Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story

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Editor’s Note: “Nobody but a soldier knows what war is really like, but the next best thing may be reading Donovan Campbell’s Joker One.”  from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends . . . . This is my command: Love each other.” — John 15:12,13,17

The “price.”

What is the price of a life? What does a friend cost? What should I expect to pay for love, trust, selflessness, competence, or unflinching professionalism?

“I practiced the words that I wanted to say to (a) mother about her son. Her son was a hero, I wanted to tell her, and he died defending others, children who couldn’t defend themselves . . . . and he never quit on his team . . . .

We missed him . . . .

Then, suddenly, I was there, in front of her, and I couldn’t say anything at all. For a time, I looked at her, and she at me, and then I broke down sobbing . . . . I couldn’t speak coherently, and the only thing I said, over and over again through my sobs was this: ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’

Then, though I couldn’t see, so I can’t describe exactly what happened, (she) was hugging me . . . . and I wrapped my arms around her and cried and cried until I couldn’t cry anymore.

I don’t remember if she said anything to me, but when the moment passed, I felt some measure of absolution. . . .Some things I will never understand, but I accept that now, and I no longer demand full comprehension as the price of the pursuit of excellence.  So I’ll keep putting one foot in front of the other as best as I possibly can until my mission on earth ends and God takes me home.” (p. 307)

February, 2004: An “inexperienced platoon sergeant and a jealous lieutenant” were tasked to lead a “whole clutch of boot Marines” into combat—combat that, in today’s terms, can best be described as the irregular warfare of jihad in the urban swelter of Ramadi, the capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province of Iraq. Combat that, at best, is unstable, unjust, atrocious, and intolerant to the weakness of the human spirit.

Donovan Campbell, the commander of Joker One and author, describes himself as an “ . . . . ordinary young man who once made the choice to serve” who tells the story of “his men” —a true story told “with love and heartfelt emotion from the inside out.” (p. 10)

Their gripping story weaves a mesmerizing tapestry of incapacitating heat, fatigue, and pain with an Arabian Nights mystique. Set on the Euphrates River, we read of far-away places called Butchers’ Area, The Provincial Government, Saddam Mosque and Cemetery; mixed with all-American sites called Route Michigan, The Racetrack, Industrial Area, and North and South Stadiums. The disciplined and specialized nature of these Marines’ mission necessitates a Glossary of Military Terms—written in the book so that we, the protected, can understand a little of what their service entails. That mission is so elusive yet sacred that these men protect the lives of children who may carry weapons against them. And they work to establish self-governance for people who may, in our own very human nature, sell them out to ruthless terrorists.

It’s a love story. But not a “romantic” kind of love story. Campbell’s is a love story because it testifies to obedience, discipline, and servants’ hearts inclined to inscribe the Great Commandment on the inside of their helmets, or tattoo it to their chests. For us non-combatants, this love story convicts our servant spirit. Yet for Joker One, the 40-man infantry platoon of 2^nd Battalion, 4^th Marine Regiment, the seven months from late February through early September of 2004 comprised a lifetime.

It’s a story of a family under fire. From raising catfish in a water tank, to birthday celebrations, to make-work episodes of digging and filling sandbags, to long-distance phone calls with family members thousands of miles away . . . . to death.

It’s a story of faith. It’s a story of forgiveness—of grace.

“(My wife) . . . . reminded me that God wasn’t a cosmic slot machine that came up sevens every time for the pious believer. He doesn’t guarantee us health and prosperity, or even safety . . . . in this life. All He guarantees you is your relationship with Him in the next.” (p. 191)

Joker One is our story . .. . if we choose to live it.

“On September 9, 2004, Joker One loaded up into trucks and prepared to head out of the Outpost for Junction City en route to the United States and home.  We were leaving with fewer than we came, and the knowledge sat heavy on me as I hopped into the cab of my vehicle.  However, we had done our very best, and we loved one another with everything we had.  In the platoon, we had created something much greater than any of us, something that I hoped we would take with us for the rest of our lives.  In Ramadi, we had made mistakes and paid the price, but to the fullest extent possible we had cared for those whom war always traps between bad and worse.” (p. 303)

Work Cited:

Campbell, Donovan, Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood (New York: Random House, 2009)

Questions to Share:

1. Donovan Campbell says he wrote Joker One so others would know of the magnificent performance of his Marine platoon “in an environment that demanded more than they should have been able to give.” (p. 309) In what ways are you being called to give more than you ever thought you could during this war?

2. Write down two ways you see your spouse giving sacrificially. Take the time to tell them (or write them) how much you appreciate their service (whether home or downrange).