Chasing Ghosts: Listening to our Soldiers and Veterans

So I was watching my cousin's show, The Henry Rollins Show, on IFC last night as I worked on some data I brought home from lab. His show is ALWAYS worth watching, but last night was particularly kick ass. His guests were two Iraq war veterans who were extremely articulate and effective critics of the Iraq quagmire and of Bush in particular. One of these articulate and intelligent veterans was particularly impressive: 1st Lieutenant Paul Rieckhoff.

Paul is a fellow New Yorker and he spent several weeks contributing to the rescue effort at Ground Zero. He also served for one year between 2003 and 2004 in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry and 1st Armored Divisions. Upon his return he founded the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an organization I have written about before.

Henry Rollins asked both Veterans when they first realized that something was wrong with the war in Iraq. For Paul it was when he was first going into Bagdhad during the invasion when there was still sporadic fighting. He said he and his soldiers looked around and saw no other US military units in sight. His seargent asked him where everyone else was, and Paul had no idea. They were thrown in with too few boots on the ground (as was predicted) with insufficient supplies and almost no training of how to deal with the occupation. They were thrown in with almost no support from the US government. Paul's condemnation of the war and it's architects, the McCain/Bush/Lieberman escalation included, is harsh and his description of the poor treatment of veterans upon their return from Iraq is a condemnation of the government and our society. Those who are most willing to send our soldiers to war are the least willing to support them when they come home. I have previously particularly criticized John McCain for his failure to support government programs for veterans because he, of all people, should know better.

Paul has written a book about his experiences in Iraq called "Chasing Ghosts." Here is some of the comments about the book:

"Paul Rieckhoff is a citizen in the classical sense. Like Cincinnatus, he went to war when his nation called, but his service didn't end when he came home. Paul poured his hard-won wisdom into changing the public dialogue about Iraq, and it's working. He's a patriot, a warrior, an organizer, and a leader. Paul's an inspiration, and you cannot put his book down without realizing that guys like him are changing Iraq, and America too."
- Nathaniel Fick,
author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

"Chasing Ghosts is like a first-hand report from your coolest friend, providing that your coolest friend had shipped off to an unpopular war. Rieckhoff totally nails the absurdities of American soldiers confronting mortality in aid of a failing mission. Anyone trying to figure out how the Iraq war went into the ditch needs to study Rieckhoff's Chasing Ghosts."
- Bobby Muller,
Chairman of the Board for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation

"This book hit me in the gut. Written by one who lived with the ground truth of the Iraq war with his United States Army platoon, it is the real story of how the lies, idiocies, frustrations, obscenities and tragedies of the war impact those who fight it...It is full of courage, GI talk, humor and pure patriotism. It is a must read for all of us struggling to understand the number one issue of our time."
- Senator Max Cleland,
Vietnam vet

I urge everyone who wants to REALLY listen to our soldiers and veterans should read "Chasing Ghosts" and should visit the IAVA website.

And for ALL our readers I strongly urge you to watch The Henry Rollins Show, Friday nights, 11 PM on IFC. I don't plug all my cousins the way I plug Henry...Henry deserves it!

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