Ghost riders of Baghdad
Subtitle: soldiers, civilians, and the myth of the surge
By: Daniel A. Sjursen
Publisher: ForeEdge, an imprint of University Press of New England; ForeEdge
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Lebanon, NH
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9781611687811; 9781611688276
Subjects: Politics and government; Campaigns; American Personal narratives; United States. Army. Cavalry Regiment, 61st. Squadron, 3rd; Iraq War, 2003-2011; United States. Army; United States; Officers; Biography
Other titles: Soldiers, civilians, and the myth of the surge
Description: "From October 2006 to December 2007, Daniel A. Sjursen - then a U.S. Army lieutenant - led a light scout platoon across Baghdad. The experiences of Ghost Rider platoon provide a soldier's-eye view of the incredible complexities of warfare, peacekeeping, and counterinsurgency in one of the world's most ancient cities. Sjursen reflects broadly and critically on the prevailing narrative of the surge as savior of America's longest war, on the overall military strategy in Iraq, and on U.S. relations with ordinary Iraqis. And at a time when just a handful of U.S. senators and representatives have a family member in combat, Sjursen writes movingly on questions of America's patterns of national service. Who now serves and why? What connection does America's professional army have to the broader society and culture? What is the price we pay for abandoning the model of the citizen soldier? With the bloody emergence of ISIS in 2014, Iraq and its beleaguered, battle-scarred people are again much in the news. Unlike other books on the U.S. war in Iraq, Ghost Riders of Baghdad is part battlefield chronicle, part critique of American military strategy and policy, and part appreciation of Iraq and its people. At once a military memoir, synthetic history, and cultural commentary, Ghost Riders of Baghdad delivers a compelling story and a deep appreciation of both those who serve and the civilians they strive to protect. Sjursen provides a riveting addition to our understanding of modern warfare and its human costs."--Jacket.
Table of contents: title: Preface: "No shit, there we were": Salman Pak backstory; title: Enter the "ghost riders": 2nd Platoon, B/3-61 CAV; title: Citizenship and sacrifice: reflections on military service; title: Life as a countdown: drinking, training, and otherwise getting by; title: Doing more with less; title: "These dudes are trying to kill us"; title: Indispensable friends: Mark and the interpreters; title: Breaking point: fear, loss, and defeat; title: Sunni versus Shia: the anatomy of sectarian civil war; title: Ushering in the "surge": farewell Mada'in, hello Baghdad; title: Troop shortage, troop surge: good people, bad advice; title: A night to remember; title: Shouting at Lindsay Graham; title: Staggering to the finish line: aftermath in a shattered platoon; title: Disappointing paths: Iraq, seven years on; title: War in the rearview: on life after Iraq; title: Coda: the power of memory.