Close Combat During the Battle of Mosul, Iraq

Michael Yon, an American author, independent writer, columnist, and photographer, has been acclaimed for his battlefield reporting from war zones, providing a candid, soldier's-eye view of the experiences of American soldiers in combat. As the New York Times reported in 2008, Yon has spent more time embedded with combat units than any other journalist in Iraq.

Yon's work is praised for its vivid and compelling narratives, which cut through the "fog of war" to reveal the human component of military operations. General David H. Petraeus, the former commanding general of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, has described Yon's voice as "the voice of the soldier," often unfazed by what he sees, mission-focused, and battle-hardened.

Yon's reporting has been featured in numerous media outlets, including NBC Nightly News, The Boston Herald, and U.S. News and World Report. Former New York Times foreign correspondent Clifford May has praised Yon's ability to convey information that most Americans would not know from mainstream media sources, while military correspondent Thomas E. Ricks has asserted that "if you want to know what is going on in this war, read him."

Yon's firsthand accounts of American soldiers in combat are particularly notable for their gritty, unvarnished depictions of the realities of warfare. In one passage from his book "Gates of Fire," he describes a harrowing incident in which a lieutenant colonel, Kurilla, is shot multiple times while leading his troops:

"There was a quick and heavy volume of fire. And then LTC Kurilla was shot. Three bullets reach flesh: One snaps his thigh bone in half. Both legs and an arm are shot. Kurilla was running when he was shot, but he didn't seem to miss a stride; he did a crazy judo roll and came up shooting. Kurilla, though down and unable to move, was fighting and firing, yelling at the two young soldiers to get in there."

In another passage, Yon recounts the intense hand-to-hand combat between a soldier named Prosser and a terrorist, as Prosser "beat the terrorist in the head three times with his fist and was gripping his throat, choking him," while the terrorist "was trying to bite Prosser's wrist."

Yon's ability to capture these vivid, visceral moments of combat has earned him praise from military and media figures alike. Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC Nightly News, has described Yon's work as providing a "soldier's-eye view" of the war, delivered from the unique perspective of "being there with them for weeks and months at a time."

In recent years, Yon has expanded his reporting beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, writing from locations as diverse as Israel, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia. However, he plans to spend much of 2010 in Afghanistan, as he believes the war in that region will continue to have a significant impact on the United States, Great Britain, NATO, and the broader region.

Yon's work is supported primarily by gifts from readers, as he operates independently of traditional media outlets. This independence, coupled with his unwavering dedication to providing an unfiltered, on-the-ground perspective of the conflicts in which American soldiers are engaged, has solidified his reputation as one of the most respected and influential war correspondents of his generation.

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