Forward to “Our Longest Year in Iraq”

[December 2, 2025]  It only seems like yesterday when I flew into Baghdad aboard a C130 Air Force cargo plane.  I had a small team that was to act as the Advanced Party to the 353rd Engineer Group (Construction).  In my first book “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” I laid out my thoughts on the Iraq War.

Our task was to prepare the way for the rest of the unit that would arrive in about 30 days.  I’d volunteered for the assignment, mostly to get the heck out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma and into the war more quickly,  This would be my first combat experience, and it would be a true education.

I gave a lot of thought to the forward to this book, trying to set the stage for readers of my book and my story.  Most folks skip the forward, but I don’t recommend it here.  Delve into it.  Then get a copy of the book, and go on Amazon to leave an honest review.  That helps me gage how the book is received.  Thanks in advance.

Forward:

Military historians inevitably fail if their objective is to tell the whole story of war. In this case, I look beyond such an attempt because this is not history. These pages are a chronicle of my story of combat, using my words of my experiences, not those of others.

Each facet of this book is what I saw with my own eyes.  If I lay bare the truth and do error, it is unintentional, and I bear full responsibility for it. This story must be told to understand war, know the Soldier better, and comprehend what happened and why.  I write it to tell a story that needs telling.

For those who need to hear about courage and sacrifice, triumph and failure, honor and betrayal, I give you this book.  History writers of today will not be kind to those of us who fought in the Iraq War.  It follows that I must let others know what happened and why.

This story was too important to let languish.  Our war heroes and their deeds kept coming back to me.  I could not let our effort on the Iraq battlefield go without comment.  Iraq would be full of surprises. The country of Iraq challenged and amazed us in unimaginable ways.

The harsh desert environment added a new dimension to the battlefield, enhancing the experience and opening our eyes to combat under relentless heat (and cold), the permanent presence of dust, and the smells that assault one’s nose.  The people of Iraq possess an ancient culture that existed before the written word, and I gained only a limited understanding of their existence.

While I was there, I tried to see what they saw, think their ways, and although I could not do so, I respected them nonetheless.  Iraq sits in the middle of what we call the “Cradle of Civilization.”  The fertile lands between two great rivers – the Tigris and Euphrates – have spurred humans to settle and grow crops.  These lands were where civilization began.  Some say the Garden of Eden was located here.  Others believe Iraq is where Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den and saved by God.  It is also where he slew the giant Goliath, a story of imagination and great courage.  I walked into the ruins of Abraham’s home in the ancient city of Ur and saw the adjoining Great Ziggurat (a pre-pyramid structure).

Having read the Bible, I knew I was standing where civilization began.  It was awe-inspiring to be in ancient ruins and fish in the large beautiful oasis nearby.  Iraq is a land not to be ignored.

For 40 years, I was a Soldier in the United States Army.  I entered service as an enlisted man at the lowest rank, Private, and I retired at the officer rank of Brigadier General.  From bumbling recruit to a strategic thinker, the love-hate relationship with the Army became my life.

I put my thoughts down onto paper in this book, in memory for the sacrifices of the ordinary foot Soldier who does the fighting and, also, to answer questions my grandchildren will have about the war in Iraq.

I completed three one-year combat tours in Iraq.  This story is about my first tour as an Army Combat Engineer and the one that impacted me most as a person and Soldier.  I’ll never forget.  I hope none of us ever forget.

All my life, I lived by the American ideal that we go to war to liberate, to restore freedom, and to end tyranny.  Fundamentally, Americans have the moral responsibility to be the world’s leading force for peace, and I thank God that the love of freedom prompts individuals to act courageously at home and on the battlefield.

In a letter to his wife, John Adams wrote in 1780 that he studied politics and war “so that our sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”  Now, my hope is for my grandchildren to study “mathematics and philosophy” and that they may live in a free world, one with fewer tyrants, and where one day we may no longer need hard men to fight evil.

I’m further reminded of John Stuart Mills who wrote about the decayed and degraded thinking of those who believe nothing is worse than war.  His message was that a person willing to give up their freedom and the freedom of others for more security is a miserable creature who encourages evil by willingly subjugating himself to it.

I will remind readers that this war was not America’s first war with Iraq.  In August 1990, the Iraqi Army invaded and occupied the country of Kuwait.  Failing to heed international demands, a Coalition of 35 nations attacked Iraq’s military with the United States in the lead.

Operation Desert Storm (sometimes referred to as the First Gulf War) would convince many that America was a force for good. In Desert Storm and other similar actions, America’s military courageously freed others from tyranny.

Because of our military, more people enjoy their freedoms and live in comfort and security worldwide.  I did my small part by studying war and, when called upon, went to war. This war, our war, was conducted alongside our effort in Afghanistan.

Iraq was the priority battlefield, and we received more Soldiers, equipment, money, as well as support from America’s military and political establishment.  The war in Afghanistan would end in a needless tragedy only a few weeks before the publication of this book.

How these two wars were fought differently is the subject of legitimate discussion and vigorous debate.  Soon, I hope to add to this debate.

Writing this book was easy.  Combat was hard.  Only those who have walked the battlefield can genuinely understand the combat Soldier, why they believe strongly in America, and that we are the light of freedom for the world. For those who have the spirit, go ahead and read about those who fought in Iraq.  Do so to appreciate what they have done.

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Please read my books:

1. “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
2. “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).