War destroys. Or at least that's what Matt Gallagher thinks in his book Kaboom and an editorial in the New York Times.
Gallagher fought in Iraq as a soldier for the United States military. He considers himself one of the lucky ones because he returned to NYC with all his limbs and most of his mental facilities and a book deal (thus Kaboom was born!).
Even though Gallagher returned from the front lines he feels as if he left a part of himself in Iraq. Simple things like a slamming dumpster lid catapult him back in time to when he was in Iraq and "desperate not to die because of an unseen I.E.D."
He believes that chance is war's "dirty little not-so-secret." For veterans the dirty little secret is self-righteousness. Gallagher recounts how easy it is for veterans to fall into the trap of what civilians get or do not get.
While it may be easy for normal Americans to forget about the war in Iraq, it is impossible for the less than one percent of the population who fought over there.
Gallagher admits to succumbing to his own self-righteousness at times. However, instead of using fists or consuming mass quantities of alcohol, he took the high road. In response to people who show envy towards being able to kill Muslims, he replies that "such a black-and-white understanding of the war is what got us into so much trouble over there in the first place."
Gallagher could not be more right!
Many Americans, because of inadequate education and the natural instinct to be fearful of persons who are dissimilar, hold an opinion of Muslims and Arabs in general that is false and dangerous. Not all Muslims are terrorists and not all Americans are good people. In a polarized, fear-laden country like the U.S. we can sometimes overlook this fact.
Although the reasoning seems off, Gallagher decided, in the New York Times editorial, that he rather educate people about his experience in Iraq instead of pissing people off with a self-righteous attitude. Education is crucial when dealing with war of any kind. The more people know the better people will understand that war is not like a video game. War, according to Gallagher, is complicated, scary and extremely tolling.
He exemplifies these claims in his book Kaboom. In reading the first chapter, one realizes that Gallagher was perfectly ordinary before, during and after 9/11. He slept through the attacks and got drunk during invasions. However Iraq changed him and he will never be the young man who get drunk at frats again.
By 2005 Gallagher was in Iraq as a armored calvary officer. In sections that are brief but filled with detail about his time fighting. He writes about rolling out of wire and his interactions with the other soldiers.
Those interactions are the most interesting of all his descriptions because they illustrate how soldiers reacted to being in Iraq. Laughing was something that seemed to have happened often, which contradicts the tense situations of war.
However, upon closer inspection of the first chapter, one realizes that war is filled with contradictions. It is vital to understand that war is not as simple as the politicians make it out to be. Gallagher's book does a good job of demonstrating this. He extinguishes the disconnect (at least as much as you can) between soldiers and normal Americans who tended to forget about the wars abroad.
Gallagher will never shed his soldier skin. It is a part of who he is now, and that means civilian life will forever be a challenge for him. However, using the knowledge of war to educate through books and editorials will go a long way to preventing him from resorting to violence and drugs like many Iraqi vets. If only every vet could be so lucky.
Gallagher fought in Iraq as a soldier for the United States military. He considers himself one of the lucky ones because he returned to NYC with all his limbs and most of his mental facilities and a book deal (thus Kaboom was born!).
Even though Gallagher returned from the front lines he feels as if he left a part of himself in Iraq. Simple things like a slamming dumpster lid catapult him back in time to when he was in Iraq and "desperate not to die because of an unseen I.E.D."
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| Matt Gallagher in Iraq |
He believes that chance is war's "dirty little not-so-secret." For veterans the dirty little secret is self-righteousness. Gallagher recounts how easy it is for veterans to fall into the trap of what civilians get or do not get.
While it may be easy for normal Americans to forget about the war in Iraq, it is impossible for the less than one percent of the population who fought over there.
Gallagher admits to succumbing to his own self-righteousness at times. However, instead of using fists or consuming mass quantities of alcohol, he took the high road. In response to people who show envy towards being able to kill Muslims, he replies that "such a black-and-white understanding of the war is what got us into so much trouble over there in the first place."
Gallagher could not be more right!
Many Americans, because of inadequate education and the natural instinct to be fearful of persons who are dissimilar, hold an opinion of Muslims and Arabs in general that is false and dangerous. Not all Muslims are terrorists and not all Americans are good people. In a polarized, fear-laden country like the U.S. we can sometimes overlook this fact.
Although the reasoning seems off, Gallagher decided, in the New York Times editorial, that he rather educate people about his experience in Iraq instead of pissing people off with a self-righteous attitude. Education is crucial when dealing with war of any kind. The more people know the better people will understand that war is not like a video game. War, according to Gallagher, is complicated, scary and extremely tolling.
 |
| Kaboom the book |
By 2005 Gallagher was in Iraq as a armored calvary officer. In sections that are brief but filled with detail about his time fighting. He writes about rolling out of wire and his interactions with the other soldiers.
Those interactions are the most interesting of all his descriptions because they illustrate how soldiers reacted to being in Iraq. Laughing was something that seemed to have happened often, which contradicts the tense situations of war.
However, upon closer inspection of the first chapter, one realizes that war is filled with contradictions. It is vital to understand that war is not as simple as the politicians make it out to be. Gallagher's book does a good job of demonstrating this. He extinguishes the disconnect (at least as much as you can) between soldiers and normal Americans who tended to forget about the wars abroad.
Gallagher will never shed his soldier skin. It is a part of who he is now, and that means civilian life will forever be a challenge for him. However, using the knowledge of war to educate through books and editorials will go a long way to preventing him from resorting to violence and drugs like many Iraqi vets. If only every vet could be so lucky.
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