The Deserter’s Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War In Iraq, by Joshua Key, as told to Lawrence Hill (Anansi Press, 2007; $29.95)
Nevertheless, Key recounts, a recruiter had to trick him into signing his contract, assuring the 23-year-old that he would not see combat, that he would work on “engineering projects.” Instead of building bridges, Key soon found himself embarked on the mission of dismantling Iraq. At first he joined in the rampant abuse of civilians, noting that the assaulting of Iraqis by stressed out – or, in some cases, just plain sadistic – U.S. soldiers was absolutely routine.
Key still has frequent nightmares about everything he saw in Iraq, and he knows the psychological wounds of war will be with him for the rest of his life. Though his desertion has left him estranged from many friends and family back home, he remains unapologetic about quitting the U.S. army, “I owe one apology and one apology only, and that is to the people of Iraq.”—
Source: rabble.ca – book reviews
