Awards

• Short-listed for Midwest Book Award (MIPA) (Political Science) 2007

Overview

In April 2005 they received the official alert: The Wisconsin Army National Guard's 2-127th Infantry Battalion was being mobilized. After training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the 620 soldiers of the Gator Battalion would serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing armed convoy escort and route security throughout all of Iraq, from Umm Qasr in the south to Mosul in the far north. Their mission would take them into the most dangerous regions of Iraq, and during the next year the battalion would withstand hundreds of attacks, see dozens wounded, and lose three members killed in action. Private Soldiers chronicles the 2-127th's year-long deployment from the unique perspective of the soldiers themselves. Written and photographed by three battalion members, the book provides a rare first-hand account of war and life in Iraq. Fascinating soldier interviews reveal the effects of deployment on the troops and on their families back home, and interviews with Iraqi civilians describe the Iraqis' perceptions of life, war, and working alongside Wisconsin troops. Brilliant photography illuminates the 2-127th's year, from training to boots on the ground to their return home. And candid photos taken by battalion members capture the soldiers' day-to-day lives and camaraderie. An extremely timely and relevant account of soldiers' lives, Private Soldiers honors Wisconsin's participants in the Iraq war and helps readers understand the war's human side. All royalties from sales of Private Soldiers will go to the 2-127th's family support groups and to funds established in memoriam of the battalion members who gave their lives in the Iraq war.

Full Product Details

9780870203954

Table of Contents

Reviews

Photographs, interviews, communiques, letters, and poetry, all stitched together by sensitive prose into a full-bodied narrative, make Private Soldiers a superb chronicle of an infantry battalion's year in Iraq. Reading it, I felt proud to be serving in the same Army with the 2-127th. (Lieutenant Colonel Art Bilodeau, Managing Editor, Military Review: The Professional Journal of the U.S. Army ) Wisconsin soldiers have served the state and nation proudly and with distinction since the Civil War and continue to do so in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Private Soldiers will give readers a snapshot of 32nd Infantry 'Red Arrow' soldiers on today's battlefield as they adapt to new battle systems and take advantage of progressing technology yet their dedication to duty, sacrifices, and self-less service endure. (Brigadier General James A. Krueck, Commander, Wisconsin Army National Guard, who also commanded the 32nd Infantry Brigade from Oct. 2000 to Oct. 2006) Peel away the body armor and the cammo, ignore the alphabet soup that is military speak and these infantry men half a world away are just neighbors from up the street or the town next door, citizens one day, soldiers the next, missing homes and loved ones and the Packers and Dodge trucks, mourning for comrades killed or wounded and sharing the eternal truths of soldiering: In any group of eight dudes someone is bound to smell bad. Making public the experiences of private soldiers is revealing. (Dennis McCann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ) These are powerful soldier stories that bring the war in Iraq home to citizens of Wisconsin . . . an important historical record of the men and women of our state who served in combat as part of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. (Frederica Freyberg, Wisconsin Public Television) If you have not journeyed into the Iraq war, this richly detailed narrative will take you there. If you have, this book will take you back. (Katherine M. Skiba, author of Sister in the Band of Brothers: Embedded with the 101st Airborne in Iraq )

Photographs, interviews, communiques, letters, and poetry, all stitched together by sensitive prose into a full-bodied narrative, make Private Soldiers a superb chronicle of an infantry battalion's year in Iraq. Reading it, I felt proud to be serving in the same Army with the 2-127th. (Lieutenant Colonel Art Bilodeau, Managing Editor, Military Review: The Professional Journal of the U.S. Army ) Wisconsin soldiers have served the state and nation proudly and with distinction since the Civil War and continue to do so in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Private Soldiers will give readers a snapshot of 32nd Infantry 'Red Arrow' soldiers on today's battlefield as they adapt to new battle systems and take advantage of progressing technology yet their dedication to duty, sacrifices, and self-less service endure. (Brigadier General James A. Krueck, Commander, Wisconsin Army National Guard, who also commanded the 32nd Infantry Brigade from Oct. 2000 to Oct. 2006) Peel away the body armor and the cammo, ignore the alphabet soup that is military speak and these infantry men half a world away are just neighbors from up the street or the town next door, citizens one day, soldiers the next, missing homes and loved ones and the Packers and Dodge trucks, mourning for comrades killed or wounded and sharing the eternal truths of soldiering: In any group of eight dudes someone is bound to smell bad. Making public the experiences of private soldiers is revealing. (Dennis McCann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ) These are powerful soldier stories that bring the war in Iraq home to citizens of Wisconsin . . . an important historical record of the men and women of our state who served in combat as part of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. (Frederica Freyberg, Wisconsin Public Television) If you have not journeyed into the Iraq war, this richly detailed narrative will take you there. If you have, this book will take you back. (Katherine M. Skiba, author of Sister in the Band of Brothers: Embedded with the 101st Airborne in Iraq ) 2007 Finalist in the History Category from Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Awards

<p> Photographs, interviews, communiques, letters, and poetry, all stitched together by sensitive prose into a full-bodied narrative, make Private Soldiers a superb chronicle of an infantry battalion's year in Iraq. Reading it, I felt proud to be serving in the same Army with the 2-127th. (Lieutenant Colonel Art Bilodeau, Managing Editor, Military Review: The Professional Journal of the U.S. Army )<p> Wisconsin soldiers have served the state and nation proudly and with distinction since the Civil War and continue to do so in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Private Soldiers will give readers a snapshot of 32nd Infantry 'Red Arrow' soldiers on today's battlefield as they adapt to new battle systems and take advantage of progressing technology -- yet their dedication to duty, sacrifices, and self-less service endure. (Brigadier General James A. Krueck, Commander, Wisconsin Army National Guard, who also commanded the 32nd Infantry Brigade from Oct. 2000 to Oct. 2006)<p> Peel

<p>2007 Finalist in the History Category from Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Awards

Author Information

Captain Benjamin Buchholz was the 2-127th Infantry Battalion's civil affairs officer during deployment. He works full time for the Wisconsin National Guard as the 2-127th's training officer. A widely published writer of fiction and nonfiction, Ben lives in Brandon, Wisconsin, with his wife, Angie, and sons Wesley and Jack. Staff Sergeant Joseph Streeter has been a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard for over twelve years. While deployed in Iraq he served as a squad leader in the 2-127th's C Company. He also works as the system administrator at the Wisconsin Joint Force Headquarters and runs a sports photography business. He lives in Madison. Lieutenant Nathan Olson has been a member of the Wisconsin National Guard for more than sixteen years. During his time in Iraq he served as a platoon leader in C Company, 2-127th Infantry. He also works for the Wisconsin National Guard as the environmental assessment and reports manager for the state. Nathan and his wife, Ann, own an event and portrait photography business in Columbus, Wisconsin.

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