Drowning in the Desert: A JAG's Search for Justice in Iraq - Tapa dura

'They say the only good morning in a war zone is the morning you leave,' the author writes. She has experienced many difficult mornings in Iraq, where she serves as a U.S. army lawyer, otherwise known as a JAG (Judge Advocate General). Handling anything from detainments to divorces, she and her small staff act as legal counsel for more than 3,000 soldiers. They also advise commanders about what they are permitted to target and how the Iraqi justice system functions. If managing all this while sporting a bulletproof flak jacket and a Kevlar helmet is not enough, the author is thrust into putting two soldiers on trial in Iraq for possible desertion. And when an adolescent s body is found in the Tigris River, she is forced to investigate the conduct of American soldiers. The author adeptly balances detailed descriptions of day-to-day events at her base, Camp Anaconda, without losing the reader along the way with either legal or military jargon. Acronyms are carefully explained after being used in casual dialog. INTSUM is the intelligence summary, a rehash of nightly enemy activity or intelligence; RPGs are rocket-propelled grenades. Ongoing logistical frustrations compound the legal work, whether in securing safe transportation to interview witnesses or in building a structure to serve as the chapel/courtroom. Nonetheless, the author forges strong friendships with other soldiers throughout the daily stress and maintains a sense of humor. She laughs hard as Captain Noel Pace, a specialist in vaccination and insecticide risks, shimmies into a stack of wooden benches, a structure constructed for his safety in a former Iraqi airbase cafeteria. Tragedies abound in this land, where brigade headquarters personnel spend Christmas Eve mourning the death of three civil affairs soldiers killed by a bomb under their Humvee. JAG corps senior officers die when their Blackhawk helicopter is downed in a flight from Baghdad. Any kind of traveling outside the wire of the base is risky. To address Iraqi losses, the author handles U.S. solatia payments as expressions of condolence to the family of Iraqi citizens who are killed or injured as a result of American actions. Whether or not readers agree with the U.S. s involvement in Iraq, this book offers an eye-opening glimpse at a unique lifestyle. It presents a compelling story of the bravery and work ethic found among some army soldiers as well as the dishonesty of others which leads to cover-ups --Forward magazine

I don't usually read military-related nonfiction, but the description of this book piqued my interest. I'm really glad I read it. The story is well paced with nicely drawn characters (soldiers, officers, and Iraqi civilians), it takes you into the chaos of occupied Iraq, but all the action is clear and easy to follow. Aside from the compelling story, the book provides a great cautionary tale about the importance of leadership. You gain a much better understanding of how critical leadership is to the effective and humane operation of the military. You also see what happens when that leadership fails. Highly Recommended. --S Saxon --This book is so much more than a suspenseful page-turner (although it certainly is that!): it is the truly inspiring story of one soldier's quest to serve with integrity that will cause all readers to wonder what they would have done in her situation. Drowning in the Desert is as thought-provoking as it is timely, and my bookclub is going to love it! Non-fiction and fiction readers alike will enjoy this book, as my husband and I can attest; I think it's the only book my husband and I have ever both read and loved! ---M Cezarz --M. Cezarz

I don't usually read military-related nonfiction, but the description of this book piqued my interest. I'm really glad I read it. The story is well paced with nicely drawn characters (soldiers, officers, and Iraqi civilians), it takes you into the chaos of occupied Iraq, but all the action is clear and easy to follow. Aside from the compelling story, the book provides a great cautionary tale about the importance of leadership. You gain a much better understanding of how critical leadership is to the effective and humane operation of the military. You also see what happens when that leadership fails. Highly Recommended. --S Saxon --This book is so much more than a suspenseful page-turner (although it certainly is that!): it is the truly inspiring story of one soldier's quest to serve with integrity that will cause all readers to wonder what they would have done in her situation. Drowning in the Desert is as thought-provoking as it is timely, and my bookclub is going to love it! Non-fiction and fiction readers alike will enjoy this book, as my husband and I can attest; I think it's the only book my husband and I have ever both read and loved! ---M Cezarz--I love this book. It's not political or preachy, just honest and compelling. There are several parts that are laugh-out-loud funny, which I almost never do when I read a book. There are other parts that made me choke up, and I rarely get emotional reading a book. Still other parts of this book made me hot with anger. This is a real emotional roller coaster, and you won't regret picking it up. I couldn't put it down. --M Williams-- --M Williams

I don't read many war, army, or legal type books, but I picked this up because a friend of mine served in Iraq as a JAG. I thought the book balanced the personal story of the woman who wrote it and the technical aspects of the cases she dealt with. It was easy to read, with enough "meat" to sustain, and will definitely get passed on to others. My wife is reading it now and she really likes it too. --S Williams--I could not put this book down after reading it. Each page invited a new perspective into how difficult it was to carry out even the simplest legal task in Iraq. The authors did a great job of mixing in humorous details of Capt Gembara cases, while at the same time exposing the cruel realities of war and all it's tragic dangers and consequences. Wonderfully written, the authors weave a fascinating, compelling dipiction into Capt Gembara's struggles to swim through the day-to-day morass of life in Iraq as an Army JAG lawyer. The authors hit a home run-CASE CLOSED! --BryanR-- felt that I was reading an honest account, from someone who values honesty, doing the right thing, and pushing the truth to the front. --Taylor