blown Up by Mark Stoneman is the no-holds-barred story of what the occupation of Iraq was really like. It’s a memoir for people who don’t read war stories. It demonstrates how American soldiers did the best they could in a confusing and dangerous environment, how the Iraqi people were often willing to work with them in the hope of a better future, and of how the United States government ultimately squandered the opportunity.

"The Iraq War is mostly forgotten now. Relegated to the history books and lost in the shadows at the end of the day. But what was done there, what we failed to learn, still haunts our nation. In his superb memoir, Mark Stoneman goes far beyond the headlines of that debacle. He details his journey as well as what we appear eager to repeat on the world stage, until we discover otherwise.”

 

– Tim Wendel, bestselling author of “Cancer Crossings,” “Summer of ‘68,” and “Castro’s Curveball.”

Mark Stoneman