The Journal of the Proceedings of the President, 1793-1797

Book Description

The first bombs of Operation Iraqi Freedom rained down on Baghdad on March 20, 2003. Since then, roughly one million young Americans have rotated through Iraq. Nevertheless, with the facts on the ground being filtered through the media, the military, the White House, and political bias in both directions, we know shockingly little about what the American men and women on the front lines really experience. With this extraordinary book, all that changes. What Was Asked of Us is the first unvarnished, unfiltered, and uncensored history of the Iraq war-straight from the mouths of the men and women who are fighting it. Based on scores of in-depth interviews, What Was Asked of Us takes us from the initial invasion to the present. We meet soldiers who reveal in their own words their greatest triumphs, most devastating defeats, and darkest secrets-like Daniel Cotnoir, a Mortuary Affairs officer who spent his days retrieving the bodies and body parts of fallen soldiers; Seth Moulton a Harvard-educated officer who led a surreal battle amid the graves in an ancient Iraqi cemetery; Travis Williams, a Marine who lost all of his squad mates in an IED attack; and Tania Quiones, an Army National Guard MP deployed to Baghdad, who had to deal with frustrated locals and sexist comrades. They tell us about their lives and careers, their families back home, their days and nights, the Iraqis they've encountered, the fear and the courage and the challenges of fighting a war when the enemy is everywhere and nowhere at once. They tell us things they've told no one, not even their families. By turns inspiring and heartbreaking, What Was Asked of Us is a landmark book, the first time our troops in Iraq have been able to speak at length about their experiences. From the thrilling highs (a spectacular rush by the 3rd Infantry Division into Baghdad) to the devastating lows (an account of what it was like to be a soldier at Abu Ghraib, witnessing the abuse of prisoners), this book lets the troops speak for themselves. As a result, it offers the most emotionally powerful and revealing account of the war and is necessary reading for anyone who cares about our soldiers and our country.

Customer Reviews:

What Was Asked of Us.......2007-06-27

I know I am biased because my twin sons make up two of the chapters but that aside....this is a book everyone needs to read. It lets the men tell in their own words what they did and how they feel. No one can understand what our men and women are dealing with without reading their words. I encourage everyone to suggest this book. It is not an easy read, especially for this mom, but one that will stay with you long after it is read.

important and painful reading . . .......2007-04-07

To say that this book is interesting and/or enjoyable to read is missing the point. This book and the soldiers interviewed are trying desparately through the authors to communicate the devastation of war and in particular this War. We need to listen and learn.

From All Walks Of Life.......2007-04-07

At first I thought this book would be a pro-war book with all the soldiers talking of how glad they were there. But, I found it to be a refreshingly unbiased book of stories from several different soldiers (mostly Marines) who served at different parts of the war. Some were glad to have been there, others were angry that they were there, others were glad they were there but angry at the lack of security and funding available to help the Iraqi people. I was amazed at learning that the humvees had little to no protection and that they rigged parts of other blown up humvees onto their vehicles to better protect themselves. Part of me was horrifed at the conditions of the soldiers, but I was more in awe of what these soldiers were able to accomplish with what little they did have. Amazing book.

A Canadian "activist," reports on American Courage???.......2007-03-03

If you have ever read The Torono Star, look it up on the net and read the editorial page. VERY enlightening. Bascially, American bashing regardless of what administration was in the Whitehouse. To say Canadians have no agenda, including the author, is absurd. The famous "Canadian Peacekeepers," number less than the size of the highschool you graduated from...and that is worldwide. In Bosnia, Canada contributed 12 aircraft. The Italians, hardly a super power, contributed 144. For generations, Canada has slashed its defense budget until they cannot even transport their troops across their own country without help. Is it just that they don't beleive in Iraqi freedom? Well, you may want to ask your best Canadian friend how many men Canada is contributing in Africa, or any other cause where they can get hurt. Or about how the Canadian airborne was disbanded for torture in a time of peace, and deemed "Rotten to the core," according to the Official Government Investigation (a direct quote). Yet most Canadians know far more about how underwear was placed on the heads of terrorists by Americans (oh the inhumanity!), than how their own boys tortured to death a Somali teenager (and took trophy photos) for stealing food. McClean's was the ONLY, the one and only, Canadian news journal that published these horrific photos of Canadian Airborn in the act of murder and torture of a teenage boy...for stealing food. That is why the Canadian Airborn was disbanded in shame. Yet it is stunning that most Canadians have never even heard of this!! (Then again, 52% of Canadians think that "Life, libery, and the pursuit of happiness," comes from the Canadian Charter. Thier own equivalent is in fact "Peace, Order, Good Government,"...if you can even call the BNA "equivalent," to the Constitution of the Unites States). I challenge anyone to point out errors in the facts stated above.

My point? The Canadians have not had a hero since WWII, and never forget their freedom was GRANTED to them by the benevolent crown. They never fought for their independence. They will NEVER have the same view of warfare that Americans have...anymore than your kids have the same view of your heating bill that you have.

The Canadian press routinely bashes Americans while they sit back and let others do the heavy lifting. Their contribution to NATO has been repeatedly cited as inadequate by EUROPEANS, not just Americans. The Toronto Star never even covered that story (although the Globe had it somewhere in the used car ads). When it comes to Canadians covering America, you would be wise to do some research on the strong stench of anti-americanism drifting south before taking ANY Canadian journalist seriously. So much foul to report on in the Canadian military, or what is left of it, and so odd to find a Canadian journalist so focused on America. Be suspicious. A few minutes of web research, and I do NOT mean politically inclined web sites, but rather CANADIAN editorials, will open your eyes.

Finally, a perspective worthy of our attention.......2007-02-20

What happened in Iraq? What's happening now? Is it as bad as some say? Could things have turned out different? These questions are being asked on a daily basis, and it seems only those who don't truly know are the ones giving the answers. It would be nice to hear from someone who's been there, someone who experienced it first-hand. That's exactly what this book brings to the table.

This is not political, so don't expect spin or slant. The politics stops on page one. That in itself is refreshing. Rarely is there any discussion of Iraq without politics quickly becoming involved and, frankly, I've had enough of it. This is different. This is the war from the soldier's point of view. In short, this is Iraq as it really happened.

We see it every time some bonehead reporter sticks a microphone in the dirty, grease-ridden face of a soldier in Iraq and asks that soldier if he thinks the war is right. For a brief second, the soldier has a certain look on his face. It's frustration. It's pity. It's "you-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about" all rolled into one. It's the look of a soldier who knows his job, and does what's asked of him. The "right" and "wrong" can be left up to the politicians. The soldiers don't discuss that until the job is done. Many of those soldiers do just that in this book. And like Wood says, America has an obligation to hear what they've had to say. Until now, we've only heard from the politicians, and it's evident to me that they have no clue what's going on over there. So it's about time we hear from those who do know, and this book fits that mold perfectly.

In this book, you'll get first hand descriptions of the war. You'll hear about the first days of the invasion and the first major battle within the city of Nazariya. You'll hear about the first car bomb attack and the fall of Baghdad. You'll hear about the assault on Fallujah and Najaf, and the heavy resistance our troops met in those cities. You'll hear how the attitudes of the Iraqis changed over time, from one of greeting us jubilantly to despising us for intruding. All of these are truly amazing descriptions that will stir emotion in every reader.

As for the politics, if you want to know what went wrong, and what happened to change the course of the war against us, you'll know by page sixty. In a word, it made me nauseated. Without giving away too much, I'll say that few battles are won by Generals, but they can easily be lost by them. It seems the upper military and Pentagon leadership disappointed our troops in a tremendous way. If nothing else, I'm thankful that this book helped me realize that.

And what about the "anti-war" crowd? How do they affect the troops? Well, it seems the effect is profound. As one soldier says, "people are supportive of the troops as long as it doesn't take any sacrifice from them." How true. It seems that, once again, this nation has forgotten what it means to truly support their soldiers and, once again, we've betrayed them Vietnam-like in so many ways -top to bottom.

My only criticism comes from what seems to be a repeat theme among the soldiers. It appears that many of them disagree with the war and see it as a lost cause. I don't have a problem with that because, again, they're the ones who experienced it. But is that the consensus among the troops? If not, then where is the other side? This could open the book to harsh criticism from supporters of the Iraq War who would call the book political propaganda, and it could potentially threaten the message found within. That would be a shame, because the book is great and highly recommended by this reader. At last, the troops have been given their chance to speak, and we all owe it to them to hear what they have to say whether or not we agree with it. My advice is to put politics aside for a moment and listen to their words.

Curveball: Spies, Lies, and the Con Man Who Caused a War

Average customer rating:

Curveball Strikes Out!

Curveball: Spies, Lies, and the Con Man Who Caused a War
Bob Drogin
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Iran | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

U.S. | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Spying Blind: The CIA, the FBI, and the Origins of 9/11
The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration
Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush
Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA

ASIN: 1400065836
Release Date: 2007-10-16

Book Description

Curveball answers the crucial question of the Iraq war: How and why was America’s intelligence so catastrophically wrong? In this dramatic and explosive book, award-winning Los Angeles Times reporter Bob Drogin delivers a narrative that takes us to Europe, the Middle East, and deep inside the CIA to find the truth–the truth about the lies and self-deception that led us into a military and political nightmare.

In 1999, a mysterious Iraqi applies for political asylum in Munich. The young chemical engineer offers compelling testimony of Saddam Hussein’s secret program to build weapons of mass destruction. He claims that the dictator has constructed germ factories on trucks, creating a deadly hell on wheels. His grateful German hosts pass his account to their CIA counterparts but deny the Americans access to their superstar informant. The Americans nevertheless give the defector his unforgettable code name: Curveball.
The case lies dormant until after 9/11, when the Bush administration turns its attention to Iraq. Determined to invade, Bush’s people seize on Curveball’s story about mobile germ labs–even though it has begun to unravel. Ignoring a flood of warnings about the informant’s credibility, the CIA allows President Bush to cite Curveball’s unconfirmed claims in a State of the Union speech. Finally, Secretary of State Colin Powell highlights the Iraqi’s “eyewitness” account during his historic address to the U.N. Security Council. Yet the entire case is based on a fraud. America’s vast intelligence apparatus conjured up demons that did not exist. And the proof was clear before the war.

Most of the events and conversations presented here have not been reported before. The portrayals–from an obdurate president to a bamboozled secretary of state to a bungling CIA director to case handlers conned by their snitch–are vivid and exciting. Curveball reads like an investigative spy thriller. Fast-paced and engrossing, it is an inside story of intrigue and incompetence at the highest levels of government. At a time when Americans demand answers, this authoritative book provides them with clarity and conviction.

Customer Reviews:

Curveball Strikes Out!.......2007-10-18

I've read the book and would give it unfortunately one star. The reader is poorly served as the author unsuccessfully attempts to factually and comprehensively detail the post-Saddam counterproliferation collection efforts of the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, and the Iraq Survey Group from 2003 until 2004. His characterization of critical personnel and specific exploitation activities are distorted and slanted to a handful of sources--some with a known public axe to grind. I know this because I was in Baghdad, as a Department of Defense member on the 75th Exploitation Task Force and later the Iraq Survey Group, participating in the activities the author writes about and worked closely with his key characters. Drogin's sources are simply engaging in public mud-slinging to cover their own performance failures and inadequacies, during this period. Counter to the author's claims, key CIA analysts in leadership positions brought well-needed sanity to a chaotic multi-government investigation, skillfully coordinating and synchronizing the highly disparate efforts of the UK Secret Intelligence Service, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Special Operations Command. Drogin laments that CIA analysts often pushed too hard to go "outside the wire" too often. What Drogin does not realize is that their invaluable utility on-target, especially in pro-Saddam Sunni neighborhoods, to expertly and quickly 'separate the wheat from the chaff' reduced a DoD exploitation team's time-on-target when under fire. On a daily basis, analyst-assisted teams departed on high-risk missions and often flexed to other targets, based upon vital information that was gained--and not analyst-wedded theories. Those who chose to deploy and risk their lives to seek and uncover "ground truth" should be treated with the utmost respect and admiration of the entire world. Bottom-line: Drogin's book provides a distorted, incomplete picture to the reader of the ISG's critical activities and salaciously denigrates key personnel, who poured their very best to investigate a very messy and still murky issue.

We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah

Average customer rating:

Publishers Weekly Review Is Biased
Marine Mom
"We Were One" Iraq War historian immortalizes the Marine battle for Fallujah.
Great book!!
Must read for all Americans

We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah
Patrick K. O'Donnell
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: MP3 CD

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Biographies & Memoirs | MP3 CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

Business & Investing | MP3 CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

History | MP3 CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story
Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq
No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Ambush Alley: The Most Extraordinary Battle of the Iraq War

ASIN: 1433201429

Book Description

Five months after being deployed to Iraq, Lima Company's 1st Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, found itself in Fallujah, embroiled in some of the most intense house-to-house, hand-to-hand urban combat since World War II. In the city's bloody streets, they came face-to-face with the enemy--radical insurgents high on adrenaline, fighting to a martyr's death, and suicide bombers approaching from every corner. Award-winning author and historian Patrick O'Donnell stood shoulder to shoulder with this modern band of brothers as they marched and fought through the streets of Fallujah, and he stayed with them as the casualties mounted.

Customer Reviews:

Publishers Weekly Review Is Biased.......2007-10-18

Whomever wrote the following review from the Publishers Weekly is biased: "O'Donnell appears to have fallen in love with his subjects, adding to the growing genre of worshipful, jingoistic battle narratives about Iraq." I doubt this person even read this book but who could blame any embedded writer for "cheerleading" the very troops who prevented his or her demise? Read the book, then form an opinion.

Marine Mom.......2007-09-04

Thankyou to all the brave young men and women that have or are currently serving in Iraq. Rock on Marines and as always...Semper Fi!!!

"We Were One" Iraq War historian immortalizes the Marine battle for Fallujah........2007-06-19

Award winning author Patrick K. O'Donnell volunteered to go to Iraq to become one of the first historians to accompany American troops into combat. Of his own effort he got himself placed with 1st Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. It was a decision that could have cost him his life. His chosen platoon was a major participant in the infamous battle for Fallujah in 2004. The author details the fighting through the eyes of the combatants which makes the book memorable and not your typical history read.

The complex situation facing the American troops as they try to stabilize the region is enlightening and at times absolutely frightening. The battle for the city of Fallujah is door to door, up close and personal. The fighting to gain control of a city controlled by the Mujahideen, the Islamist opponents of the U.S.-led coalition's occupation of Iraq, is fierce and not without casualties. How the Marines complete their mission to clear some 39,000 buildings with roughly 400,000 rooms, is an emotional read made possible by the author, who comes to know the men personally.

Throughout the book important facts come to light that people need to know if they are to understand the ongoing war against world terrorism. What the Marines encountered in Fallujah were foreign fighters from more than 18 different countries. In spite of being heavily out numbered, the Marines hold true to tradition and prevail. The book leaves no doubt that the Marines fighting in Iraq today are as capable as any in history.

Patrick O'Donnell has put his heart and soul into the writing of "We Were One". The end result is a masterpiece. The author has done a remarkable job preserving the experiences of those he served with. The telling of their stories gives us all a much better understanding of the on going war in Iraq. I highly recommend this book.

Great book!!.......2007-06-13

Fantastic book. Not only were these men heroes, but they were professionals. The author wrote the book very well.

Must read for all Americans.......2007-06-05

For the general public this lets you know what our troops are facing to help keep us free. For those who are thinking of joining the military this book gives you a glimpse into why we fight.

The author did a good job piecing together all of the understandably disjointed eye-witness accounts of combat into a story that can be followed be even those who have a very limited understanding of how the military works.

This story of Marines cuts across all branches and appeals to all of us who are or were in the military.

State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization, 2003

Average customer rating:

State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization, 2003
WHO
Manufacturer: World Health Organization
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Public Health | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Immunology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This latest edition of State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization highlights the immense progress made in global immunization since the mid-1990s. These achievements include the near-eradication of polio worldwide as well as dramatic reductions in the incidence of measles and maternal and neonatal tetanus in some of the lowest-income countries. This report also charts progress in the development and introduction of new life-saving vaccines that have the potential to save millions of lives each year.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from International Peace Update, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1867 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Who rules the world? Project imperialism.(Imperialism)
Author: Krishna Ahooja Patel
Publication: International Peace Update (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2003
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 68 Issue: 2-3 Page: 15(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Who's Who in Lebanon 2003-2004 (Who's Who in Lebanon)

Average customer rating:

Who's Who in Lebanon 2003-2004 (Who's Who in Lebanon)

Manufacturer: Gale Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Reference & Collections | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

Lebanon | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 2903188203

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books