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mass
casualties
A
Young Medic's True Story of Death,
Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq
SPC Michael Anthony
"Look around,"
the drill sergeant said. "In a few
years, or even a few months, several
of you will be dead. Some of you
will be severely wounded or so badly
mutilated that your own mother can't
stand the sight of you. And for the
real unlucky ones, you will come
home so emotionally disfigured that
you wish you had died over there."
It was Week 7
of Basic Training . . . 18 years old
and I was preparing myself to die.
They say the Army makes a man out of
you—but for 18-year-old SPC Michael
Anthony, that fabled rite of passage
proved a very dark journey. After
soliciting his parents' approval to
enlist at only 17, Anthony began his
journey with an unshakeable faith in
the military born of his family's
long tradition of service. But when
thrust into a medical unit of
misfits as lost as he was, SPC
Anthony not only witnessed the
unspeakable horror of war—but the
undeniable misconduct of the
military—firsthand. Everything he
ever believed in dissolved, forcing
Anthony to rethink his loyalties,
and ultimately risk his career—and
his freedom—to challenge the
military he had so firmly believed
in.
This searing memoir chronicles the
iconic experiences that changed one
young soldier forever. A seasoned
veteran before the age of
twenty-one, he faced the truth about
the war—and himself—in this shocking
and unprecedented eyewitness
account.
Reviews:
"When SPC Anthony joined the
Army at 18, he went in with high
hopes and sterling ideals; coming
from a family with a proud military
background, Anthony expected to meet
mentors, heroes and lifelong friends
while earning money for college and
becoming a man. What he discovered
was a disenchanting web of mundane
corruption and self-serving lies.
Unlike accounts exposing the
military's most shameful iniquities,
Anthony's memoir focuses on an
endless parade of petty offenses-the
cowardice, drug addiction, thievery,
adultery and rampant hypocrisy-he
found while working in a base
hospital. Relentlessly honest and
reflective, Anthony's record
communicates perfectly the
stranglehold of sadness, fear and
disappointment that came with his
lost innocence; just as worse is his
eventual acceptance of the
pointless, dysfunctional bureaucracy
maintaining the status quo. Avoiding
the intensity of the battlefield and
the OR itself, Anthony's
frustrations resonate with the
feelings of any young man learning
about the nature of authority and
his helplessness before it. Readers
curious about the human side of the
ongoing Iraqi conflict will be
struck by Anthony's strong voice,
direct storytelling and stark
honesty." (Starred Review)
--Publishers Weekly
"Michael Anthony's memoir is
not about the politics of Iraq.
Instead it takes us deep inside the
war, inside and outside the
operating room, the barracks, the
talk of the soldiers, the feeling of
the situation. It joins the body of
war literature in a unique and
powerful way."
--Howard Zinn, Civil Rights
Leader, Historian
"There is a curious similarity
between Michael Anthony's "Mass
Casualties" diary of daily survival
as a young medic in the Iraq war
with one of my favorite books, Primo
Levi's "Survival in Auschwitz," as a
holocaust prisoner in that death
camp. Both of these remarkable works
introduce us to an alien world that
is unimaginable unless experienced--
or witnessed through their eyes, and
pain, and youthful, matter-of-fact
everyday wisdom. It is hard to read
about the unexpected casualties of
war, among soldiers as well as
prisoners, but Michael takes us on
an unforgettable personal journey as
filled with humor as it is with
horror."
--Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D., New
York Times best selling author of
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding
How Good People Turn Evil
"Anthony's painful account of
his time at war is at times
difficult to read. This coming of
age war memoir details the very gut
wrenching journey he takes into
manhood in the backdrop of grueling
combat. His voice is unique and
deserves to be heard. We may not all
agree with why we fight, but I am
proud to be of a generation with
Warriors like Anthony, who are
compelled to share these important
life altering experiences."
--David Bellavia, Iraq Veteran,
Co-Founder: Vets For Freedom
"A raw, honest narrative by a
young soldier thrust into an
atmosphere that demanded care for
the wounded, yet seemingly deprived
of leaders who understood their role
was to help, and not to be
self-absorbed."
--Bing West, Former Assistant
Secretary of Defense for
International Security Affairs
About the Author:
Michael Anthony
seemed destined to serve from the
day he was born. The youngest of
seven children, Michael has four
brothers and two sisters, all of
whom joined the military (except for
one sister). His father and two
grandfathers were also in the
military. After graduating from high
school, he went to basic training,
then to job training, to become an
operating room medic. One year
later, he returned home and enrolled
in college to begin his first
semester. Almost immediately upon
finishing his first semester, he was
shipped off to Wisconsin to train
for four months before he would
leave and spend his next year in
Iraq. Since returning home, Mr.
Anthony is working toward a
bachelor's degree in creative
writing.
Check out
Michael's Website
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