Bing served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Reagan administration. A graduate of Georgetown and Princeton Universities, he served in Marine infantry in Vietnam. His books have won the Marine Corps Heritage Prize, the Colby Award for Military History and appeared on the Commandant's Reading List. West appears regularly on The News Hour and Fox News. He is a member of St. Crispin's Order of the Infantry and the Council on Foreign Relations. He lives in Newport, RI.
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Finishing Firefights
Combat in Afghanistan, October 2009
8-minute video illustrating why finishing firefights in Afghanistan is so difficult.
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Helmand Fighting
Combat in Afghanistan, July 2009
One minute video of combat in Helmand Province - typical hit & run engagements
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The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics and the Endgame in Iraq
Random House, August 2008
Kirkus Review (Starred): "A balanced, panoramic assessment of the Iraq War by former Marine and Reagan administration veteran & What makes West s book fresh and exciting is his ability to weave together two narrative strands. Compelling, firsthand accounts of the war, recorded while embedded with the troops, highlight bravery and leadership on the battlefield. By contrast, incisive strategic analyses of the war unearth a fundamental contradiction between pre-surge military strategy... and Bush s policy of winning the war.... A timely, eye-opening historical analysis that provides clarity around the difficult choices the next president faces."
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The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division
Bantam Books, September 2003
A description of the combat in Iraq. Bing West and MajGen Ray Smith, one of the most decorated Marines since WWII, traveled with 18 Marine units, seeing combat on 16 days.
Watch CNN video highlight
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The Village
Pocket Books, 2003
In the hardest sustained fighting in Vietnam, fifteen Marines fought for 485 days in a village of 6,000 Vietnamese. Half of the Marines died. West patrolled in the village in 1966, ‘67 and ’69 and interviewed hundreds of Vietnamese, returning there in 2002. More Info
"a minor classic about war."
--The Washington Post
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Small Unit Action in Vietnam
Arno Press, 1967
A first-hand account of a series of fire-fights from squad to battalion in
I Corps. More Info
"This remarkable and moving document is an authentic eyewitness account of nine separate actions at the company and battalion level…Through his vivid descriptions, we experience with stunning clarity the challenges of combat on the front."
--The New York Times
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Owen West is a former Marine infantry officer who served two tours in Iraq. A graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Business School, Owen is an amateur endurance athlete who reached 28,000 feet on the north face of Mount Everest and has finished as high as 2nd in the 400-mile Eco Challenge. He is a managing director of energy trading at Goldman, Sachs and writes about adventure sports and military affairs on the side.
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No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah
Bantam Books, September 2005
No True Glory describes America's fiercest battle since Hue City in 1968. It is a testament to the bravery of the American grunt and a cautionary tale about the complex - and costly - interconnected roles of policy, politics, and battle in the 21st Century. More Info
"This is the face of war as only those who have fought it can describe it."
--Senator John McCain
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Four Days to Veracruz
Simon and Schuster, 2003
When an athletic couple sneaks onto a private Mexican beach on their honeymoon, a series of disasters sends them fleeing on foot 300 miles across the badlands of the Sierra Madre. This adventure-thriller blends ripped-from-the-headlines political intrigue with the very limits of human endurance. More Info
"West remains a potent thriller writer. Marines, suit up!"
--Kirkus Reviews
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The Pepperdogs
Simon and Schuster, 2003
A Marine recon team of five reservists disobey orders and trek across snow-swept Serbia to rescue a kidnapped comrade. When a team member sends back descriptions of their firefights, they become front-page news, forcing the White House to confront our European allies who want them to surrender. More Info
"... might be the best suspense novel of the year ... a story about warriors, told authoritatively and brilliantly."
--Kirkus Starred Review
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Sharkman Six
Simon and Schuster, 2001
This morality tale about a Marine recon platoon embroiled in a modern war won the 2002 Boyd Literary Award for best military fiction. It has been widely praised for dialogue that is as sharp as its firefights. More Info
"Sharp-edged, fast-paced ... always entertaining."
--Nelson DeMille
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