Book Review: Love My Rifle More Than You
(Young and Female in the U.S. Army)
by Kayla Williams
290 pages, trade paperback, ISBN-10: 0-393-32922-4, 19.50 CAD (14.95 USD)
Kayla Williams went to Iraq as part of the initial occupation, an Arabic language specialists in a military intelligence company attached to the 101st Airborne Division .
The book actually contains a disclaimer stating that the book does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense. In this case the word 'necessarily' can be removed without making the statement inaccurate. Williams takes the position that initially good relations with Iraqi civilians were poisoned by cultural misunderstandings, paranoia, and later, random arrests of civilians on suspicion of terrorism. She also talks about participating in the interrogation of an Iraqi man in which he was burned with cigarettes and struck several times by the lead interrogator. So while the US Army would like everyone to believe that Abu Ghraib was an isolated incident, I am disinclined to believe them, as more reports of this type have surfaced recently.
Above all, the author's frustration with the entire experience is clear. I've often heard of soldiers talk about boredom punctuated by shear terror while on mission, Iraq may be more frustrating still because the regime that was (at least nominally) the target of the official invasion is long gone. Not that anything has gotten peaceful. Williams describes coming across a children playing soccer in a field full of unexploded ordinance (UXO), a mixture of shells from the Iran-Iraq war, bomblets from American cluster bombs dropped during the first Gulf War, and various other nasty surprises. And there's nothing she can do about it, it takes weeks for a team to arrive to clear the field and the crossroads nearby, which was likely the target in the first place. I mean, kids are playing surrounded by this stuff, and all she can do is try to explain to them why they need to stay away. Try coming out of that experience sane.
Well worth reading, particularly if you've read Jarhead by Anthony Swofford (or at least seen the film). I'm not saying that the two are the same, but the two individual perspectives are a great insight into what has been a global issue for quite some time now.
by Kayla Williams
290 pages, trade paperback, ISBN-10: 0-393-32922-4, 19.50 CAD (14.95 USD)
Kayla Williams went to Iraq as part of the initial occupation, an Arabic language specialists in a military intelligence company attached to the 101st Airborne Division .
The book actually contains a disclaimer stating that the book does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense. In this case the word 'necessarily' can be removed without making the statement inaccurate. Williams takes the position that initially good relations with Iraqi civilians were poisoned by cultural misunderstandings, paranoia, and later, random arrests of civilians on suspicion of terrorism. She also talks about participating in the interrogation of an Iraqi man in which he was burned with cigarettes and struck several times by the lead interrogator. So while the US Army would like everyone to believe that Abu Ghraib was an isolated incident, I am disinclined to believe them, as more reports of this type have surfaced recently.
Above all, the author's frustration with the entire experience is clear. I've often heard of soldiers talk about boredom punctuated by shear terror while on mission, Iraq may be more frustrating still because the regime that was (at least nominally) the target of the official invasion is long gone. Not that anything has gotten peaceful. Williams describes coming across a children playing soccer in a field full of unexploded ordinance (UXO), a mixture of shells from the Iran-Iraq war, bomblets from American cluster bombs dropped during the first Gulf War, and various other nasty surprises. And there's nothing she can do about it, it takes weeks for a team to arrive to clear the field and the crossroads nearby, which was likely the target in the first place. I mean, kids are playing surrounded by this stuff, and all she can do is try to explain to them why they need to stay away. Try coming out of that experience sane.
Well worth reading, particularly if you've read Jarhead by Anthony Swofford (or at least seen the film). I'm not saying that the two are the same, but the two individual perspectives are a great insight into what has been a global issue for quite some time now.
posted by Colin at
3:12 p.m.
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