Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Iraq War Books and Other Topics

Recently I read the book "No True Glory" by Bing West. This book is a detailed telling of the assault on Fallujah by Marines and the US Army. I thought it was very good and I rate it highly along with Black Hawk Down (The book). Now, I've been reading "My Year in Iraq" by Paul Bremer. I'm about 4/5th's through the book and it is really good so far. For someone like me, who has been on the ground for a total of a year and half it was real enlightening to see the whole situation in Iraq from a top level view. So, I'm kind of trying to be an expert on the Iraq war. Seeing as I have been there and all that I have experienced, plus all these books I've been starting to read.

Since my time out the military, I definitely miss the comradery with being with the guys. You just can't get a relationship like that in the civilian world, where your life is in the hands of the men to your left and your right and their life in yours. However, I have had enough of the military. I've done what I wanted to do, and I think it is time to move on. I still am in close contact with many of my buddies. In fact, one of my close buddies who recently earned his Green Beret (Special Forces), recently got sent to Afghanistan. Once he gets back, me and many of my old Army buddies are planning to have a get together in North Carolina. Talk about the good times and the bad, drink beers and eat some BBQ.

Muqtada Al-Sadr is up to his old tricks again. I seriously get frustrated that a man like this is running around free with his own militia. The guy has a warrant for his arrest for murdering Abdul Majid Al-Khoei yet he is still free causing havoc. I seriously think this is a criminal trying to get into power by shooting his way in. I also don't really think he is very sane, in that I've heard about some of his surmons sounding like it was coming from a drunken raving lunatic. Now it is also pretty clear that he has ties to Iran. I don't really believe this guy is really trying to calm the current situation down. I believe he is still ordering his Mahdi Army to go out and cause problems although he gets on television as if he is a man of peace calling for the Shia to not fight back.
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