Chasing Ghosts
Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective
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4.7 • 9 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
As a First Lieutenant and Infantry Platoon Leader for the U.S. Army National Guard, Paul Rieckhoff was charged with leading thirty-eight men in Iraq. He spent almost a year in one of the bloodiest and most volatile areas of Baghdad. And when he finally came home, he vowed to tell Americans the harrowing truth. He does just that, uncensored and unrehearsed, "and with wit and passion" (Arianna Huffington), in Chasing Ghosts-the first criticism of the Iraq war written by a soldier who fought in it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An Operation Iraqi Freedom vet and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Rieckhoff recounts his journey from National Guard lieutenant to disillusioned patriot in this disappointing combat memoir-cum-polemic. Rieckhoff admits that he thought the reasons for invading Iraq were "bullshit," but volunteered to go anyway. His experiences in Iraq patrolling the chaotic streets of Baghdad in the months after its occupation only confirmed his initial judgment that the invasion "was one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in our nation's history." Rieckhoff is anything but humble. An Amherst grad (as he often interjects), he finds his recruiter repellant a "slick, fat... Sergeant smelled like a dirty ashtray" but enlists anyway. President Bush is "arrogant" and "a bully," and Coalition Provisional Authority head Paul Bremer is "ignorant and out-of-touch." Rieckhoff is bipartisan in his contempt: when the Kerry campaign ignores his advice, he dismisses the Democratic presidential candidate as "a calculating and coached politician." Finally, he and a "small band of pissed-off visionaries" founded their own organization, Operation Truth, to get out the word. In the end, Rieckhoff has a story to tell, but he undermines his credibility with his arrogance and petty offside remarks.
Customer Reviews
Loved this book!
Interesting, informative, well written. I highly recommend.
Amazing account from a soldiers perspective
This book is the truth! I was one of Lt. Riechkoff's soldiers, so I know off all the accounts listed from when he was assigned to our unit. I have read this book several times and have sent copies to friends and family. I'm glad that he wrote this book! A+
Great book!
I found Paul's story honest and a great example of how things went down in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.