Backseat To Baghdad

Author : Ross W. Simpson
Publisher : Page Publishing, Inc
Page : 618 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2022-11-03
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781643349497

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Backseat To Baghdad by Ross W. Simpson Pdf

It was "Shake and Bake Time" when I rode into battle in Iraq with the First Marine Division's lead assault battalion. I saw Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003 from the backseat of a Humvee in Counter Mech Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. The first night was frightening as we crossed through "No Man's Land" between two sand berms that separate Kuwait from Iraq, its warring neighbor to the north. Three weeks later we arrived in the Iraqi capitol of Baghdad, bloodied, but not broken. "No better Friend, no worse Enemy" is the motto of the First Marine Division. And the author had no better friend in the military than Mattis who signed the American flag Simpson carried in his helmet liner before he left 1MarDiv's headquarters in Baghdad and headed home to Northern Virginia. Their enduring friendship over three decades is why Mattis, the best-selling author of "Call Sign Chaos," a book about learning to lead, graciously agreed to write a few words about Backseat To Baghdad. "Today's unsung heroes are those young men and women who look past today's political rhetoric and volunteer their lives to defend America. In Backseat To Baghdad, Ross shows those troops in combat with all their humanity and humor and the tragedies and triumphs of young men coming of age when "they were soldiers once, and young." Keenly portrayed thanks to his man deployments alongside them. In this book, Ross reveals the extraordinary character of our citizens serving as soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines." Jim Mattis.

Author : Owen W. Gilman Jr.
Publisher : Univ. Press of Mississippi
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2018-02-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781496815774

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The Hell of War Comes Home by Owen W. Gilman Jr. Pdf

Owen W. Gilman Jr. stresses the US experience of war in the twenty-first century and argues that wherever and whenever there is war, there will be imaginative responses to it, especially the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since the trauma of September 11, the experience of Americans at war has been rendered honestly and fully in a wide range of texts--creative nonfiction and journalism, film, poetry, and fiction. These responses, Gilman contends, have packed a lot of power and measure up even to World War II's literature and film. Like few other books, Gilman's volume studies these new texts-- among them Kevin Powers's debut novel The Yellow Birds and Phil Klay's short stories Redeployment, along with the films The Hurt Locker, American Sniper, and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. For perspective, Gilman also looks at some touchstones from the Vietnam War. Compared to a few of the big Vietnam books and films, this new material has mostly been read and watched by small audiences and generated less discussion. Gilman exposes the circumstances in American culture currently preventing literature and film of our recent wars from making a significant impact. He contends that Americans' inclination to demand distraction limits learning from these compelling responses to war in the past decade. According to Gilman, where there should be clarity and depth of knowledge, we instead face misunderstanding and the anguish endured by veterans betrayed by war and our lack of understanding.

Author : Lynsey Addario
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2015-02-05
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781101599068

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It's What I Do by Lynsey Addario Pdf

"A brutally real and unrelentingly raw memoir."--Kirkus (starred review) War photographer Lynsey Addario’s memoir It’s What I Do is the story of how the relentless pursuit of truth, in virtually every major theater of war in the twenty-first century, has shaped her life. What she does, with clarity, beauty, and candor, is to document, often in their most extreme moments, the complex lives of others. It’s her work, but it’s much more than that: it’s her singular calling. Lynsey Addario was just finding her way as a young photographer when September 11 changed the world. One of the few photojournalists with experience in Afghanistan, she gets the call to return and cover the American invasion. She makes a decision she would often find herself making—not to stay home, not to lead a quiet or predictable life, but to set out across the world, face the chaos of crisis, and make a name for herself. Addario finds a way to travel with a purpose. She photographs the Afghan people before and after the Taliban reign, the civilian casualties and misunderstood insurgents of the Iraq War, as well as the burned villages and countless dead in Darfur. She exposes a culture of violence against women in the Congo and tells the riveting story of her headline-making kidnapping by pro-Qaddafi forces in the Libyan civil war. Addario takes bravery for granted but she is not fearless. She uses her fear and it creates empathy; it is that feeling, that empathy, that is essential to her work. We see this clearly on display as she interviews rape victims in the Congo, or photographs a fallen soldier with whom she had been embedded in Iraq, or documents the tragic lives of starving Somali children. Lynsey takes us there and we begin to understand how getting to the hard truth trumps fear. As a woman photojournalist determined to be taken as seriously as her male peers, Addario fights her way into a boys’ club of a profession. Rather than choose between her personal life and her career, Addario learns to strike a necessary balance. In the man who will become her husband, she finds at last a real love to complement her work, not take away from it, and as a new mother, she gains an all the more intensely personal understanding of the fragility of life. Watching uprisings unfold and people fight to the death for their freedom, Addario understands she is documenting not only news but also the fate of society. It’s What I Do is more than just a snapshot of life on the front lines; it is witness to the human cost of war.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Human Rights Watch
Page : 62 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2024-06-14
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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by Anonim Pdf

Author : Latif Yahia
Publisher : Arcanum Media Group
Page : 460 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2015-08-27
Category : History
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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The Hangman of Abu Ghraib by Latif Yahia Pdf

It tells the inside story of all the torture and executions that took place in Abu Ghraib under both the Saddam and American regimes as seen through the eyes of one man - the man who personally assassinated, tortured, hanged and shot more victims than any other man who has ever lived. It will surprise and shock readers and governments alike. Brace yourself - the giant of a man with his scarred face and the hangman's noose in his hands will soon be ready and waiting for you. Short Description of The Hangman of Abu Ghraib Abed Ali was born a poor peasant boy who worked on a farm in Iraq. He grew up to become the most deadly assassin and prolific executioner the world has ever known. This book gives a psychological insight into the mind of a man ordered to kill or be killed himself. The ruthlessness of the Ba'ath Party regime under a dictator. The inhumanity of the American invaders under the promise of 'freedom and democracy'. It is the true story of one man's life. And the deaths of thousands of others. One man. Two regimes. The same order from both... KILL FOR US OR BE KILLED BY US..

Author : Bill O'Reilly,Martin Dugard
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2022-05-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9781250279262

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Killing the Killers by Bill O'Reilly,Martin Dugard Pdf

Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! In the eleventh book in the multimillion-selling Killing series, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard reveal the startling, dramatic story of the global war against terrorists. In Killing The Killers, #1 bestselling authors Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard take readers deep inside the global war on terror, which began more than twenty years ago on September 11, 2001. As the World Trade Center buildings collapsed, the Pentagon burned, and a small group of passengers fought desperately to stop a third plane from completing its deadly flight plan, America went on war footing. Killing The Killers narrates America's intense global war against extremists who planned and executed not only the 9/11 attacks, but hundreds of others in America and around the world, and who eventually destroyed entire nations in their relentless quest for power. Killing The Killers moves from Afghanistan to Iraq, Iran to Yemen, Syria, and Libya, and elsewhere, as the United States fought Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as well as individually targeting the most notorious leaders of these groups. With fresh detail and deeply-sourced information, O'Reilly and Dugard create an unstoppable account of the most important war of our era. Killing The Killers is the most thrilling and suspenseful book in the #1 bestselling series of popular history books (over 18 million sold) in the world.

Author : Michael Cannon,Michael Cannon, Jr.
Publisher : Xulon Press
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781597810098

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Abu Ghraib by Michael Cannon,Michael Cannon, Jr. Pdf

Author : Mindy Belz
Publisher : NavPress
Page : 380 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2017-04-18
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781496425409

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They Say We Are Infidels by Mindy Belz Pdf

Now with a new chapter! “Everywhere militants were blowing up Christians, their churches, their shops. They threatened them with kidnapping. They promised to take their children. The message to these ‘infidels’: You have no place in Iraq. Pay a penalty to stay, leave, or be killed.” Sweeping from Syria into Iraq, Islamic State fighters (ISIS) have been brutalizing and annihilating Christians. How? Why? Where did the terrorists come from, and what can be done to stop them? For more than a decade, journalist Mindy Belz has reported on the ground from the Middle East, giving her unparalleled access to the story no one wants to believe. In They Say We Are Infidels, she brings the stark reality of this escalating genocide to light, tracking the stories of real-life Christians who refuse to abandon their faith—even in the face of losing everything, including their lives. As Reading Lolita in Tehran did for Iran and We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families did for Rwanda, They Say We Are Infidels shines light into the Middle East through the stories of everyday heroes and heroines who will not be silenced. A must-read for anyone seeking a firmer grasp on the complex dynamics at play in war-torn Iraq and Syria, They Say We Are Infidels is the eye-opening and revelatory testimony of a journalist who heads into a war zone—and is forever changed by the people she encounters there.

Author : A. C. S Peacock
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 378 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2015-01-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9780748698073

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Great Seljuk Empire by A. C. S Peacock Pdf

The first English language general history of the Great Seljuk Empire outlines its chronological history and will explores its religious and institutional history.

Author : Hasselgård
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 377 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2023-11-20
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9789004653689

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Out of Corpora by Hasselgård Pdf

Main headings: Introduction. - I. Representing language use. - II. Grammar and lexis in English corpora. - III. Contrastive and translation studies. - IV. English abroad. - List of Stig Johansson's publications (selection).

Author : Helen Durham,Tracey Gurd
Publisher : Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789004143654

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Listening to the Silences by Helen Durham,Tracey Gurd Pdf

Demonstrates that women are taking on increasingly less traditional roles during war, and that these roles are multifaceted, complicated and sometimes contradictory. Reveals that women's requirements during times of war will continue to be inadequate so long as we continue silencing the differing perspectives. Australian editors.

Author : Melissa Rossi
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 518 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2008-12-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781440655340

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What Every American Should Know About the Middle East by Melissa Rossi Pdf

The What Every American Should Know series returns with a timely guide to the region Americans need to understand the most (and know the least) The latest edition of Melissa Rossi's popular What Every American Should Know series gives a crash course on one of the most complex and important regions of the world. In this comprehensive and engaging reference book, Rossi offers a clear analysis of the issues playing out in the Middle East, delving into each country's history, politics, economy, and religions. Having traveled through the area over the past year, she exposes firsthand the U.S.'s geopolitical moves and how our presence has affected the region's economic and political development. Topics include: · Why Iran is viewed as a threat by most Middle East countries · What resource is more important than petroleum in regional power plays · What's really behind the fighting between Sunni and Shia · How Saudi Arabia inadvertently feeds the violence in Iraq and beyond · How monarchies like those in Jordan and Qatar are more open and progressive than the so-called republics With answers that will surprise many Americans, and covering a vast history and cultural complexity that will fascinate any student of the world, What Every American Should Know About the Middle East is a must-read introduction to the most critical region of the twenty-first century.

Author : Edward P. Djerejian
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 323 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2008-09-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781416580256

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Danger and Opportunity by Edward P. Djerejian Pdf

When Edward P. Djerejian arrived in Beirut for his first Foreign Service assignment, the city was a thriving metropolis, a nexus for a diversity of religious beliefs, political ideas, and cultural practices. More than forty years since, the broader Middle East region is undergoing significant change in the face of a deep-rooted con-frontation between the forces of reaction and modernity in the rapidly growing Muslim populations. Serious deficits in education, political participation, economic progress, and human rights are exacerbated by unresolved conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kashmir, and between Arabs and Israelis. Djerejian, an American diplomat who served eight presidents, both Democratic and Republican, from John F. Kennedy to William Jefferson Clinton, publicly shares for the first time intimate details and colorful anecdotes of his service in the Middle East. During his tenure, he developed close professional relationships with many of the region's secular and religious leaders and was a key advisor to Washington's highest-ranking officials and political leaders. He was instrumental in formulating U.S. policy in the region, and participated actively in Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, the release of U.S. hostages in Lebanon, and the formation of the U.S.-led coalition against Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. A leading expert on the Middle East, Djerejian asserts that Americans are confronted with one of the most important challenges of our time: the struggle of ideas between the forces of extremism and moderation in the Arab and Muslim world. Mistakenly assuming that radical political ideologies fell with communism at the end of the Cold War, policy makers are employing insufficient strategies to promote the important political, economic, commercial, cultural, and security interests that the United States -- and the rest of the world -- have in the region. Djerejian explains what has gone wrong with U.S. policy and suggests a way forward for future admin-istrations. The United States must learn to deal with the complex religious, ethnic, and cultural factors at play in the Middle East. We must not impose our own political structure on the Arab and Muslim world, but we can help marginalize the radicals and champion a democratic way of life in conformity with the cultural context of the region's own mainstream values and ideals. In his captivating and illuminating book -- the only one of its kind to address the full scope of issues that U.S. leaders face in the Middle East -- Djerejian outlines specific coherent strategies necessary to respond effectively to the imminent danger and dynamic opportunity presented by the struggle within the Islamic world.

Author : Steve Coll
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 479 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2024-02-27
Category : History
ISBN : 9780525562276

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The Achilles Trap by Steve Coll Pdf

From bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Steve Coll, the definitive story of the decades-long relationship between the United States and Saddam Hussein, and a deeply researched and news-breaking investigation into how human error, cultural miscommunication, and hubris led to one of the costliest geopolitical conflicts of our time When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, its message was clear: Iraq, under the control of strongman Saddam Hussein, possessed weapons of mass destruction that, if left unchecked, posed grave danger to the world. But when no WMDs were found, the United States and its allies were forced to examine the political and intelligence failures that had led to the invasion and the occupation, and the civil war that followed. One integral question has remained unsolved: Why had Saddam seemingly sacrificed his long reign in power by giving the false impression that he had hidden stocks of dangerous weapons? The Achilles Trap masterfully untangles the people, ploys of power, and geopolitics that led to America’s disastrous war with Iraq and, for the first time, details America’s fundamental miscalculations during its decades-long relationship with Saddam Hussein. Beginning with Saddam’s rise to power in 1979 and the birth of Iraq’s secret nuclear weapons program, Steve Coll traces Saddam’s motives by way of his inner circle. He brings to life the diplomats, scientists, family members, and generals who had no choice but to defer to their leader—a leader directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, as well as the torture or imprisonment of hundreds of thousands more. This was a man whose reasoning was impossible to reduce to a simple explanation, and the CIA and successive presidential administrations failed to grasp critical nuances of his paranoia, resentments, and inconsistencies—even when the stakes were incredibly high. Calling on unpublished and underreported sources, interviews with surviving participants, and Saddam’s own transcripts and audio files, Coll pulls together an incredibly comprehensive portrait of a man who was convinced the world was out to get him and acted accordingly. A work of great historical significance, The Achilles Trap is the definitive account of how corruptions of power, lies of diplomacy, and vanity—on both sides—led to avoidable errors of statecraft, ones that would enact immeasurable human suffering and forever change the political landscape as we know it.

Author : Ahmad A. Sbaiti
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Page : 212 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2014-05-14
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781499007190

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Twenty Days in Kuwait by Ahmad A. Sbaiti Pdf

This is a book about a drama and an adventure. The drama tells the story of Saddam Hussein’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait in the early hours of Thursday, August 2, 1990. His action was precipitated by his eight-year war with Iran, and thereafter by actors on the local scene like Kuwait and other Arab countries, and compounded by the actions of outside players like the United States of America, the Soviet Union, Europe and the United Nations. Part One of the book tells the story of Saddam’s fateful action that August day of 1990, and the role played by each of the other actors to bring about the confluence of events that led to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. When the invasion occurred, the author, who had been living and working in Kuwait for 15 years, was on vacation in the United States with his family. When the crisis was not resolved in time for them to return to Kuwait for the new school year, he and his family decided to make Dallas, Texas, their permanent home. Part Two of the book recounts the events and the author’s day-to-day activities during what he termed as his “adventure in a journey of misery” when he returned to Kuwait in October of 1990, while it was still under Iraqi occupation, to retrieve his family’s household belongings. The journey lasted for thirty five days-twenty days in Kuwait itself, and fifteen were spent on the road for the trip to and from Kuwait.