Generation Kill Generation Kill is a 2004 book written by " Rolling Stone " journalist , Evan Wright , chronicling his experience as an embedded reporter with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps during the 2003 invasion of Iraq . His account of life with the Marines was originally published as a three - part series in " Rolling Stone " in the fall of 2003 . " The Killer Elite " , the first of these articles , went on to win a National Magazine Award for Excellence in Reporting in 2004 . Assignment . Wright spent two months with the battalion , having persuaded a commander that he could cope with such an assignment . The Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion were initially hostile and suspicious but soon warmed to him and treated him as one of their own . He gained their respect through his refusal to quit in the face of combat . Often riding in the lead vehicle , a lightly armored Humvee , Wright was in real danger for much of the time , and at one point carried a weapon , though he did so reluctantly . Wright encounters members of the battalion from all ranks , but the " main players " can be narrowed down to just six from Bravo Company : Sergeant Brad Colbert , Lance Corporal Harold James Trombley , Sergeant Rudy " Fruity " Reyes , First Lieutenant Nathaniel Fick , Sergeant Antonio Espera , and Corporal Josh Ray Person . Consequences for the Marines . Sergeant Antonio J . Espera claimed he was forced to leave the battalion and Staff Sergeant Eric Kocher claimed he was disciplined for statements attributed to him in Wright ' s reporting . Kocher worked as an adviser on the adaptation of Wright ' s book into a miniseries and stated that Wright earned credibility because he stayed with the Marines for " every firefight " . Despite initial doubts , Marine commanders later encouraged the officers of 1st Reconnaissance to read the book and the articles to get an insight into the reality of war . Statements on combat . Wright stated that he felt more fear of combat before he was in it , but as soon as he was being shot at , he focused on survival . He also revealed that prior to becoming a combat correspondent he had quit drinking and as a result , he found there was something " almost nice " about war because it replicated the " emotional chaos of being a heavy drinker " . Wright also has stated he is " haunted " by the deaths of civilians he witnessed during the invasion of Iraq , because the " real rule of war is that the people who suffer the most are civilians " . He believes the troops who fight the wars are more attuned to the moral consequences of their actions than the American public whom he accuses of being " alienated from the people who fight their wars for them " . Post - publication disputes . Major Shoup , an augment Forward Air Controller in the battalion , posted a commentary on the book in which he contrasts the events he witnessed with Wright ' s descriptions of them . Shoup also states that Wright based his account on one group of enlisted Marines ' version of events without including the perspective of others . Wright replied to this blog post citing his own extensive interview with Shoup that directly contradicts Shoup ' s later version of events . Wright also cites interviews he conducted with other Marines in the unit that differ from Shoup ' s account , noting that Shoup ' s direct superior , Major Eckloff , claimed to have single - handedly killed at least 17 insurgents with a shotgun fired from his truck . Wright states that he reduced that number to 1 - 2 after other sources contradicted Eckloff . Wright states that his book had to take into consideration interviews from a wide variety of Marines in the battalion , including officers , and could not advance the perspective of just one person . Related works . " Hella Nation " is a collection of other writings by Wright that includes his reporting on U . S . soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division fighting in Afghanistan and a controversial story about a documentary film shot in Iraq by a drug - addled Hollywood producer . " American Desperado " is a non - fiction book about the drug wars Wright co - wrote with Jon Roberts , who was featured in the documentary " Cocaine Cowboys " . Then - lieutenant Nathaniel Fick ' s memoir describes some of the same battles in Iraq as described in " Generation Kill " , but from his own perspective . TV mini - series . The cable television channel HBO has produced a mini - series based on the book . Filmed in South Africa , Namibia , and Mozambique , the series aired in July 2008 and spans seven 68 - minute episodes , starting with the Marine Recon team crossing the berm into Iraq during the opening stage of Operation Iraqi Freedom . The DVD release consists of three discs , with the first two discs containing three episodes and the third disc containing Episode 7 along with four bonus features , including a " Making of ' Generation Kill " ' and a video diary . It was produced by David Simon , Ed Burns , Nina K . Noble , George Faber and Charles Pattinson . It starred Alexander Skarsgård , James Ransone , Stark Sands , Jon Huertas and Lee Tergesen . Rudy Reyes plays himself in the miniseries adaptation , driving the third Humvee .