As You Were : To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard

by Davenport, Christian

• ISBN13: 9780470373613
• ISBN10: 047037361X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-05-18
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The war story that needs to be told: a Washington Post reporter follows five courageous National Guard soldiers as they deploy to Iraq, survive combat, and come home to pick up the piecesThe Iraq War radically transformed the typical "one weekend a month, two weeks a year" commitment of many National Guard soldiers around the country into lengthy, grueling tours of duty in Iraq. Little has been written about the tens of thousands of guardsmen and women sent to Iraq and the unique challenges these citizen-soldiers have faced in serving their countryand then coming home to the civilian world. Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport was embedded with the Virginia National Guard's 2-224th Aviation Regiment and witnessed the hardship and heroism of its members firsthand, from their sudden call-up, through their return from overseas, to new battles faced on the home front as they struggle to rebuild their lives after the war. He tells the story of five of these remarkable soldiersa teacher, a 50-something Vietnam vet, a sorority-girl-turned-door-gunner, a born leader, and a young woman unable to find her place in the world. By continuing to follow these soldiers, and their families, for more than a year after their tour, Davenport chronicles the difficulties they face returning home: lost jobs, financial woes, and the inability to relate to a society that has never been so divorced from the war its country was fighting. Depicting these soldiers as heroes, not victims, As You Were reveals a hidden dimension of the war, and provides an intimate look at the patriotism and courage that inspire those who have fought in itand the rest of us as well.Christian Davenport (Washington, DC) is a reporter for the Washington Post. He was embedded with the Virginia National Guard's 2-224th Regiment, and his work covering the military helped uncover some of the iconic photographs of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Author Biography

Christian Davenport is a reporter for the Washington Post. He was embedded with the Virginia Army National Guard's 2-224th, and his work covering the military helped uncover some of the iconic photographs of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Mobilization.

Miranda: No One Likes A Sulky Soldier

Ray and Diane: Hurry Up and Wait

Kate: Be All You Can Be

Mark: "Sir, IÆm a Citizen-Soldier"

Iraq.

Miranda: The Terrorists Ate My Homework

Ray and Diane: Keeping Up Appearances

Kate: Applying a Tourniquet

Miranda: Graduation Day

Craig: Welcome to Game Time, LtLewis

The National Guard: The NationÆs Best Defense Bargain

Home.

DonÆt Take the War Home With You

Miranda: Learning to Talk About War

Kate: Practicing Normalcy

Mark: Keep Your Boots On

Ray and Diane: Seeing Suffering

Craig: Two OÆclock Lull

Miranda: The Pedicured, Door Gunning Ivy League Veteran

Epilogue, Citizen Soldiers: The Conscience of a Nation

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