The Iraq war officially began on March 20, 2003, and since then, roughly one million young Americans have rotated through the country's insurgent-infested hot spots. Although stories of dramatic ambushes and attacks dominate the front pages of major newspapers, little is truly known about what the war is like for the American soldiers who fight it.

What Was Asked of Us bridges the gap between the soldiers' reality and a nation still largely unaware of Iraq's ground truth. Through a series of in-depth and intensely probing interviews, it documents the soldiers' experiences and darkest secrets, offering a multitude of authentic, unfiltered voices-at times raw and emotional, at other times eloquent and lyrical. These voices walk us through the war, from the successful push to Baghdad, through erroneous "Mission Accomplished" moment, and into the dangerous, murky present. By turns inspiring and heartbreaking, What Was Asked of Us is the first book to offer the narrative of the entire war to date. It captures the sum total of the solders' experiences and reveals what America is actually asking its young men and women to do.

Whether you support the war or are against it, I feel that we owe the men and women who have, and are still serving in Iraq an understanding of what they have sacrificed for our country. While those that have never served during war time can never truly understand what these individuals have experienced, I think the greatest support we can give to these individuals is to listen. Listen to what they saw. Listen to what they heard. Listen to what war has done to them mentally, physically, and emotionally. Only by listening can we begin to see what these people have truly given in service to our country.

I was a bit leery of taking on this book as I was worried about the book spewing political propaganda. I didn't want to read about the politics behind the war or a debate about whether we should be there or not. Whether we like it, or not, our troops are still there. I wasn't let down. While some of the men and women did state their views about the politics of this war, it was minimal and the book stayed true to its purpose.

This book contains a collection of stories, as told by the men and women who experienced them. There are no hidden agendas behind what is told to us through this book. No skewing things to look better or worse, as with the media. These accountings are simply the reality of war. Some good, some bad, all of them real. The accountings range anywhere from missions that they had participated in, to the mental and emotional toll that death and the horrors of war have brought upon them.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, whether a supporter or an opponent of the war. Either way, these are our men and women; our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends. These are their stories and I believe that we owe it to our troops to listen and try to understand.

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Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (November 2, 2006)
ISBN: 0316016705
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