The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq, by John Crawford* (Riverhead, 2006, 221 pages, $16.99)
If you were infantry, you will race through this book, reliving it in one evening. If you were never infantry, but were Army or were even deployed, you will remember living parts of this book. Others may get lost in the details of weapons and the daily life - and the omnipresent four-letter words.
Author John Crawford is a college student, newly married and about to graduate - and in the Florida National Guard, a unit deployed to Iraq in 2002 at nearly the end of the conflict. But did his unit get to go home when their mission was completed? No, they kept getting attached to other units in-country and when a unit is attached, they are the bastard child: they don't feel a strong bond with the parent unit and the parent unit continues to favor their own guys, supplying them first. I know the difficulties: I was attached for many months in Afghanistan to a National Guard unit from a southern state (with very few females). Sort of like a sub-contractor: last hired and first fired.
War Stories
Crawford's book grew out of one story he wrote (the last chapter of his book) while deployed: an agent talked him into more stories. So, one never gets the whole story here - merely a collection of incidents with some of the same colleagues' names in different chapters (we never really get to know very many of the soldiers which is fine - it is the daily life that shines through).
The early days of Iraq may be more similar to the Vietnam Conflict than later years of Iraq or Afghanistan. For example, even though team cohesiveness may have been tighter (or always prevalent in the Infantry), it seems liquor and drugs were sort of available. Even five years later, this was not the case: discipline was rampant then. So, the chapter about 'borrowing' the motorcycle would have been unique to the early days in Iraq as well as visiting the young Iraqi women.
Military Hierarchy
One aspect that is probably always present is how higher-ranking individuals sometimes take credit for the feats of their subordinates and sometimes abscond with their privileges. I remember once in Afghanistan I was slated to go on a humanitarian assistance visit to a small village but a higher-ranking officer who had never been outside the wire took my place - his time was getting short and he may not have another opportunity. (On the other hand, I once gave up my seat on a helicopter visit so a subordinate who had never been aboard a chopper could have that experience.)
After an incident in which Crawford's unit took casualties: "That night we had a company meeting, where the battalion commander and the chaplain tried to speak words of encouragement to worried and angry soldiers. We were a team, they said. They told us to persevere and stay strong. Every soldier is important to the chain of command, and they were suffering right beside us. It was a good speech, but when the time came, neither the chaplain nor the battalion commander could remember the names of either of our soldiers who were hit." (p. 96)
And, "A little known fact in the army is that a soldier's happiness is directly proportional to the proximity of his chain of command. Our commander and first sergeant had tagged along in an attempt to get away from the battalion staff. It was a vacation for them, but for the rest of the company, sleeping right next door to them, it was pure torture." (p. 182) In other words, things relax the further downrange you are located.
War Stays With You
Combat changes someone forever, even if the person is not wounded. Just being immersed in a different culture - the military or the military during a conflict. For some, R&R is difficult and I agree with one of the characters that it can be more difficult to return than to have never gone at all. These are words the author tells a fellow soldier upon his return to Iraq: "I didn't tell him that being alone, with no one to watch your back, left you feeling naked and helpless. I spent most of my time watching rooftops and side roads, looking into my rear view mirror to make sure no one was creeping up on my car from behind. I didn't mention that every Arabic-looking person I saw gave me a funny feeling of anger inside, and that every time I saw someone sitting contentedly inside a coffee shop or restaurant, I wanted to yell at them, wake them up." (p. 173)
Talking to your spouse or kids in the evening from a combat zone can be a godsend or just the opposite. Your spouse talks about picking up dog poop and you talk about picking up brain remains. Communicating home is a blessing in disguise or a true frustration.
And when our author was back in the US: "I went to the gas station yesterday to buy some cigarettes. An Arabic man was working behind the counter. He turned when he heard the door chime and gave me a broad smile. I walked out. I never wanted to hate anyone: it just sort of happens that way in a war."
The Last True Story
Crawford's book is a snapshot in time, in one location, with one Army unit, yet well worth the read.
*NPR Interview, John Crawford: The Accidental Soldier
No comments:
Post a Comment