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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.7044342092
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Putnam Adult
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 368
Printing Date: October 06, 2005
Publishing house: Putnam Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 47377
Studio: Putnam Adult
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Product Description:
A raw, edgy, yet intimate new voice from the front lines in Iraq-the most authentic we have had yet from the war, heralding this generation's Catch-22.
Like many of his generation, Colby Buzzell was jumping from one dead-end job to another, a paycheck away from moving back home. He spent his time skateboarding and killing as many brain cells as humanly possible. Tired of the monotony, he found himself in front of an army recruiter. Within months he was in Iraq, a machine gunner in the controversial Stryker Brigade Combat Team, an army unit on the cutting edge of combat technology, and the very first of its kind.
This is the startlingly honest story of a young man and a war. Trapped amid 'guerilla warfare, urban-style' in Mosul, Iraq, Buzzell was struck by the bizarre, absurd, often frightening world surrounding him. He began writing an online web log describing the war-not as it was being reported by CNN or in briefings on Capitol Hill, but as he experienced it. The result is an extraordinary narrative, rich with unforgettable scenes: the fierce firefight in which the resistance came from 'men in black'; chain-smoking in the guard tower, counting the tracer rounds fired over the city; the raid on an Iraqi home during which a woman couldn't stop screaming as her husband was being taken away; and the hesitation of a young soldier who had been passed around from platoon to platoon because he was too afraid to fight. As the popularity of his 'blog' grew, Buzzell became the embedded reporter the army couldn't control despite its best-and often hilarious-efforts to do so.
My War is the debut of a fresh and remarkable voice, and it is already being compared to the classics of youth and combat Herr's Dispatches and Heller's Catch-22. But My War is much more than a war story; it is the story of a generation caught between the hyper-reality of a technological age and an ever more complicated and dangerous world.
Amazon.com Review:
My War is a book that will challenge many of the most common assumptions about the Iraq War and the people fighting in it. Colby Buzzell, the book's author and a U.S. Army machine-gunner who did a year-long tour in Iraq, is not the stereotypical small-town soldier from a Red State. He grew up in San Francisco eating pot brownies at the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair, skateboarding, and listening to punk and heavy metal. He supported Ralph Nader for president, reads George Orwell, and his dad worked in Silicon Valley. But he was sick of his 'life in oblivion,' bouncing around from one dead-end job to another. As Buzzell writes in his typically gritty prose, 'I didn’t want to get all old and have my bratty grandkids ask me, 'Grandpa, where were you during the Iraq war?' and me going, 'Oh, I was busy doing temp work and data entry for 12 bucks an hour.''
In search of adventure, Buzzell joined the army and got sent to Iraq. First stationed in the ultra-dangerous Sunni Triangle, he quickly mastered how to use the M240 Bravo machine gun: 'Just get behind that muthafucka and just fire it.' His fellow soldiers, mostly hip-hop fans or headbanging metal-heads like him, killed time watching porn on mini-portable DVD players or listening to Metallica on their iPods while on patrol. Long boring spells were interrupted by wild fits of confusing action. On one of Buzzell's very first missions, two platoons fired thousands of rounds at near point-blank range at an unarmed Iraqi civilian. Amazingly, he survived. Out of boredom, Buzzell started a blog, one of the very first by an ordinary 'Joe' grunt in Iraq. It became a media sensation and got Buzzell in trouble with the REMFs ('Rear Echelon Mutha Fuckers') because of his less-than-glamorous portrayal of the war and his superiors, whom he accuses of constantly lying to the public and the soldiers under their command. My War may be disappointing to readers looking for deeper introspections on the moral questions behind the war, but it is a pretty convincing case against the claim that everything in Iraq is going fine. --Alex Roslin
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Rated by buyers 
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I was also in Mosul, Iraq at this time and it is a GREAT depiction of what life was like out there before I lost my leg and came home. Anyone that wants to know what Mosul was like. READ THIS BOOK!!!
Rated by buyers -
Colby Buzzell started one of the initial troop blogs in Iraq during his 2004 tour of duty. As time wore on, Spc. Buzzell's blog gathered steam and became popular with both military and civilian readers. He provided a grunt's-eye view of the war that drew admiration from many, but dismayed his chain of command, who eventually required him to submit his dispatches for official clearance before posting them. "My War: Killing Time in Iraq" collects Spc. Buzzell's blog posts along with additional exposition. It's a fascinating first-person literary glimpse into a war that most people follow on TV.
The author begins his memoir by cluing us in on why he joined the Army. At 25 his life was going nowhere, and the military looked like a better option than low-paying data-entry work. He initially considered the Marine Corps, but they preferred a younger demographic. The Army recruiter caught him on the way out of the Marine recruiter's front door, and the rest is history. Mr. Buzzell signed up for two years of active duty as an infantryman and was assigned to a Stryker Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Washington. His unit was soon deployed to Iraq, where the author started blogging to counter the boredom between missions. Over time he garnered an avid following and became somewhat of a celebrity (as he reminds us quite often towards the book's conclusion).
Spc. Buzzell posted various bits of military lore that provided context for his situation, such as excerpts from relevant Army manuals, rules of engagement, official after-action reports, and military equipment descriptions. These factoids are interesting, but he really shines when depicting grunt life in Mosul. His "Free Advice" to those deploying in-country, Q & A sessions with blog readers, and even a metal-flavored "Stryker Soundtrack" playlist on his iPod will serve as historical records of Generations X and Y at war in Iraq. Of course, "My War" wouldn't be complete without some harrowing tales of combat. Spc. Buzzell avoids flowery heroic prose in favor of a nuts-and-bolts writing style that conveys the fighting in the best "show, don't tell" tradition, providing a sense of immediacy with the action.
Despite his talent as a writer and fine service to the nation, I found myself a bit confused about Mr. Buzzell as a person. He gives positive portrayals of his fellow soldiers and chain of command (no "Captain America" portraits of incompetent officers here, as in "Generation Kill"). But in the end, Mr. Buzzell vehemently dislikes the Army, the Administration, and the mission in Iraq. What made him that way? Unlike the constant stream of sparse yet heartbreaking situations presented in the excellent "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell," Mr. Buzzell merely teases us with a couple examples of high-command doublespeak and Iraqi brutality. Perhaps he was unable to blog more explicit reasons due to fear of retaliation from his superiors, but this book would've benefitted from deeper insights into the birth and development of his "FTA" attitude - because his distain comes across as merely the "cool" thing to do vs. the result of sustained trauma, betrayal, and disillusionment.
Then again, perhaps it's best not to burn bridges while still attached to one's nemesis. I checked the author's website while writing this review, and it appears that he's been recalled to active service. One thing about enlisting in the military is that they still have you by the shorthairs for a number of years after your active duty time expires. Apparently volunteer manpower must be short, and I wish the author good luck on his second tour. I recommend "My War" for its keen portrayal of a warrior's very first go-around in Iraq (along with "One Bullet Away" by Nathanial Fick, "Generation Kill" by Evan Wright, and "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell" by John Crawford). The question is: will we see "My War II: Killing Even More Time in Iraq?" I know I'll be looking for it.
Rated by buyers -
I just finished reading My War - Killing Time in Iraq by Colby Buzzell. I bought this book some time ago and started it but was more than a little put off by the very first couple of chapters quite frankly because his lifestyle prior to joining the Army is a total antithesis of my own.
I really enjoy military history but I couldn't get into reading it and it eventually ended up in a plastic storage container under the bed in the spare bedroom which is where all my "to read eventually" books end up.
A few days ago, I dug it out, forced myself to start over and to say I'm glad I did is a total understatement.
Very engrossing read. The author is irreverent, loyal, absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, self-deprecating and honest in his accounting. I'm impressed with his writing style, his total lack of pretension and snobbery and most especially his honesty both about his own life pre-Army and of course, while in Iraq. No "spin doctor" here. These are his experiences, warts and all. His writing drew me in so much and was so vivid that his accounting of an ambush/firefight entitled "Men in Black" had me on the edge of my seat. Very you-are-there-ish. Once started, I couldn't put it down.
I love this book. I read a lot and every once in awhile I get the pleasure of reading a book I hate to finish because I enjoy it so much and this is one of those few books for me.
Rated by buyers -
I must say that I found Colby Buzzell's account of his time in Iraq to be spot on! I am back for a repeat tour....and it is a lot of the same! He nails things on the head from the moment he is recruited to the moment he arrives back home free from his military obligation. I applaud Colby for standing up and writing his blog. I can honestly say that his accounts are by far some of the most accurate and TRUTHFUL personal accounts of a soldiers time in Iraq. I picked this book up while I was at Fort Lewis myself and found myself chuckling at the very same things that he wrote about....get this book, read it and you will see for yourself. Thank goodness there are people out there like Colby that can share their true experiences and give others a taste of what it is like for us soldiers! And I hope that he is enjoying every moment of his freedom! He earned it!
Rated by buyers 
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Colby Buzzell's "My War: Killing Time in Iraq" reads like the personal diary of a slacker high-school grad who winds up joining the Army and going to Iraq. The book is the author's debut as a writer, and in its pages we see how the popular "My War" blog came about.
Readers may find it anticlimactic that once Buzzell and his unit get to Iraq the pages don't burst with bombs, bullets, blood and guts. Much of the book covers the copious amount of downtime the author spends either out on boring OP missions or back on the various FOBs they live on. While certainly not as exciting as the descriptions of the raids Buzzell participated in, it is an infuriatingly accurate description of Army life, the physical reality of the "hurry up and wait" rule that every soldier recognizes.
The combat actions that Buzzell does cover reveal his ability to write. The running gun battle through the streets of Mosul with dozens of insurgents is chaotic, absorbing and will leave readers breathless. The grief he catches from posting his war experiences on his blog from his higher-ups is comical, especially when he continues to antagonize them by posting more controversial dispatches.
The constant "F-bombs" in every sentence do get annoying but that is authentic Armyspeak, particularly in combat arms. After a while it does take away from the author's otherwise funny and good writing. This book also helped the reviewer better understand Albert Camus' "The Stranger," as Buzzell sometimes exhibits some of the same attitudes. "My War" is a good debut and has the same authentic feel as Paul Rieckhoff's "Chasing Ghosts", Bing West's "No True Glory," and O'Connell's "We Were One."
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