|
|
|
Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II
“American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis like American soldiers or not.”The U.S. military could certainly have used that bit of wisdom in 2003, as violence began to eclipse the Iraq War’s early successes. Ironically, had the Army only looked in its own archives, they would have found it—that piece of advice is from a manual the U.S. War Department handed out to American servicemen posted in Iraq back in 1943. The advice in Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II, presented here in a new facsimile edition, retains a surprising, even haunting, relevance in light of today’s muddled efforts to win Iraqi hearts and minds. Designed to help American soldiers understand and cope with what was at the time an utterly unfamiliar culture—the manual explains how to pronounce the word Iraq, for instance—this brief, accessible handbook mixes do-and-don’t-style tips (“Always respect the Moslem women.” “Talk Arabic if you can to the people. No matter how badly you do it, they will like it.”) with general observations on Iraqi history and society. The book’s overall message still rings true—dramatically so—more than sixty years later: treat an Iraqi and his family with honor and respect, and you will have a strong ally; treat him with disrespect and you will create an unyielding enemy. With a foreword by Lieutenant Colonel John A. Nagl reflecting on the manual’s continuing applicability—and lamenting that it was unknown at the start of the invasion—this new edition of Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq will be essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of Iraq and the fate of the American soldiers serving there. (20070618).
Price: $4.97
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
A Manual for American Servicemen in the Arab Middle East: Using Cultural Understanding to Defeat Adversaries and Win the Peace
An American officer presents an invaluable handbook for dealing with cultural issues in the Middle East during military operations.The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) has sent U.S. diplomats and troops around the world. In the current security environment, understanding foreign cultures is crucial to defeating adversaries and working with allies. Lt. Col. William D. Wunderle explains how U.S. soldiers and commanders can look at military interventions—from preparation to execution—through the lens of cultural awareness, while always minding post-conflict stability operations. He also suggests much-needed changes to the traditional intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB) and the military decision-making process (MDMP). Fascinating, concise, and timely, this is a must-read for military personnel, the intelligence community, and anyone seeking to grasp the motivations and decision-making styles of people all over the globe..
Price: $5.37
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
This Is Our War: A Soldiers' Portfolio: Servicemen's Photographs of Life in Iraq
At three o'clock in the morning, in a mess hall in Iraq, a soldier from the Florida National Guard took a little plastic device from a lanyard around his neck and plugged it into GQ journalist Devin Friedman's computer. It was a flash drive containing at least a hundred pictures—of his battalion in convoy through the desert, of his sister back in Florida, of every man his unit had killed. At that moment, it became clear to Friedman that Operation Iraqi Freedom was our first digital war. Not because of all the hardware you see on TV—night-vision goggles and Tomahawk missiles and Nic Robertson's videophone—but because of the simple, inexpensive digital camera, a part of daily life for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have served in Iraq. It's how American servicemen share their lives with their friends and family, with one another. And here, with readers. This Is Our War presents 256 photos, culled from tens of thousands that GQ collected from American servicemen and women, in order to tell the story of America's Iraq experience with their pictures and in their own voices. From photographs of the strange everyday life in desert barracks to extraordinary images of combat, from glimpses of private moments to panoramas of incredible scenery, from brief interludes of joy to devastating moments of grief, here is a candid soldier's-eye view of war— of their war. It's the conflict the way they see it: apolitically, intimately, with honesty and humor and courage. This Is Our War is a snapshot of history in the making.This is the first digital war, not because of computer-guided smart bombs or CNN videophones, but because of the simple, inexpensive digital camera, a part of daily life for Americans in Iraq and the way our soldiers share that life—with their friends and family, with one another, and now in This Is Our War. These photos and in-depth narrative captions were culled from the ten thousand images that GQ collected, creating a striking, moving, and revealing work of contemporary American history. Part Day in the Life, part Medal of Honor, and part War Letters, this book is an instant snapshot of history in the making..
Price: $0.99
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Faith in the Service: True Stories from Latter-day Saint Servicemen and Women
This riveting collection of stories from Latter-day Saint men and women serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, and other locations around the world offers a remarkable record of uncommon courage and dedicated service. In their own words, these men and women describe feeling the Lord's blessings as they have served in some of the most harsh and difficult circumstances imaginable. Their experiences range from leading armed combat and air rescue missions to saving lives in a makeshift hospital tent. Also included are stories of much-needed help and support received by families of those who are serving away from home. These life-changing stories, recorded in on-site personal interviews by bestselling author and artist Chad Hawkins, are reminders that the Lord does watch over and protect His children during troubling times. Featured black-and-white photographs throughout..
Price: $19.10
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia, 1942 (Instructions for Servicemen)
“Unlike cricket, which is a polite game, Australian Rules Football creates a desire on the part of the crowd to tear someone apart, usually the referee ” This is only one of the entertaining and astute observations the U.S. military provided in the pocket guides distributed to the nearly one million American soldiers who landed on the shores of Australia between 1942 and 1945. Although the Land Down Under felt more familiar than many of their assignments abroad, American GIs still needed help navigating the distinctly different Aussie culture, and coming to their rescue was Instruction for American Servicemen in Australia, 1942. The newest entry in the Bodleian Library’s bestselling series of vintage pocket guides, this pamphlet is filled with pithy notes on Australian customs, language, and other cultural facts the military deemed necessary for every American soldier. From the native wildlife—a land of “funny animals”—to the nation’s colonial history to the general characteristics of Australians—“an outdoors sort of people, breezy and very democratic”— Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia gives a concise yet amazingly informative overview of the island nation. Regarding Aussie slang, it notes that “the Australian has few equals in the world at swearing. . . . The commonest swear words are ‘bastard’ (pronounced ‘barstud’), ‘bugger,’ and ‘bloody,’ and the Australians have a genius for using the latter nearly every other word.” The pamphlet also contains a humorous explanation of the country’s musical traditions—including an annotated text of “Waltzing Matilda”—as well as amusing passages on sports, politics, and the Aussies’ attitudes toward Yanks and Brits. A fascinating look at a neglected Allied front in the Southern hemisphere, Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia, 1942 follows its successful predecessors as a captivating historical document of a pivotal era in history. .
Price: $5.52
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
|
|
|