Hellfires and “Half-Smashed Bugs” in Sadr City
As a platoon searched for bombs, the enemy tried to attack them. It didn’t end well.
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Moral Waivers for War—”I Was Shocked, but We Needed Men.”
Not everyone is fit for the Army, but a loophole overlooks that.
Rage and the Manger
Back from a deployment and triggered by the mundane, a former infantry officer discovers his unprovoked rage.
Being Hunted by the Sadr City Sniper
There are many moments in war—the surprises, the close calls. A former infantry officer reflects on one that had both.
Pumpkin Head and the Horror Show
A former infantry officer contemplates the numbing effects of war and inhumanity.
Pop Bangers, “Barbie Girl,” and IED Explosions
Augusto Giacoman danced to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” as his convoy patrolled Mosul, Iraq. And then the IED exploded.
As a West Point Cadet, 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 Military Haircut, Leave With A Beating
Augusto Giacoman went in for a haircut, high and tight. Then things went terribly wrong.
Remembering the Day I Parked Our Stryker on Top of an IED
Augusto Giacoman parked his Stryker under the streetlights and then the bomb exploded. What happened next is a hazy mixture of memory and nightmare.
