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Road Hunter in the Land between the Rivers: A Soldier's Story of the Iraq War
" The moral structure, defining what is known to be right and what is accepted as wrong, quickly fades ..."
A harrowing true story that follows a soldier protecting crucial supply trains with his gun truck crew in Iraq, a futile mission to defy ever-changing odds in determining their greatest threat - the insurgents, the “hajji”, or themselves.
The author opens his personal journal and guides readers through his team's experiences of perpetual struggle. Incidents gathered from assistance in over 270 convoy missions as well as numerous patrols to include aiding the legendary Black Watch near the Triangle of Death.
A harrowing true story that follows a soldier protecting crucial supply trains with his gun truck crew in Iraq, a futile mission to defy ever-changing odds in determining their greatest threat - the insurgents, the “hajji”, or themselves.
The author opens his personal journal and guides readers through his team's experiences of perpetual struggle. Incidents gathered from assistance in over 270 convoy missions as well as numerous patrols to include aiding the legendary Black Watch near the Triangle of Death.
318 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 27, 2020
"We did not exist as human beings but only as pawns moving equipment down the highway. This was just the way it was. If an incident occurred that destroyed or damaged the pawn, replace it," so ends Lewandowski's memoir as a soldier running a gun truck in Iraq in 2004.
One year on a gun truck, maneuvering through IEDs, death, and most poignantly preserving the innate humanness when in a war zone is the subject of the book.
Lewandowski points out how tough it is to win over the hearts of Iraqis with the training and techniques used by the US forces. This is a constant dilemma that the armed forces have to deal with. How can one be gentle but firm with the (enemy) children who swarm the trucks for food and water? They are children after all. How does one treat an interpreter, technically an Iraqi, but is an example of a good citizen, because he privileges his job as a school teacher than choosing to be a career politician?
Lewandowski meets truck drivers from many nationalities and notes, they are here, receiving sub-human treatment from the armed forces and putting themselves at risk just so that they can provide a better living for their family back home. He contemplates how this is different from the choice of an American soldier who chooses to re-enlist for college tuition, bonuses, or some added financial benefit for him and his family.
Working in a high-stress environment such as the combat zone, frays even nerves of steel. The pressure is let off in various ways. As I read the book, as a civilian, the most interesting theme for me was the tension between officers and the enlisted soldiers. War levels inequalities while creating new hierarchies.
Empathy. This was the single emotion that guided Lewandowski to guide his junior colleagues in the war zone or look at Iraqi 'hajjis' as humans, in a war-ravaged country, where there were limited opportunities to eke out a dignified livelihood. When no path is before them, Iraqis resort to begging, inviting ridicule and disgust from the US armed forces.
Lewandowski notes "I wondered if they (Iraqis) were actually happier with their lives now that we were here. Were things any better than before the invasion?" (P.231) So much of history, ancient as well as modern was lost to war and the wretched conditions in which the Iraqis lived blinded them to their glorious past, as they barely managed to survive.
Standing in front of the Basra Memorial, he ruminates, "In watching the gun trucks, the local kids rushed to the monument to beg for snacks and water.... They did not know the hallowed ground on which they walked." (P.293)
It is so easy to let war debase one's human instincts. That is inevitable - as soldiers push through in an unfriendly environment for prolonged periods.
The real death is the death of the soft optimism about the goodness of humans, inside their hearts.
Caught in one such internal moral battles, Lewandowski takes a risk in sharing food and water with the convoy drivers, going against his Lieutenant. He writes, "I did not care what he thought. I would not let those people suffer when we possessed plenty of food and water to offer them." (P.139)
Road Hunter in the Land Between the Rivers A Soldier's Story of the Iraq War is a touching memoir of a US soldier in Iraq. It is a brilliant account of the moral dilemmas that infest the life of anyone in the armed forces and raises the question, do we need war to have a better world. How many wars do we need to fight to get to this Utopia?
I do not know about war, but it is men like Lewandowski who make the world a better place.
One year on a gun truck, maneuvering through IEDs, death, and most poignantly preserving the innate humanness when in a war zone is the subject of the book.
Lewandowski points out how tough it is to win over the hearts of Iraqis with the training and techniques used by the US forces. This is a constant dilemma that the armed forces have to deal with. How can one be gentle but firm with the (enemy) children who swarm the trucks for food and water? They are children after all. How does one treat an interpreter, technically an Iraqi, but is an example of a good citizen, because he privileges his job as a school teacher than choosing to be a career politician?
Lewandowski meets truck drivers from many nationalities and notes, they are here, receiving sub-human treatment from the armed forces and putting themselves at risk just so that they can provide a better living for their family back home. He contemplates how this is different from the choice of an American soldier who chooses to re-enlist for college tuition, bonuses, or some added financial benefit for him and his family.
Working in a high-stress environment such as the combat zone, frays even nerves of steel. The pressure is let off in various ways. As I read the book, as a civilian, the most interesting theme for me was the tension between officers and the enlisted soldiers. War levels inequalities while creating new hierarchies.
Empathy. This was the single emotion that guided Lewandowski to guide his junior colleagues in the war zone or look at Iraqi 'hajjis' as humans, in a war-ravaged country, where there were limited opportunities to eke out a dignified livelihood. When no path is before them, Iraqis resort to begging, inviting ridicule and disgust from the US armed forces.
Lewandowski notes "I wondered if they (Iraqis) were actually happier with their lives now that we were here. Were things any better than before the invasion?" (P.231) So much of history, ancient as well as modern was lost to war and the wretched conditions in which the Iraqis lived blinded them to their glorious past, as they barely managed to survive.
Standing in front of the Basra Memorial, he ruminates, "In watching the gun trucks, the local kids rushed to the monument to beg for snacks and water.... They did not know the hallowed ground on which they walked." (P.293)
It is so easy to let war debase one's human instincts. That is inevitable - as soldiers push through in an unfriendly environment for prolonged periods.
The real death is the death of the soft optimism about the goodness of humans, inside their hearts.
Caught in one such internal moral battles, Lewandowski takes a risk in sharing food and water with the convoy drivers, going against his Lieutenant. He writes, "I did not care what he thought. I would not let those people suffer when we possessed plenty of food and water to offer them." (P.139)
Road Hunter in the Land Between the Rivers A Soldier's Story of the Iraq War is a touching memoir of a US soldier in Iraq. It is a brilliant account of the moral dilemmas that infest the life of anyone in the armed forces and raises the question, do we need war to have a better world. How many wars do we need to fight to get to this Utopia?
I do not know about war, but it is men like Lewandowski who make the world a better place.
March 18, 2021
Honest, humbling and insightful
If you are looking for bullets penetrating flesh and explosions challenging the soldiers' resolve you should look elsewhere. I have read many books on the Iraq war but was rarely touched by the content as much as I was here. The author refuses to follow the easy way out. He questions the dehuminization of "hajjis", in this setting virtually everyone with a different skin color not speaking American English. This book is a master class for those who still believe there is hope for humanity. The author lives his life by example. He shows leadership through humility, authenticity and integrity. A beautiful book with a beautiful message.
If you are looking for bullets penetrating flesh and explosions challenging the soldiers' resolve you should look elsewhere. I have read many books on the Iraq war but was rarely touched by the content as much as I was here. The author refuses to follow the easy way out. He questions the dehuminization of "hajjis", in this setting virtually everyone with a different skin color not speaking American English. This book is a master class for those who still believe there is hope for humanity. The author lives his life by example. He shows leadership through humility, authenticity and integrity. A beautiful book with a beautiful message.
November 8, 2020
Boring
There is no action, just dull routine .
I kept reading thinking there had to be something worth reading but I was wrong.
There is no action, just dull routine .
I kept reading thinking there had to be something worth reading but I was wrong.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews