[Fredslist] New book exposes the New Iraqi Army--> God Willing: My Wild Ride with the New Iraqi Army

Mon Mar 24 23:17:07 EDT 2008

Dear Gotham-

To those interested in an inside look at the 'New' Iraqi Army below is a book that is written by one of my best friends from college; who has an amazing skill for writing and has put together an amazing book about what its like to train an Iraqi Army. In his book he gives a front line description of what is really like being on ground zero in another country; another world!!

His book was just published and has already been mentioned in the LA Times and Washington Post.  It's available on a wide variety of websites as well as in stores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble.  If you know of anyone that would be interested please forward this email on. People should know what its like to be out there fighting for and defending our country on the front lines.

Thank you- Sergio

God Willing: My Wild Ride with the New Iraqi Army
By Captain Eric Navarro, USMCR

Online press kit: http://www.potomacbooksinc.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=167943

Ten U.S. Marines are assigned to live, train, and go into battle with more than five hundred raw and undisciplined Iraqi soldiers. A member of this Adviser Support Team, Capt. Eric Navarro, recounts their tour in vivid and brutally honest detail.

Their deployment comes at a particularly important time in the war. The Battle of Fallujah is raging, and President Bush has proclaimed training the Iraqi forces is the key to winning the war. Once they stand up, we can stand down, or so the theory goes. Navarro's team, nicknamed The Drifters, faces countless roadblocks-no interpreters initially, limited supplies, little contact with other U.S. forces, and a vast cultural gulf with the Iraqis. One hackneyed and fatalistic Arabic phrase seems to sum up the mission, "Insha Allah," which translates as "God willing" or "if God wills it."

Whether riding into downtown Fallujah in an unarmored Nissan pick-up truck, living in squalor in abandoned buildings, dodging trigger-happy troops, sharing FHM magazine with Iraqi soldiers to boost morale, or getting attacked by insurgent rockets less than an hour after arriving, life is never easy and more often surreal. The Drifters' trials and tribulations help shed light on this most under-reported aspect of the war: What is wrong with the new Iraqi Army? The answer is not as pretty as the politicians would like.

"Bravo to Navarro! A fast-paced, honest, insightful, and funny description of what it's like to train an Iraqi battalion."
- Bing West, author of The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the U.S. Marines and
No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle of Fallujah
"Captain Eric Navarro vividly describes the challenges we face in Iraq as we nation-build a stable republic atop the wreckage of the Saddam Hussein era. During his tour, Captain Navarro and his Marines served at ground zero of this effort, living and working right alongside our allies while standing-up the New Iraqi Army. Navarro's story is full of heart-stopping action, head-shaking mistakes and ultimately, words of warning over the future of our effort in the Middle East. This book is a must-read for every American."
- John Bruning, author of The Devil's Sandbox: With the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry at War in Iraq and
co-author with SSG David Bellavia of House to House: An Epic Memoir of War

About the Author

Captain Eric Navarro was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1975, and received a bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a specialty in writing at The New School University. He was living in Manhattan during the events of September 11th and set out to join the Marines the next day. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Dorothy, and remains in the reserves. Upon publication of this book, he will be finishing his second deployment to Iraq.  Following this most recent tour, he is set to attend NYU Stern Business School.

_____________________________________________
Sergio A. Fernández de Córdova | EVP
Fuel Outdoor | Real Estate, Government Affairs and Legal
149 5th Avenue, 11th Floor | New York, NY 10010
Tel: +1 212 796-4190 | Fax: +1 212 967-7337
sfdecordova at FuelOutdoor.com<mailto:sfdecordova at FuelOutdoor.com> | http://www.fueloutdoor.com<http://www.fueloutdoor.com/>

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

________________________________
From: Eric Navarro [mailto:enavarro1007 at yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 5:05 PM
To: Sergio Fernandez de Cordova
Subject: Fw: New book exposes the New Iraqi Army

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.gothamnetworking.com/pipermail/fredslist/attachments/20080324/4d9787cf/attachment.html