What Was Asked of Us:
An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers Who Fought It
By Trish Wood, Bobby Muller (Introduction)
Reviewed by ePluribus Media
[ order | excerpt | interactive website | video intro/trailor]
Visit my Flicker account to view photos from Wednesday evening's public program featuring author Trish Wood and vets Bobby Muller and Garett Reppenhagen (more details).
Click on 'Article Link' below tags for much more...
“The Iraq War: A True Account by the Soldiers Who Were There”
View entire program online courtesy of C-Span BookTV
Introductory remarks by
Marilyn Diamond
Chicago Council on Global Affairs President's circle board member
Many if not most people in the United States today hold well-entrenched positions on the Iraq War. In the current political climate, it is hard not to be distracted by rhetoric and posturing. The recent leadership change at the Pentagon does little to clarify our ongoing involvement in the region. However, regardless of your position on the conflict, the case remains that we are, in fact, at war. And as citizens we have an important responsibility to educate ourselves as accurately as possible on the situation in the region.
Recent world events such as North Korea’s nuclear tests and Iran’s pursuit of nuclear energy have diluted media coverage of the ongoing and arguably escalating conflict in Iraq. But with over 100,000 American troops currently serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, it is imperative that we remain acutely concerned about the situation on the ground and the condition with which our soldiers, our families, and our friends face every day.
It is for this reason that we are so deeply grateful to have our panel with us this evening to share their first candid accounts and opinions of the war. Trish Wood has won multiple awards as an investigative reporter. She has been honored by the Canadian Association of Journalism, the Canadian Science Writer’s Association, the Radio-Television News Director’s Association, the National Magazine awards, and New York Film Festival. She has been working with veterans of the Iraq War for more than two years. Her book, What Was Asked of Us, shares personal accounts of soldiers in Iraq. In her documentation of both successes and failures, her collection of interviews movingly describes anger, pain, pride, sadness, confusion, fear and courage. It is the first account allowing soldiers in Iraq to speak at length about their emotions and their experiences.
The book details, as one of the soldiers being interviewed poignantly explains, what happens when people speak to each other with rifles?
Bobby Muller was a Marine infantry officer in the Vietnam War where he suffered a bullet wound that left his paralyzed. He went on to found Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and is a vocal advocate for the rights of veterans and the rights of civilian victims of war. Recently, he also founded Veterans for America, a group seeking to meet the unique needs of a new generation of veterans.
Garett Reppenhagen served as an Army sniper scout in Baquba, Iraq, in 2004 immediately after finishing a tour in Kosovo. He is the one of the soldiers in What Was Asked of Us. We are fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and experienced group with us tonight to discuss this critical topic.
What Was Asked of Us
By Trish Wood, Bobby Muller (Introduction)
Reviewed by ePluribus Media
"Most people say, O God, it was terrible, this and that. God, I loved it. I loved every firefight I was in because for those few brief seconds nothing else matters." -- Joseph Hatcher, Iraq vet
[ order | excerpt | interactive website | trailor]
Related Posts
2844 dead in Iraq. Another 350 in Afghanistan. 
2011: Jan