One Million Steps – Book Review

One Million Steps: A Marine Platoon at War. Bing West. Random House, New York, New York, 2014. 277 pages. No author has been as rooted to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as Bing West. During the past decade he has crafted six highly acclaimed books on these wars. These books were characterized by the author’s ability to blend the human dimension of war at the lower tactical level of war with his thoughts on how the wars were prosecuted at the strategic level. West’s latest and last book tied to the wars is One Mission Steps and does not stray from the author’s highly effective formula. The process by which West arrived at this title is very interesting and provides valuable insight. In his preface he states, “Suppose you’re offered $15,000 to walk two and a half miles each day for six months. In total, you will take one million steps and be well paid for losing a few pounds. Interested? There are a few provisos. First, you...