Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier's Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington - Hardcover

Rieckhoff, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0451218418 ISBN 13: 9780451218414

Publisher: NAL Hardcover, 2006

Synopsis

The riveting, action-packed true story of the first soldier to challenge the war in Iraq.

As a 1st Lieutenant and Infantry Platoon Leader for the U.S. Army, charged with leading 38 young men in Iraq, Paul Rieckhoff was proud to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who served during Vietnam and WWII respectively. He and his soldiers spent almost a year in one of the most dangerous and volatile areas of Baghdad. And what they encountered there was chaos: not nearly enough troops, no humanitarian aid, no body armor, no radios, and no real plan for what to do after Baghdad fell.

Rieckhoff was shocked to see that sometimes the greatest challenges his platoon faced did not come from enemy combatants. He saw fi rsthand the disastrous results of disbanding the Iraqi army, sending thousands of armed, angry, and unemployed men out into the streets. And he saw what happened when we tried to conduct a war on the cheap, by bestowing government contracts to the lowest bidder and sending our military into battle inadequately protected and armed. What followed, over the next ten months, set him on a course that would forever change his life.

When he fi nally came home from his tour of duty, Rieckhoff vowed to tell Americans the truth about what was going on in Iraq. He demanded accountability from elected officials and was the first Iraq veteran to do so publicly. He created Operation Truth, the first and largest veterans' group specifically for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through this organization, he has become a leading spokesman for troops, veterans, and their families, and a critical voice in the ongoing debate surrounding this conflict.

What is really happening in Iraq? Should we be there? Should we stay? Rieckhoff is in a unique position to answer these crucial questions. Not only was he on the ground in the heat of battle but he is also on the front lines politically at home. He provides a grunt's-eye view of the harrowing, bloody battles on the streets of Baghdad and a patriot's vision of where America has gone wrong and how it can reset its path.

About this title

About the Author

Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and executive director of Operation Truth-an advocacy group for soldiers and returning war veterans-enlisted in the US Army Reserves in 1998. After transferring to the New York Army National Guard, he graduated from Officer Candidate School in June 2001. He began Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning in February 2002, graduated in June, and immediately volunteered for active duty. He was called to Iraq in January 2003.

Review

... [an] undeniably proud narrative [written] with the intent to show us the circumstances in Iraq....recommended for all public libraries. -- Library Journal

A book that all Americans who care about their country should read. -- Arianna Huffington, political commentator and founder of HuffingtonPost.com

A clear-eyed, hard-headed, soft-hearted, and functioning-kidneyed account of our nightmare in Iraq. -- Al Franken

All the good and the ugly discussed with... integrity... A must read that I could not put down. -- Serj Tankian, lead singer, System of a Down

An honest, electric memoir. -- Gideon Yago, MTV News

Every American who professes to 'Support our Troops' should read Chasing Ghosts. -- Evan Wright, author of Generation Kill

No book since Catch-22 has depicted this gruesome subject so compellingly. Rieckoff should make room... for the Pulitzer Prize -- Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club

Paul Rieckhoff is a human being of true substance and character. -- Chuck D, Public Enemy

Rieckhoff's rage is the anger of a patriot. -- Richard A. Clarke, New York Times bestselling author, Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terrorism

We had better heed Rieckhoff's brutally honest, strong, and unimpeachable scream. -- Leslie H. Gelb, former foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and president emeritus of The Council on Foreign Relations

Edition details

• Publisher: NAL Hardcover
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0451218418
• ISBN 13: 9780451218414
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336