Last updated on 28 Nov 2023
A soldier's view of Desert Shield and Desert Storm, from within the Loader's hatch of an M1A1 tank
Using humor and frank candor, author Bacil Donovan Warren shares his personal experience, as well as that of his fellow tankers, as part of the US Army's 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (the "Brave Rifles") in Saudi Arabia and Iraq during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
With It or in It tells a captivating and unique story of the 1991 Persian Gulf War as seen from the loader’s hatch of an M1A1 tank.
Using humor and frank candor, author Bacil Donovan Warren shares his personal experience, as well as that of his fellow tankers, as part of the US Army’s 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (the “Brave Rifles”) in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Warren recounts the initial shock of hearing about Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and his Regiment’s preparation for deployment. He describes the stress and sometimes mind-numbing boredom of being stuck in the middle of the Arabian desert, constantly preparing for a possible Iraqi invasion. He recalls the terrifying experience of the start of the ground war and the workmanlike action during combat against Iraq’s Republican Guard forces. With It or in It brings clarity and focus to their unceasing efforts to bring the conflict to a swift and decisive end. Finally, Warren describes the triumphant return of the Brave Rifles to Ft. Bliss, Texas, and the waiting arms of their families and loved ones.
Warren’s fellow tankers have called With It or in It “honest and moving” (R. Bell) and “almost identical to the experiences I had myself” (W. Compton). The commanding officer of the author’s Troop during Desert Shield and Desert Storm remarks that With It or in It “brilliantly captures what is the rarely described gritty and demanding life of an armor crewman” (R. Schultheis). Other reviewers remark that the author “tells the gripping tale of a man and his crew mates preparing to go to war” (A. Davis) and call it “an enjoyable and interesting memoir” (JReppy).
