Reviews for Bayonets, Bugles and Bonnets - Experiences

The average rating for Bayonets, Bugles and Bonnets - Experiences based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-12-24 00:00:00 Peder Lerud This book is mercifully short. I don't say mercifully because it's not well written, but because it gives an unpleasant glimpse of the systemic atrocities that a so-called civilized nation is capable of in time of armed conflict. You can only absorb so much of that stuff before it becomes tiring. Chris Hedges and Laila Al-Arian interviewed 50 men and women from the American armed services specifically regarding how the military operation in Iraq affected the citizens of that country. I wish I could say I was shocked at the result, but the world is well acquainted with the excesses suffered by the Iraqi people during the coalition occupation. It has been observed by many soldiers that the "insurgency" in Iraq was largely of American making...that they were welcomed as liberators and builders in the beginning. (In fact, Iraq had electricity and water before the coalition troops arrived...many places had no electricity or potable water when the troops pulled out...Iraq was actually in worse circumstances after American "aid") It was only later when it was realized that no building was under way and that the great convoys making tracks across their country were mostly supplies to maintain the privileged lifestyle the military was accustomed to stateside that support for the armed opposition to coalition troops gained strength. People would be shot up cutting between vehicles in a convoy. Others would be massacred at a checkpoint because they approached too quickly; some were killed by negligent discharge of a service weapon. The "insurgency" grew with every death, every atrocity. Some (probably all) of the military men and women interviewed for this book were deeply disturbed by incidents they witnessed or participated in. In many cases these troops tried to act in an honorable manner, tried to report atrocities and shortcomings to superiors, only to be silenced or even threatened. They found that no honor remains in the upper levels of the American profession of arms. In fact, in some cases they were actually ordered to prey on the Iraqi public: the case of one unit that stole a generator from Iraqi civilians when their own broke down comes immediately to mind. We have to face it: the only honor left in a profession that prides itself in honor is found only at the individual level...it is no longer practical policy. I think that the writers could have delved deeper into the possibility of racism as a factor in the abuse of Iraqis. Can you imagine the howl of outrage the world would hear if captured American soldiers were forced into one of the obscene human piles of outraged flesh we saw at Abu Ghraib? I asked myself if the opponent were from a European country...say for example Russia or Ukraine...would we see the same atrocities inflicted on them by American captors? I seriously doubt it. So what is the reason? That Americans felt superior to the Iraqis? That the Iraqis were dirt poor and totally unable to retaliate? The answers are not in the book, and you will need to look elsewhere for them. This book is dated, of course. We all know what is happening to the hapless citizens of Iraq now. More troops will have to be sent in to sort out this situation; I hope none of them are captured.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-01-25 00:00:00 Woodrow Breaux 2 types of war books impress me: 1) Reveal and deconstruct "war culture", that which facilitates society to commit the greatest evil, 2) Imprint the depravity of war onto your soul so it can never be forgotten. This book falls into the latter category, such vivid illustrations of how war wrenches the very worst out of everyone involved. There is no mythical heroism, no trace of decency, for every action is in the context of either annihilating another human being or surviving such evil like a tortured creature. Every participant has lost a piece of their autonomy to be a human being. This systemic theft is the greatest evil. I read this book several years ago, it deserves to be revisited, but I cannot say that I will.