Sadr City Sniper
There are many moments in war—the surprises, the close calls. A former infantry officer reflects on one that had both.
Entries by Augusto Giacoman
Pumpkin Head
A former infantry officer contemplates the numbing effects of war and inhumanity.
Pop Bangers and IED Explosions
Augusto Giacoman danced to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” as his convoy patrolled Mosul, Iraq. And then the IED exploded.
I Volunteered To Be The Hot Sauce Man
A midnight raid on a West Point dorm in which Augusto Giacoman was armed with hot sauce prepared him for war better than West Point’s rigid rules.
Go In For A Haircut, Leave With A Beating
Augusto Giacoman went in for a haircut, high and tight. Then things went terribly wrong.
Those Are The Eyes Of A Demon
Augusto Giacoman parked his Stryker under the streetlights and then the bomb exploded. What happened next is a hazy mixture of memory and nightmare.
Until He Saw the Terror They Sowed
Augusto Giacoman almost jumped for joy when he was assigned his first midnight raid, but what he saw that night quickly changed his mind.
The Frog’s Revenge Came in the Form of Rockets
Augusto Giacoman’s humanity was reduced to instinct as the rockets began to hit, and he understood how the frog he’d encountered as a child must have felt.
