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Copy/paste the text below into your blog. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180507.Chasing_Ghosts_Failures_and_Facades_in_Iraq_A_Soldier_s_Perspective?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1172488254m/180507.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180507.Chasing_Ghosts_Failures_and_Facades_in_Iraq_A_Soldier_s_Perspective?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/48089.Paul_Rieckhoff">Paul Rieckhoff</a><br/><br/> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18076747?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a> rating: 5 of 5 stars<br/>This book was very well written. Readers looking for a scathing critique of our current war in Iraq might be disappointed. Although there are many things in the book that will anger readers (soldiers using their own money to buy Walmart walkie talkies because they aren't provided with the necessary equipment), the author does a good job of showing that we are truly in a difficult situation. Sometimes the possible options are all bad. <br/> <br/>The author was an infantry man, and an Amherst graduate. This is an unusual combination and it makes his point of view well articulated. He speaks of the frustration, pride, uncertainty, and fear that permeate the roller coaster of a tour of duty. It reminded me of Jarhead by Anthony Swofford, only the situation is so different when the tour of duty is extended indefinitely in a hostile zone. <br/> <br/>It's hard to imagine from the comfort of my bed what soldiers feel. The author talks about being assigned to guarding the only hospital in Baghdad with an ER. Their position would be attacked and they would shoot hostile enemies who would then be brought into their facility for life saving surgery. Surgery that would enable them to attack again. He talks of an Iraqi gentleman who is denied medical treatment because his injuries were not caused by American soldiers. I'd like to believe that in that situation I would do what the author did. I'd like to believe that my platoon would pony up the money out of our own pockets to pay for the emergency life saving medical care, but I don't know. I do know that I'm furious that soldiers have to do that. That they have to pay for medical treatment for wounded Iraqis out of their own pocket while their wives are filing for divorce or taking away custody of children because they didn't appear in court. I can't imagine not being allowed access to a phone to tell a judge back in the states that you're serving in Baghdad not drinking at the bar and that's why you weren't in court. <br/> <br/>As a percentage of population, there are so few Americans that actually serve in our military that it's easy to forget that we're even at war. This book is a great war report that begs us not to forget. <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/237751?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>