a must read for any voter (part. young) looking to understand the Iraq war

books:


	• Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier's Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington Paul Rieckhoff NAL Hardcover, 2006 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 130 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Must Read

This book is a must read for anyone looking for both an accurate account of the early days of the Iraq War and anyone needing a reminder of what happened back in 2003. Paul Rieckhoff tells it as only someone who was there can. This is a brutally candid story of a Soldier and a leader, shouldering the burdens of command. He brings you so close to the action that you can smell the carbon and feel the rifle's recoil as the rounds are flying. Intermixed with the fascinating tale is a cleaver wit. This book is a masterful use of language with a side order of sardonic humor that anyone (especially those who have served) will appreciate. If the book stopped after Rieckhoff's return from war, it would still be an excellent read. However, the reader is treated to the author's return from Iraq and the events that followed him. In a display of literary courage, he talks about what it was like to re-connect with a society that had largely forgotten about the war. He gives the reader a behind the scenes account of how he and a group of like-minded patriots took action to advocate for those who had served in harm's way in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regardless of one's opinion on the military actions taken after 9/11 especially in Iraq, this book is a compelling tale of someone who was there. Please be prepared to read this cover to cover (a great beach book) and if you start in on your train, you may miss your stop. It is that good.

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An Honest Account

Paul Rieckhoff is a very dedicated individual. He tells it like he sees it and he continues to help the badly treated American vets through IAVA. He graduated from Amherst, one of the top schools in America, and left a high paying Wall Street career to serve America. He doesn't "sell out" in his honest account of being in Iraq so of course he gets criticized for truthfully telling what he saw. It certainly isn't what we want to learn when we find out how fowled up and mishandled things are over there. I like the book and recommend it.

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Searching for reality, found in this book

With my brother and sister currently serving in Iraq, and my husband and brother-in-law on their way there this year, I am very interested in the reality of what is going on there. Not the filtered and slanted stories that are being reported on the network news stations, or in political addresses, but the service members true daily experiences. Paul Reickhoff gave me what I was looking for through this book. While the realities of this war can be disturbing and upsetting, our service members and the innocent Iraqi civilians are living them everyday! One's opinion on the war itself or the reasons we are fighting it should not detract from supporting our Troops and our Vets! Great read, very engaging and detailed book.

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a must read for any voter (part. young) looking to understand the Iraq war

Chasing Ghosts is a gripping, on-the-ground, cold bucket of water in the face view of the Iraq war. It tracks Rieckhoff's path from Manhattan on 9/11 to patrolling the streets of Baghdad to re-adjusting to life at home. His writing is lucid and sophisticated, raw and unbridled. Its a story of true patriotism, the active defense of American ideals through military sacrifice followed by the courage to challenge the mis-management - from flawed foreign policy to equipment shortages to inciting, empty rhetoric by the administration - of that sacrifice, which he experienced firsthand. He captures the sacrifice and heroism of not just his brothers in arms, but also the Iraqis helping the American effort or merely trying to survive the maelstrom. This is a great read.

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Excellent

A fascinating and thought provoking account of an army officer's life at the "Sharp End" in Iraq.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

The riveting, action-packed true story of the first soldier to challenge the war in Iraq.

As a 1st Lieutenant and Infantry Platoon Leader for the U.S. Army, charged with leading 38 young men in Iraq, Paul Rieckhoff was proud to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who served during Vietnam and WWII respectively. He and his soldiers spent almost a year in one of the most dangerous and volatile areas of Baghdad. And what they encountered there was chaos: not nearly enough troops, no humanitarian aid, no body armor, no radios, and no real plan for what to do after Baghdad fell.

Rieckhoff was shocked to see that sometimes the greatest challenges his platoon faced did not come from enemy combatants. He saw fi rsthand the disastrous results of disbanding the Iraqi army, sending thousands of armed, angry, and unemployed men out into the streets. And he saw what happened when we tried to conduct a war on the cheap, by bestowing government contracts to the lowest bidder and sending our military into battle inadequately protected and armed. What followed, over the next ten months, set him on a course that would forever change his life.

When he fi nally came home from his tour of duty, Rieckhoff vowed to tell Americans the truth about what was going on in Iraq. He demanded accountability from elected officials and was the first Iraq veteran to do so publicly. He created Operation Truth, the first and largest veterans' group specifically for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through this organization, he has become a leading spokesman for troops, veterans, and their families, and a critical voice in the ongoing debate surrounding this conflict.

What is really happening in Iraq? Should we be there? Should we stay? Rieckhoff is in a unique position to answer these crucial questions. Not only was he on the ground in the heat of battle but he is also on the front lines politically at home. He provides a grunt's-eye view of the harrowing, bloody battles on the streets of Baghdad and a patriot's vision of where America has gone wrong and how it can reset its path.

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