Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge, by Daniel A. Sjursen
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Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge, by Daniel A. Sjursen
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From October 2006 to December 2007, Daniel A. Sjursen—then a U.S. Army lieutenant—led a light scout platoon across Baghdad. The experiences of Ghost Rider platoon provide a soldier’s-eye view of the incredible complexities of warfare, peacekeeping, and counterinsurgency in one of the world’s most ancient cities.Sjursen reflects broadly and critically on the prevailing narrative of the surge as savior of America’s longest war, on the overall military strategy in Iraq, and on U.S. relations with ordinary Iraqis. At a time when just a handful of U.S. senators and representatives have a family member in combat, Sjursen also writes movingly on questions of America’s patterns of national service. Who now serves and why? What connection does America’s professional army have to the broader society and culture? What is the price we pay for abandoning the model of the citizen soldier? With the bloody emergence of ISIS in 2014, Iraq and its beleaguered, battle-scarred people are again much in the news. Unlike other books on the U.S. war in Iraq, Ghost Riders of Baghdad is part battlefield chronicle, part critique of American military strategy and policy, and part appreciation of Iraq and its people. At once a military memoir, history, and cultural commentary, Ghost Riders of Bahdad delivers a compelling story and a deep appreciation of both those who serve and the civilians they strive to protect. Sjursen provides a riveting addition to our understanding of modern warfare and its human costs.
Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge, by Daniel A. Sjursen- Amazon Sales Rank: #108872 in Books
- Published on: 2015-10-06
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.40" h x 1.00" w x 6.40" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 290 pages
Review “In this fascinating book, author Sjursen asks some searching questions which may leave some of the US commanders feeling uncomfortable.” —Books Monthly
Review “Sjursen takes you on an intellectual thrill ride, with more than a few surprises. If you want political talking points or an army operations order, look elsewhere. There are no easy answers on the streets of Iraq. Think you know all about the famous ‘surge’? Guess again.” (Lucas Tomlinson, producer, Fox News Channel)“Ghost Riders of Baghdad is the best memoir to come out of the American wars in Southwest Asia. Sjursen’s honesty and passion bleed through every page and raise serious questions about the ‘victory’ in Iraq.” (Robert A. Doughty, author of Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War)
About the Author MAJOR DANIEL A. SJURSEN was born and raised in Staten Island, New York. A 2005 graduate of West Point, he has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and is pursuing a doctorate in history while teaching at West Point.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An Outstanding Book By Man of La Book Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge by Daniel A. Sjursen is a non-fiction book about the author’s experience in Iraq. Mr. Sjursen served as an officer in the US Army during, what is now known, as “the surge” which has been credited by politicians as helping turn around the war.Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge by Daniel A. Sjursen is the author’s account of his time in Iraq. The book really gives a good impression on what it’s like to be “boots on the ground” during the occupation.Mr. Sjursen talks about doing the job, how it’s viewed from ground level and what is being sold to the American public. Leading his men, the author saw the problems that they all faced on the battlefield as well as their own private hell they faced when returning home.Mr. Sjursen also shares his own personal views about the war, professional soldering, the ugly business of managing an occupation and the even uglier politics of inserting yourself in the middle of a sectarian civil war. The author obviously had much love and respect for the men he led and those he served with, he writes beautifully about each and every one of the, a testament to the his character as well as theirs.I do agree with the author’s analysis that the majority of the American people have no stake in the war, either in blood or treasure, which is why there was never major opposition to them. While the issues are complex and staggering, the men on the ground sometimes feel, and rightly so, that the American public is not with them except meaningless faux patriotism gestures.As well as the personal story, the author does an outstanding job explaining the long and complex feud between the Sunni and Shia Muslims. Anyone who, at least, would like to understand this issue and the affect it has on the US troops who are stuck in the middle of it would benefit from reading it.Above all, this book is unblinking and intimate, while you might not agree with everything the author has to say it is certainly a worthwhile read.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An intimate look into our all-volunteer army. Highly recommended By Timothy J. Bazzett GHOST RIDERS OF BAGHDAD: SOLDIERS, CIVILIANS, AND THE MYTH OF THE SURGE, by Daniel A. Sjursen.Add one more highly literate and moving memoir to the ever-growing mountain of books to come out of our current wars. Major Daniel Sjursen, currently a history teacher at West Point, gives us a thoughtful and very personal peek into a three-month period in 2006 that he spent as a platoon leader of a Scout squadron in southern Baghdad. In fact his unit had their year-long tour extended by an additional three months - a direct result of the very controversial "surge" he takes stringently to task in these pages.Although Sjursen tries to think of himself as a street-smart kid from Staten Island (in order, I suspect, to more closely bond with the men in his platoon), he reveals early on that in reality he was "A soft kid who liked hanging out with his mother more than most." Which is understandable, given that his parents divorced when he was seven. But he bears them no ill will, thanking them both (in his Acknowledgments) for how they raised him, and his dad in particular for pointing him toward the USMA.It's not surprising that the emphasis here is about soldiers and soldiering, and Sjursen's story is one of the very close and special bond formed between a small group of young men who went through training together and then faced down their own separate fears on daily patrols in the mean streets of Salman Pak and Baghdad. He introduces us to his men: Fuller, Ford, DeJane, South, Gass, Duzinskas, Faulkner and Smith; and they become real breathing human beings as he tells their stories, and his own. Some survive, some do not.Sjursen is something of a paradox. A career officer who has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, he hates these wars, and strongly criticizes the policies and the people in power who have caused them. He is very much aware of his situation, noting, that while still a lieutenant in 2006, he wrote in his journal: "... how does an officer balance personal opposition to a war with his duty to serve and lead a combat platoon? ... I'm not sure I've yet found the answer."Sjursen has made a careful study of the age-old feud between Sunni and Shia, and sees no easy answers to resolving the bitter and bloody civil wars between these factions that have now spread beyond Iraq into the entire Middle East, a direct result, he feels, of Bush's ill-advised invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime. His frustration with our own administration's cluelessness is obvious, for example -"Cultural ignorance got a lot of people killed. Several accounts indicate that President Bush himself was unaware of the divide between Iraq's Sunni and Shia communities. 'I thought they were all Muslims,' he'd supposedly said during a Cabinet meeting."In that respect, of course, Bush is probably no different than our general populace, but he is the PRESIDENT, for God's sake! He SHOULD know! Yeah, Danny. I get your frustration and anger.In a narrative that walks us through the deaths and mutilations of some of the men he loves most, Sjursen gives us some excruciatingly concrete examples of just a few of the people killed by that casual ignorance. Some of these stories may bring you to tears. The waste of human lives, both soldier and civilian, is simply horrifying.One of the things that sets Sjursen's story apart - and I found personally intriguing - is his inquiring mind and his voracious reading. The text is sprinkled throughout with quotes and references to authors he has read. Some are obvious: Heller, Tim O'Brien, Graham Greene, Vonnegut; the WWI writers Owen, Sassoon, Blunden and Graves. But there are also song lyrics here and there, from Steve Earle, Linkin Park, and Springsteen. There are verses from A.E. Housman and Dylan Thomas, mixed in with script lines from TV's THE WIRE and the film, THE CRYING GAME. More than once he quotes lines from Anton Myrer's 1968 bestselling novel, ONCE AN EAGLE - which is certainly appropriate, spanning as it did, both World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.In his musings on the wisdom of the all-volunteer army and how it is often abused and stretched too thin, Sjursen seems in sympathy with retired Army Colonel Andrew Bacevich, and even quotes from his recent book, BREACH OF TRUST: HOW AMERICANS FAILED THEIR SOLDIERS AND THEIR COUNTRY. I mean this is a guy who reads widely, absorbs and remembers - and is still trying valiantly to sort it all out and make sense of the mess - the upheaval - of today's world at war. He makes a very cogent case for connecting the current ISIS problems directly to America's ill-advised invasion of Iraq and subsequent mistakes made in its aftermath. And he is extremely critical of the so-called successes of the "Surge" both in Afghanistan and in Iraq.But at the heart of this memoir are the stark and intimate portraits Sjursen gives us of the men he fought with, both those who survived and those who did not. He takes a close unblinking look at the lives of these young men post-deployment - at the divorces, the drinking, the addictions, the suicides. And he does not exclude himself either, telling of his own binges, sudden inexplicable rages, and divorce.GHOST RIDERS OF BAGHDAD is a book that members of Congress should be forced to read. Perhaps if they did they would not be so quick and casual with their "boots on the ground" recommendations. In fact I will recommend it highly to anyone who wants a better understanding of what our beleaguered all-volunteer military faces on a daily basis, and how it impacts not just their own lives, but also their families. This is a very good book, one that deserves a wide readership. Bravo, Major Sjursen. Be well.- Tim Bazzett, author of the Cold War memoir, SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very informative, heartbreaking to know what our nation's sons ... By Amazon Customer Very informative, heartbreaking to know what our nation's sons endure just to be treated as political pawns by those far removed from the realities of war. I'm now far more concerned about how our nation's leaders view and define our national interest when deciding to call on our military.
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