I wanted to add something to my review of Warrior King.
Nathan Sassaman comes from a long line of military men. This was his career. It's now over. Although he admits his 'cover up' was wrong, he thought he was doing the right thing at the time. Due to the ineptness of the way this so-called war was run, he was a scapegoat. Just like the soldiers convicted in the Abu Ghraib scandal were scapegoats.
Please read the book. Like I used to say when I gave my book-reports in grade school..."you have to read the book to find out how it ends".
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Monday, December 15, 2008
Warrior King - Book Review
On the heels of Obama's naming of General Eric Shinseki as Secretary of Veteran's Affairs, I'd like to recommend a book written by a veteran of the Iraq war - "Warrior King - the triumph and betrayal of an American Commander in Iraq" - by Nathan Sassaman.
Nathan Sassaman was a 1985 graduate of West Point....captain and quarterback of Army football team....one of the most celebrated officers in the U.S. military....and also happened to belong to my sister and brother-in-law's church.
I borrowed this book from my brother-in-law. I was surprised to see him reading it, because I never, ever see him reading a book, except for the Bible. But he told me Nathan had been in his youth group at church and that he was an honest, stand-up citizen. Nathan sent my sister and brother-in-law a flag that had been flown in Iraq - as a thanks for their support of him throughout the years. I'm telling you this because I think it's important to understand who Nathan Sassaman is.
You might remember reading about the cover up and (apparent) drowning of two Iraqi detainees after American troops purportedly forced them to jump into the Tigris River. This was Sassaman's battalion and he was the person who was responsible for the cover up.
Nathan Sassaman Commanded 1st Battalion 8th Infantry Regiment in Iraq from 2003 - 2004. In this book, he is critical of the way the war was executed. There were errors and miscalculations from the Bush Administration (in particular, Rumsfeld), and some mid-ranking military personnel. He talks about the politicization (and cover up) of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman. About the pay-offs to Iraqi citizens to appease their losses. About how we can't win the war, because it's not a war anymore, it's police enforcement. He criticized Bush's 2003 announcement that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended” as a rather spectacularly ill-informed display of hubris.
While this book is dry at times when he describes the day-to-day military operations, three passages resonated with me.
On pages 50 -51
About going to war in Iraq: "I also suspect rather strongly that the issue had been on the table for quite some time, perhaps long before 9/11".
About WMD's: "There were no hardcore chemical or nuclear weapons anywhere in that country. I don't think there ever were. I think the Bush Administration used the issue of weapons of mass destruction as a legitimizing argument - in other words, for public relations issues".
On page 30
About our next steps: "What I think our next president (whoever he or she might be) ought to do. Bring our soldiers home - now. Start today".
I have always been against the war in Iraq. I remember after 9/11 how everyone wanted justice for what had been done. How we went into Afghanistan to get bin Laden and those responsible for the attacks. Then one day...all of a sudden...out of the blue....I heard on C-Span that there was some sort of threat in Iraq. I remember thinking...Huh?...what happened to Afghanistan?
I remember watching Colin Powell saying things like - we can see the weapons right there - as he pointed to a hand sketched diagram. I remember Codoleezza Rice talking about giant mushroom clouds. They had me scared. But still, I thought....what about Afghanistan and those guys who attacked us?
Reading this book answered my questions. I would like to hear comments from anyone else who has read the book.
(Note: for those who do not know, General Shinseki, as Army Chief of Staff, said we would need more troops if we were to win in Iraq, was ignored, then promptly asked to retire. As we now know, he was correct.)
Nathan Sassaman was a 1985 graduate of West Point....captain and quarterback of Army football team....one of the most celebrated officers in the U.S. military....and also happened to belong to my sister and brother-in-law's church.
I borrowed this book from my brother-in-law. I was surprised to see him reading it, because I never, ever see him reading a book, except for the Bible. But he told me Nathan had been in his youth group at church and that he was an honest, stand-up citizen. Nathan sent my sister and brother-in-law a flag that had been flown in Iraq - as a thanks for their support of him throughout the years. I'm telling you this because I think it's important to understand who Nathan Sassaman is.
You might remember reading about the cover up and (apparent) drowning of two Iraqi detainees after American troops purportedly forced them to jump into the Tigris River. This was Sassaman's battalion and he was the person who was responsible for the cover up.
Nathan Sassaman Commanded 1st Battalion 8th Infantry Regiment in Iraq from 2003 - 2004. In this book, he is critical of the way the war was executed. There were errors and miscalculations from the Bush Administration (in particular, Rumsfeld), and some mid-ranking military personnel. He talks about the politicization (and cover up) of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman. About the pay-offs to Iraqi citizens to appease their losses. About how we can't win the war, because it's not a war anymore, it's police enforcement. He criticized Bush's 2003 announcement that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended” as a rather spectacularly ill-informed display of hubris.
While this book is dry at times when he describes the day-to-day military operations, three passages resonated with me.
On pages 50 -51
About going to war in Iraq: "I also suspect rather strongly that the issue had been on the table for quite some time, perhaps long before 9/11".
About WMD's: "There were no hardcore chemical or nuclear weapons anywhere in that country. I don't think there ever were. I think the Bush Administration used the issue of weapons of mass destruction as a legitimizing argument - in other words, for public relations issues".
On page 30
About our next steps: "What I think our next president (whoever he or she might be) ought to do. Bring our soldiers home - now. Start today".
I have always been against the war in Iraq. I remember after 9/11 how everyone wanted justice for what had been done. How we went into Afghanistan to get bin Laden and those responsible for the attacks. Then one day...all of a sudden...out of the blue....I heard on C-Span that there was some sort of threat in Iraq. I remember thinking...Huh?...what happened to Afghanistan?
I remember watching Colin Powell saying things like - we can see the weapons right there - as he pointed to a hand sketched diagram. I remember Codoleezza Rice talking about giant mushroom clouds. They had me scared. But still, I thought....what about Afghanistan and those guys who attacked us?
Reading this book answered my questions. I would like to hear comments from anyone else who has read the book.
(Note: for those who do not know, General Shinseki, as Army Chief of Staff, said we would need more troops if we were to win in Iraq, was ignored, then promptly asked to retire. As we now know, he was correct.)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
For Heterosexual Eyes Only
When did you decide you were straight?
Was there a moment in your life that caused you to want go live the life of a heterosexual? Were you an 8-year old girl with a best friend who dropped you for a more popular girl in school? Did you say to yourself "I'll show her! When I grow up, I'll get married to someone who looks like my dad"? Or were you a 7-year old boy who fought with your best friend about who got to be the pitcher in a baseball game? You went away and pouted, vowing to find a wife when you were old enough. Were you thinking about being gay, but then you had a crush on your new heterosexual teacher? Or maybe a happy heterosexual couple moved next door to your family, and you said "I want to be straight....just like them".
Do you remember when you made that decision?
You never decided? You were always that way? You always knew you were who you were? Is that what you're telling me? Well, every gay person I know has told me the same about themselves......they were always that way.....they just always knew.
Why would someone deliberately choose a life that generates so much scorn from people? (I'm sure there are some who do, but I think that's uncommon.) Many gays I know have tried living as a straight person, and even wished they were straight. But they can't, any more than I can suddenly become gay. I think we are just born that way.
One of the most compelling books I've read on this subject is called As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl, by John Colapinto. It's a true story about identical twin boys, Brian and Bruce Reimer, who were born in Canada in 1965. A botched circumcision on Bruce resulted in a decision to physically change him into a girl, who they named Brenda. A psychiatrist named Dr. Money used Brenda as an experiment, trying to prove that sexuality was a result of nurture, not nature. But it didn't work. Brenda always felt different, and never felt like a girl. In 1980, Brenda was told the truth, and is now living the life of a man. It's a sad story about Brenda's struggle to fit in, always knowing that she was different. And it's a disturbing story about how the adults tried to make Bruce/Brenda live the life they wanted him to live.
Comments?
Was there a moment in your life that caused you to want go live the life of a heterosexual? Were you an 8-year old girl with a best friend who dropped you for a more popular girl in school? Did you say to yourself "I'll show her! When I grow up, I'll get married to someone who looks like my dad"? Or were you a 7-year old boy who fought with your best friend about who got to be the pitcher in a baseball game? You went away and pouted, vowing to find a wife when you were old enough. Were you thinking about being gay, but then you had a crush on your new heterosexual teacher? Or maybe a happy heterosexual couple moved next door to your family, and you said "I want to be straight....just like them".
Do you remember when you made that decision?
You never decided? You were always that way? You always knew you were who you were? Is that what you're telling me? Well, every gay person I know has told me the same about themselves......they were always that way.....they just always knew.
Why would someone deliberately choose a life that generates so much scorn from people? (I'm sure there are some who do, but I think that's uncommon.) Many gays I know have tried living as a straight person, and even wished they were straight. But they can't, any more than I can suddenly become gay. I think we are just born that way.
One of the most compelling books I've read on this subject is called As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl, by John Colapinto. It's a true story about identical twin boys, Brian and Bruce Reimer, who were born in Canada in 1965. A botched circumcision on Bruce resulted in a decision to physically change him into a girl, who they named Brenda. A psychiatrist named Dr. Money used Brenda as an experiment, trying to prove that sexuality was a result of nurture, not nature. But it didn't work. Brenda always felt different, and never felt like a girl. In 1980, Brenda was told the truth, and is now living the life of a man. It's a sad story about Brenda's struggle to fit in, always knowing that she was different. And it's a disturbing story about how the adults tried to make Bruce/Brenda live the life they wanted him to live.
Comments?
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