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Minefields of the Heart
Sue Diaz
A Mother's Stories of a Son at War
Potomac Books
August 2010
On Sale: July 31, 2010
176 pages ISBN: 159797515X EAN: 9781597975155 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
How do combat veterans and their loved ones bridge the
divide that war, by its very nature, creates between them?
How does someone who has fought in a war come home,
especially after a tour of duty marked by near-daily mortar
attacks, enemy fire, and roadside bombs? With a journalist's
eye and a mother's warmth, Sue Diaz asks these questions as
she chronicles the two deployments to Iraq of her son, Sgt.
Roman Diaz, from the perspective of the home front. Sergeant Diaz's second deployment put him south of Baghdad
in the region aptly termed the Triangle of Death. There his
platoon experienced extraordinarily heavy casualties during
the height of the Iraqi insurgency. That unit has since
become the focus of considerable media attention following
events that made headlines in the summer of 2006: an
insurgent attack at a remote outpost on three of their
own--one killed at the scene, the other two kidnapped, their
bodies found days later; and a terrible war crime committed
against an Iraqi family by four soldiers from First Platoon. Minefields of the Heart adds a very personal dimension to
the larger story of this Bravo Company platoon from the
101st Airborne's 502nd Infantry Regiment, a unit known since
World War II as the "Black Heart Brigade." Diaz recounts the
emotional rollercoaster her family and other soldiers'
families experience during and after deployment. She
explores this terrain not only through stories of her son's
and family's experiences connected to the Iraq War, but also
by insights she's gained from other veterans' accounts--from
what she calls "the box" that soldiers returning from any
war carry within. This added layer gives her narrative
broader meaning, bringing home the impact of war in general
on those who fight and on those who love them. Minefields of the Heart is a story of innocence lost,
understanding gained, and hope reaffirmed. In addition to
veterans and their families, this book will appeal to anyone
who wants to understand war's impact on individuals as well
as on the fabric of our society.
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