Purchase
To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard
Wiley
May 2009
On Sale: May 18, 2009
272 pages
ISBN: 047037361X
EAN: 9780470373613
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
The war story that needs to be told: a Washington Post
reporter follows five courageous National Guard soldiers as
they deploy to Iraq, survive combat, and come home to pick
up the pieces The Iraq War radically transformed the typical “one weekend
a month, two weeks a year” commitment of many National Guard
soldiers around the country into lengthy, grueling tours of
duty in Iraq. Little has been written about the tens of
thousands of guardsmen and women sent to Iraq and the unique
challenges these citizen-soldiers have faced in serving
their country–and then coming home to the civilian world.
Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport was embedded
with the Virginia National Guard's 2-224th Aviation Regiment
and witnessed the hardship and heroism of its members
firsthand, from their sudden call-up, through their return
from overseas, to new battles faced on the home front as
they struggle to rebuild their lives after the war. He tells
the story of five of these remarkable soldiers–a teacher, a
50-something Vietnam vet, a
sorority-girl-turned-door-gunner, a born leader, and a young
woman unable to find her place in the world. By continuing
to follow these soldiers, and their families, for more than
a year after their tour, Davenport chronicles the
difficulties they face returning home: lost jobs, financial
woes, and the inability to relate to a society that has
never been so divorced from the war its country was
fighting. Depicting these soldiers as heroes, not victims,
As You Were reveals a hidden dimension of the war, and
provides an intimate look at the patriotism and courage that
inspire those who have fought in it–and the rest of us as well.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy