Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective

The true story of the first soldier to challenge the war in Iraq provides a grunt's-eye view of the battles on the streets of Baghdad, and a patriot's vision of where America has gone wrong and how it can reset its path. As an infantry platoon leader, Rieckhoff was proud to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. 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 enough troops, no humanitarian aid, no body armor, no radios, and no real plan. He saw what happened when we tried to conduct a war on the cheap. What followed, over the next ten months, set him on a course that would forever change his life. When he finally came home, Rieckhoff vowed to tell Americans the truth.--From publisher description.… (more)