Soldiers and Citizens: An Oral History of Operation Iraqi Freedom from the Battlefield to the Pentagon (Palgrave Studies in Oral History)

More than five years after the United States military and coalition forces invaded Iraq, the Iraq War remains a controversial and divisive subject throughout the world. This wide-ranging book, the first truly comprehensive oral history of the war, captures the diverse viewpoints of the soldiers, policymakers, family members, and others whose lives it changed. Recorded here are gripping battlefield accounts from veterans, the passionate testimonies of conscientious objectors and war supporters, reflections from nuclear inspectors and diplomats, and the varied perspectives of public figures from all across the political spectrum. This illuminating and moving book is an essential document of one of the defining conflicts of the twenty-first century. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Series Editors' Foreword......Page 12 Foreword......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 18 Introduction......Page 22 ONE: Iraq and the United States: A Brief Sketch......Page 30 TWO: The New Winter Soldiers Redux: The Patriotism of Antiwar GIs......Page 42 Specialist Aidan Delgado, "He was juggling a Kuwaiti skull."......Page 50 Sergeant Aaron Hughes, "Vietnam did not change until the veterans spoke out."......Page 54 Specialist Michael Harmon, "The whole war was a lie."......Page 59 Lieutenant Harvey Tharp, "I was able to use Halliburton's greed to my advantage."......Page 62 Corporal Adam Charles Kokesh, "Kindly, go fuck yourself."......Page 64 Sergeant Kelly Doughtery, "The U.S. invaded Iraq to control the oil resources."......Page 67 Staff Sergeant Andrew Sapp, "We need to get closer to a social revolution."......Page 72 Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejía, "There is no greater freedom than the freedom to follow one's conscience."......Page 78 THREE: From Bunker Hill to Baghdad: We Will Continue the Mission......Page 88 Captain James L. McCormick, "It really is a sense of honor; it is the right thing to do."......Page 93 Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Sisinyak, "You signed up for this. You have a responsibility to fight."......Page 98 Sergeant Vincent Micco, "The man reached over and kissed me on the cheek."......Page 101 Lieutenant Jason Nichols, "It is not supporting the troops by keeping them from doing the job that they volunteered to do."......Page 106 Colonel William V. Wenger (Ret.), "They want you, your family and everyone you know who is not a Muslim dead."......Page 108 Specialist Jennifer Sardam, "It was almost a personal quest for me."......Page 114 Major Brian Bresnahan, "You know who the bad guys are, don't you?"......Page 118 FOUR: The Sacrifice of Military Families......Page 124 Celeste Zappala, "How is it okay for my son to go and be killed in this war that no one can explain, but the people who wanted the war don't send their kids."......Page 126 Teri Mackey, "It touches you in ways that you can't imagine unless you've been there."......Page 128 Monica Benderman, "The issues are more important than we are."......Page 133 Carlos and Mélida Arredondo, "Dad on fire."......Page 137 FIVE: War Managers: Pundits and Policy Officials......Page 144 Andrew J. Bacevich, "The military effort is a futile one."......Page 148 David Horowitz, "There is no question that the war was justified."......Page 153 Hans Blix, "How can you prove that there is no mouse in the New York Metropolitan Opera?"......Page 157 Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson (Ret.), "I do think that there will be some war crimes action against the Bush administration."......Page 163 Douglas J. Feith, "We worked in the open, not conspiratorially."......Page 169 Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski (Ret.), "I call it propaganda production."......Page 173 John Brady Kiesling, "What would happen if I resigned?"......Page 179 Major General Paul Eaton (Ret.), "You have the number two guy in government saying that torture is okay."......Page 184 Terrence K. Kelly, "They put themselves in harm's way to try to help Iraq."......Page 188 Samir Adil, "The Iraqi people believe in unity, we love each other."......Page 193 Donny George Youkhanna, "This was a serious accusation; it meant killing immediately."......Page 197 Notes......Page 202 Bibliography......Page 214 D......Page 218 K......Page 219 P......Page 220 W......Page 221 Z......Page 222 This book is the first comprehensive oral history of the Iraq War. It presents the raw and vivid testimonies and recollections from combat veterans, family members, conscientious objectors, Bush administration officials, Iraqi leaders, and many others, forming a gripping and moving portrait of the war. The first truly comprehensive oral history of the Iraq War, Soldiers and Citizens presents the raw and vivid testimonies of those who have been touched by the conflict. Included here are recollections from combat veterans, family members, conscientious objectors, Bush administration officials, Iraqi leaders, and many others, forming a gripping and moving portrait of the war "Why did the United States invade and occupy Iraq, and what happened when we did? Soldiers and Citizens provides a compelling series of answers. No matter how much you think you know about the Iraq war, this book will teach you more."--Stephen Kinzer, former New York Times correspondent and Visiting Scholar, Northwestern University "Carl Mirra has put together a remarkable and moving collection of oral histories of the war in Iraq. He brings into direct dialogue veterans who opposed and supported the war, policy-makers who resigned their office out of principle and those who remain convinced of the righteousness of their policies. These are fascinating clips of a war still in progress, whose origins and course will remain disputed long after it is finally concluded." - Dr. Marilyn B. Young, Professor of History, New York University and author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990 "Whether described as occupied or liberated, Iraq usually generates widely divergent, strongly held opinions. Carl Mirra's book presents all sides of the issue, as seen by those engaged in the struggle. It is compelling, balanced, rational and thought-provoking. The issues are complicated; the presentation is hard-hitting. Read it and learn." - Ambassador Edward Peck, former U.S. Chief of Mission in Iraq and Deputy Director, White House Task Force on Terrorism in the Reagan administration "In the spirit of Studs Terkel, Carl Mirra has given us Soldiers and Citizens, a splendid new oral history of U.S. military intervention in Iraq that could easily have been subtitled 'the good war gone bad.' "Why did the United States invade and occupy Iraq, and what happened when we did? Soldiers and Citizens provides a compelling series of answers. No matter how much you think you know about the Iraq war, this book will teach you more."--Stephen Kinzer, former New York Times correspondent and Visiting Scholar, Northwestern University "Carl Mirra has put together a remarkable and moving collection of oral histories of the war in Iraq. He brings into direct dialogue veterans who opposed and supported the war, policy-makers who resigned their office out of principle and those who remain convinced of the righteousness of their policies. These are fascinating clips of a war still in progress, whose origins and course will remain disputed long after it is finally concluded."--Dr. Marilyn B. Young, Professor of History, New York University and author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990 "Whether described as occupied or liberated, Iraq usually generates widely divergent, strongly held opinions. Carl Mirra's book presents all sides of the issue, as seen by those engaged in the struggle. It is compelling, balanced, rational and thought-provoking. The issues are complicated; the presentation is hard-hitting. Read it and learn."--Ambassador Edward Peck, former U.S. Chief of Mission in Iraq and Deputy Director, White House Task Force on Terrorism in the Reagan administration "In the spirit of Studs Terkel, Carl Mirra has given us Soldiers and Citizens, a splendid new oral history of U.S. military intervention in Iraq that could easily have been subtitled 'the good war gone bad.' This book is essential reading for anyone interested in learning why George W. Bush intervened in Iraq and just how difficult it will be to extricate the United States from what every one of Mirra's soldiers and citizens agrees will be a long and bloody war." - Dr. Douglas Little, Professor of History and Dean at Clark College; author of American Orientalism: The United States and the Middle East since 1945 This Book Is The First comprehensive Oral History Of The Iraq War. It presents The Raw And Vivid Testimonies and Recollections From Combat Veterans, Family Members, Conscientious Objectors, Bush Administration Officials, Iraqi Leaders, And Many Others, Forming A Gripping And Moving Portrait Of The War. Foreword / By Christian Appy -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Iraq And The United States : A Brief Sketch -- The New Winter Soldiers Redux : The Patriotism Of Antiwar Gis -- From Bunker Hill To Baghdad : We Will Continue The Mission -- The Sacrifice Of Military Families -- War Managers : Pundits And Policy Officials. Carl Mirra. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [193]-195) And Index. Foreword by Christian Appy -- Acknowledgements -- Author introduction -- Iraq and the United States : a brief sketch -- The new winter soldiers redux : the patriotism of antiwar GIS -- From bunker hill to Baghdad : we will continue the mission -- The sacrifice of military families -- War managers : pundits and policy officials This book presents wide-ranging oral history of the Iraq War, capturing the diverse viewpoints of the soldiers, policymakers, family members, and others whose lives it changed