Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Voices of the Iraq war

We have three new books that examine the Iraq war from three different perspectives: injured Marine, a young mother dealing with her husband's tour of duty, and an ex-Navy SEAL turned analyst.
Once a Marine: an Iraq War tank commander's inspirational memoir of combat, courage, and recovery is by Nick Popaditch and Mike Steere. Gunner Sgt. Popaditch was in one of the first American tanks to roll through the streets of Bagdhad, and a year later he was seriously wounded in the First Battle of Fallujah. This book is not about his time in Iraq, however. It is about his return home, missing an eye and riddled with shrapnel, and his long fight to not only recover from his injuries but to remain a Marine.
The Day After He Left for Iraq: a story of love, family & reunion is by Melissa Seligman. When her husband departs for Iraq in the fall of 2005, Seligman is left behind with an 8-week old son and a two-year old daughter. Woken by nightmares, worried for her husband's safety and lonely, she is also coping with the stress of taking care of two young children by herself. Over the next year, she tries to deal with her challenges by keeping a diary and tracking her evolving emotions.
The Sheriff of Ramadi: Navy SEALs and the winning of al-Anbar is by Dick Couch. An ex-SEAL himself who served during the Vietnam War and has written many books about the SEALs and Green Berets, Couch takes an outside look at the battle for control of Ramadi. A monumental struggle that resulted in a posthumous Medal of Honor for PO2 Michael A. Monsoor, the battle of Ramadi is picked apart and analyzed by Couch, who comes to the conclusion that it was an important victory against the al-Queda insurgents.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kathleen: Thank you for your post about Nick Popaditch's book, Once a Marine. Yes, the book does not go into great detail about the fighting in Iraq, but what a book! Nick's writing style makes you feel like your right in the action. He went through a tremendous ordeal and all the while remained a Marine's Marine. If interested, you can get personalized copies of Nick's book at www.savasbeatie.com. Thank you.

Rainbird librarian said...

Since I like the idea of turning the Rainbird Librarian's actual identity into something of a riddle, I will admit that my name is not Kathleen.