Kaboom

by Gallagher, Matt

• ISBN13: 9780306818806
• ISBN10: 0306818809
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-03-23
• Publisher: Da Capo Pr

Summary

When Lieutenant Matt Gallagher began his blog with the aim of keeping his family and friends apprised of his experiences, he didn't anticipate that it would resonate far beyond his intended audience. His subjects ranged from mission details to immortality, grim stories about Bon Jovi cassettes mistaken for IEDs, and the daily experiences of the Gravediggersthe code name for members of Gallagher's platoon. When the blog was shut down in June 2008 by the U.S. Army, there were more than twentyfive congressional inquiries regarding the matter as well as reports through the military grapevine that many high-ranking officials and officers at the Pentagon were disappointed that the blog had been ordered closed.Based on Gallagher's extraordinarily popular blog,Kaboomis "at turns hilarious, maddening, and terrifying," providing "raw and insightful snapshots of a conflict many Americans have lost interest in" (Washington Post). Like Anthony Swofford'sJarhead, Gallagher'sKaboomresonates with stoic detachment and timeless insight into a war that we are still trying to understand.

Author Biography

Matt Gallagher joined the U.S. Army in 2005 and received a commission in the armored cavalry. Following a fifteen-month deployment in Iraq, Gallagher left the army in 2009. Originally from Reno, Nevada, he now lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Maps	p. xiii
Intrologue	p. xi
The Red, The White, and The Emo (or American Boy Escapes) Winter 2007-2008	p. 1
Embrace The Suck (or Narrative of a Counterinsurgent) Spring 2008	p. 57
iWar (or The Lost Summer) Summer 2008	p. 123
Across The River and Far Away (or Redemption's Grunt) Autumn 2008	p. 191
Stepsons of Iraq (or A Short-timer's Promenade) Winter 2008-2009	p. 239
Exit Strategy	p. 289
Acknowledgments	p. 293
Index	p. 295
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