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Harper
May 2008
On Sale: May 6, 2008
512 pages ISBN: 0061562424 EAN: 9780061562426 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Memoir
Amid all of the criticisms of America's war in Iraq, one
essential voice has remained silent—until now. In his
groundbreaking new memoir, Wiser in Battle,
Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, former commander of
coalition forces in Iraq, reports back from the front lines
of the global war on terror to provide a comprehensive and
chilling exploration of America's historic military and
foreign policy blunder. With unflinching candor,
Sanchez describes the chaos on the Iraqi battlefield caused
by the Bush administration's misguided command of the
military, as well as his own struggle to set the coalition
on the path toward victory. Sanchez illuminates the fallout
of the communication breakdown between the leadership on the
front and the politicians in Washington, revealing fractious
discussions he had with, among others, Ambassador Paul
Bremer and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Drawing on his tenure on the ground, Sanchez shows how
minor insurgent attacks grew into synchronized operations
that finally ignited into a major insurgency and all-out
civil war. He provides an insider's account of the Abu
Ghraib prison scandal, explaining the circumstances that led
to the abuses, who perpetrated them, and what the formal
investigations revealed—all the while reflecting on
America's objectionable use of torture and the grave need
for the country's leadership to pursue an ethical course of
action in the war on terror. Sanchez also details the
cynical use of the Iraq War for political gain in Washington
and shows how the pressure of an around-the-clock news cycle
drove and distorted critical battle decisions, such as troop
drawdowns, the fight for Fallujah, and the transfer of
sovereignty. In addition, Sanchez shares the story
of his career. He tells of the journey from his
poverty-stricken youth on the Texas banks of the Rio Grande
to joining the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at sixteen
and later serving in Kosovo, Desert Shield and Desert Storm,
and, ultimately, Iraq. At the time of his retirement,
Sanchez was the highest-ranking Hispanic in the U.S. Army.
The first book written by a former on-site
commander in Iraq, Wiser in Battle is essential
reading for all who wish to understand the current war and
the American military's role in the new century.
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