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طريق من الرمادي
كيف حدث أن انتهى بي الأمر في هذا المكان ؟ لقد كان هذا سؤالًا ما برح يلح علي تكرارًا إبان خدمتي في العراق خلال فصل الصيف من عام 2003 . كان من شأني أن أجد نفسي راكبًا في مؤخرة شاحنة تعبر الشوارع المغبرة في الرمادي التي مزقتها الحرب ، وهي مدينة سنية ثلاثية الشكل تقع إلى الغرب من مدينة بغداد . وكان يفترض بي أن أوجه كل انتباهي إلى مراقبة المقاتلين الذين جعلوا من امتداد الطريق الذي كنا نسلكه ، مصيدة موت للقوات الأمريكية . بيد أنه كان من شأني أن أرى أولادًا يتراكضون أمام أبواب منازلهم من حيث كانوا يراقبون سيارتنا وهي تمر بسرعة وكان من شأنهم تذكيري بالأولاد الذي كنت أشاهدهم سابقًا في نيكارغوا ، البلد الذي ولدت فيه. حيث كنت طفلًا محظوظًا من أبناء الثورة . مرة أخرى يتردد صدى السؤال في داخلي كيف انتهى بي الأمر في هذا المكان ؟
384 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 23, 2015
ترجمة ذاتيه لرقيب اول في الجيش الامريكي , كوستريكي الاصل , عانى منذ طفولته من الحرب وكبر رافضا لها , الحاجه للمال جعلته يوقع عقدا مع الجيش (في حاله السلم ) لكن لسوء حظه بدأت حرب "تحرير العراق" كما يسمونها في سنه 2003 , فوجد نفسه في العراق .
من خلال قراءه هذا الكتاب يستطيع الشخص ان يبرر همجيه ووحشية الجيش الامريكي , ويفسر للعراقين التصرفات الغريبه والخطط المضحكه , يتضح من خلاله ان الجندي كان ضحيه للرؤساء والقاده وماكان يحدث ماهو الا مهزله عسكريه.اهمال , انانيه , عنصريه وتضحيه بحياة الجنود من اجل اوسمه , اضافه لاستغلال المؤسسه العسكريه لفقر الناس وخداعهم بإخفاء تبعات مهمه من تفاصيل العقد الموقع مع الجيش
من المضحك كيف لخمس اشهر فقط من الحرب ان تثير خوف وتستنفذ صبر جيش مدجج بالسلاح , وكيف يخاف رجل مسلح من طفل حافي .. !
..
المفارقه اللطيفه كيف ان النقيب كاميلو ميخا اتهم بسوء السلوك وسُجِن, ثم افرج عنه قبل 3 اشهر من انتهاء العقوبه بسبب حسن السلوك
...
استمتعت بمعرفه ما يحدث في الطرف الاخر , وقدم لي الكتاب تفسير لامور كثيره
انصح بقراءته
من خلال قراءه هذا الكتاب يستطيع الشخص ان يبرر همجيه ووحشية الجيش الامريكي , ويفسر للعراقين التصرفات الغريبه والخطط المضحكه , يتضح من خلاله ان الجندي كان ضحيه للرؤساء والقاده وماكان يحدث ماهو الا مهزله عسكريه.اهمال , انانيه , عنصريه وتضحيه بحياة الجنود من اجل اوسمه , اضافه لاستغلال المؤسسه العسكريه لفقر الناس وخداعهم بإخفاء تبعات مهمه من تفاصيل العقد الموقع مع الجيش
من المضحك كيف لخمس اشهر فقط من الحرب ان تثير خوف وتستنفذ صبر جيش مدجج بالسلاح , وكيف يخاف رجل مسلح من طفل حافي .. !
..
المفارقه اللطيفه كيف ان النقيب كاميلو ميخا اتهم بسوء السلوك وسُجِن, ثم افرج عنه قبل 3 اشهر من انتهاء العقوبه بسبب حسن السلوك
...
استمتعت بمعرفه ما يحدث في الطرف الاخر , وقدم لي الكتاب تفسير لامور كثيره
انصح بقراءته
September 28, 2015
سيرة لأحد الجنود الذين شاركوا بالحرب على العراق الرقيب كاميلو ميخيا في رحلة طويلة للشرق الاوسط عندما وصل الى العراق وتمركز في الرمادي ومشاركتة هو والجنود في تدمير العراق من قتل أبريا قطع طرق أذلال سجناء حرمانهم من النوم أطلاق النار عل من يشتبهة بأنه من المتمردين..عندما قرات هذا الكتاب شعرت بالبداية أنني أقرا لمجرم محتل..يصف قتلة لمراهق عراقي عندما حاول هذا المراهق رمي قنبلة على جنود الاحتلال..وكيف أنه أفرغ أحدى عشر طلقه من رصاص في جسد هذا المراهق..وعندما يعود للقاعده .شعرت أني اقرا لانسان يعذبه ضميرة.يحلل ويصف ويشعر بالذنب لما قام به..أنتهى به المطاف الى أخذ أجازة والعوده للوطن والانضام الى معارضي الحرب بدافع الضمير..كانت رحلة طويلة شاقة تكبل خلالها محاكمات عسكرية..تحمل سخرية رفاقه من الجنود ورفض أن يصبح جزاء من عصبة قتله ..حكمت علية المحكمة بخفض رتبتة والسجن أثنى عشر شهرا والطرد من الخدمة..عندما أصدر الحكم..كتب ميخيا *فهمت آنذاك أن الحرية ليست حالة جسدية مادية,بل حالة معنوية في العقل والقلب والروح.ذلك اليوم تعلمت أنة لاتوجد حرية أعظم من حرية أتباع الضمير.في ذلك اليوم كنت حراً,شعرت بحريه لم أعهدها من قبل.*
عندما أنتهيت من قراءه هذه السيرة وماوجهه من خلال الحرب وبشاعتها الصراع الداخلي لدى ميخيا بين العودة ومساعده اصدقاءه أو رفض الحرب الغير مبررة..كانة لديه الشجاعة الاخلاقية لإدانة بربرية الحرب وعبثية أحتلال العراق
كتب كريس هيدجز قال..أنة من هولاء الذين يقفون بيننا مثل بقع الضوء المبهر في بحر من العتمة.
عندما أنتهيت من قراءه هذه السيرة وماوجهه من خلال الحرب وبشاعتها الصراع الداخلي لدى ميخيا بين العودة ومساعده اصدقاءه أو رفض الحرب الغير مبررة..كانة لديه الشجاعة الاخلاقية لإدانة بربرية الحرب وعبثية أحتلال العراق
كتب كريس هيدجز قال..أنة من هولاء الذين يقفون بيننا مثل بقع الضوء المبهر في بحر من العتمة.
May 28, 2008
Written by conscientious objector & Iraq War II Veteran, Camillo Mejia who was the first soldier tried for "desertion" after service in combat. Fascinating story of why he joined the military and how he came to realize that the war was immoral and based on lies. Camillo's description of combat, his relationships with fellow soldiers he served with and those who helped him after he decided to become a conscientious objector are all compelling. This book gave me a much greater understanding of the whole complex process of what it takes to become a conscientious objector.
January 11, 2017
لا شك ان هذا الكتاب اثار غضبي , لكوني كنت اسكن الرمادي , كنا نسمع عن هذه التصرفات ولكن ان يذكرها ضابط من الجيش الامريكي واحيانا يذكرها بنوع من البرود فهذا مؤلم فعلا وقد اخذ بذاكرتي الى زمان الاحتلال الذي كنت فيه نوعا ماصغيرة ولا ادرك جيدا عمق هذه الاشياء
استطيع ان اقول ان هذا الكتاب اثار غضبي في بعض المواضع اكثر مما غضبت في وقت الاحتلال نفسه , لأنه ذكرني بما كنت اسمع عنه وانا صغيرة ولا ادركه بشكل كامل
الآن نأتي الى مافعله النقيب كاميلو
كل الكلام الذي قاله لم يكن ذا معنى قبل ان يستيقظ ويقرر ان لا يلتحق بالطائرة , حينها فقط اصبح لكتابه معنى
فما معنى ان تصبح غاضبا وان يكون لك ضمير تعارض فيه داخليا كل ما يفعله هذا الشخص او ذاك او ربما تبدي ردة فعل بسيطة فحسب !
ما معنى ان ترى وتدرك دناسة الفعل الذي يفعله احدهم او المأساة التي واجهت احدهم ثم تصاب بالدوار او تشعر بأن قلبك تقطع او تمزق وتظل تنظر دون ان تحرك ساكنا !!
إأسف كما تشاء
حتى ينتهي نفسك
هل يعني هذا شيئا!!
من جانب آخر يسألني احدهم :
تعيشين في مجتمع به الكثير من الأخطاء ككل انسان هل استطعت ان تعترضي على هذه الاخطاء او على الاقل لا تقومين بها ؟
هل امتلكت الشجاعة بأن تكوني موضع سخرية لأنك قمت بما يعتبره الجميع شيء مخز ؟
لو خلقك الله في موضع ذاك الرجل هل ستكونين شجاعة مثله ام ستظلين تندبين حظك او تنجرفين معهم وتخسرين انسانيتك !
سأقول لك انا اعترف على الرغم من انسانيتي انني لم اصل لمرحلة الشجاعة هذه بعد
لذا سأرفع القبعة تحية لهذا الانسان
استطيع ان اقول ان هذا الكتاب اثار غضبي في بعض المواضع اكثر مما غضبت في وقت الاحتلال نفسه , لأنه ذكرني بما كنت اسمع عنه وانا صغيرة ولا ادركه بشكل كامل
الآن نأتي الى مافعله النقيب كاميلو
كل الكلام الذي قاله لم يكن ذا معنى قبل ان يستيقظ ويقرر ان لا يلتحق بالطائرة , حينها فقط اصبح لكتابه معنى
فما معنى ان تصبح غاضبا وان يكون لك ضمير تعارض فيه داخليا كل ما يفعله هذا الشخص او ذاك او ربما تبدي ردة فعل بسيطة فحسب !
ما معنى ان ترى وتدرك دناسة الفعل الذي يفعله احدهم او المأساة التي واجهت احدهم ثم تصاب بالدوار او تشعر بأن قلبك تقطع او تمزق وتظل تنظر دون ان تحرك ساكنا !!
إأسف كما تشاء
حتى ينتهي نفسك
هل يعني هذا شيئا!!
من جانب آخر يسألني احدهم :
تعيشين في مجتمع به الكثير من الأخطاء ككل انسان هل استطعت ان تعترضي على هذه الاخطاء او على الاقل لا تقومين بها ؟
هل امتلكت الشجاعة بأن تكوني موضع سخرية لأنك قمت بما يعتبره الجميع شيء مخز ؟
لو خلقك الله في موضع ذاك الرجل هل ستكونين شجاعة مثله ام ستظلين تندبين حظك او تنجرفين معهم وتخسرين انسانيتك !
سأقول لك انا اعترف على الرغم من انسانيتي انني لم اصل لمرحلة الشجاعة هذه بعد
لذا سأرفع القبعة تحية لهذا الانسان
August 15, 2013
طريق من الرمادي...
هي قصة المجند الأمريكي الذي ذهب إلى العراق ليبحث عن بطولة غائبة... صدم بواقع شعبا لم يكن يعرف تعريفا عنه و لا عن دولته إلا أنها كانت عدوا ليس إلا... صدم بكل شيء.. الواقع.. الحياة.. الجمال..
تمنى أن يكون عراقيا يوما ليتزوج بمن أحب..
لأول مرة أجد مواطنا أمريكيا محايدا حتى النخاع..
قصة تمرد الرقيب الأول في الجيش الأمريكي
هي قصة المجند الأمريكي الذي ذهب إلى العراق ليبحث عن بطولة غائبة... صدم بواقع شعبا لم يكن يعرف تعريفا عنه و لا عن دولته إلا أنها كانت عدوا ليس إلا... صدم بكل شيء.. الواقع.. الحياة.. الجمال..
تمنى أن يكون عراقيا يوما ليتزوج بمن أحب..
لأول مرة أجد مواطنا أمريكيا محايدا حتى النخاع..
قصة تمرد الرقيب الأول في الجيش الأمريكي
January 1, 2022
Road From Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, By Camilo Mejia
Reviewed by Dee Knight
Staff Sergeant Camilo was a squad leader. When he and his squad were ordered to blast into an Iraqi home, he was responsible to make sure it was done properly. And to deal with his men afterward – including when the orders they carried out subjected them to unnecessary danger. Mejia said he and his men were ordered to “draw the enemy out” in “fierce firefights and roadside bomb attacks, most of which could easily have been avoided.” Tensions and resentment mounted, and “I heard rumors that soldiers in our unit were plotting [the commander’s] assassination.”
Mejia had sufficient direct experience of being ordered to commit war crimes in Iraq that he had enough. As soon as he was allowed out of Iraq on leave, he decided not to come back. He chose to refuse publicly and apply for conscientious objector status. He was rejected, and was sentenced to a year in military prison and a bad conduct discharge.
“Going home gave me the opportunity to put my thoughts in order and to listen to what my conscience had to say,” Mejia said. “I thought of the suffering of a people whose country was in ruins and who were further humiliated by the raids, patrols and curfews of an occupying army. And I realized that none of the reasons we were told about why we were in Iraq turned out to be true…. There were no weapons of mass destruction. There was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. We weren’t helping the Iraqi people and the Iraqi people didn’t want us there. We weren’t preventing terrorism or making Americans safer... I realized that I was part of a war that I believed was immoral and criminal, a war of aggression, a war of imperial domination. I realized that acting upon my principles became incompatible with my role in the military, and I decided that I could not return to Iraq.” He filed for conscientious objector status and told the military he refused to return to the battlefield.
Camilo Mejia found support for his refusal here in the U.S. – first with the Citizen Soldier support organization and its legal director Todd Ensign, and later with the pacifist Peace Abbey, which gave him sanctuary until he turned himself in to fight for his right to be recognized as a conscientious objector.
Despite losing his case before the military kangaroo court, and serving nine months in military prison, Camilo Mejia came out of prison fighting, and has traveled around the country speaking and organizing. He became the chairperson of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).
Reviewed by Dee Knight, author of "My Whirlwind Lives: Navigating Decades of Storms."
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, By Camilo Mejia
Reviewed by Dee Knight
Staff Sergeant Camilo was a squad leader. When he and his squad were ordered to blast into an Iraqi home, he was responsible to make sure it was done properly. And to deal with his men afterward – including when the orders they carried out subjected them to unnecessary danger. Mejia said he and his men were ordered to “draw the enemy out” in “fierce firefights and roadside bomb attacks, most of which could easily have been avoided.” Tensions and resentment mounted, and “I heard rumors that soldiers in our unit were plotting [the commander’s] assassination.”
Mejia had sufficient direct experience of being ordered to commit war crimes in Iraq that he had enough. As soon as he was allowed out of Iraq on leave, he decided not to come back. He chose to refuse publicly and apply for conscientious objector status. He was rejected, and was sentenced to a year in military prison and a bad conduct discharge.
“Going home gave me the opportunity to put my thoughts in order and to listen to what my conscience had to say,” Mejia said. “I thought of the suffering of a people whose country was in ruins and who were further humiliated by the raids, patrols and curfews of an occupying army. And I realized that none of the reasons we were told about why we were in Iraq turned out to be true…. There were no weapons of mass destruction. There was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. We weren’t helping the Iraqi people and the Iraqi people didn’t want us there. We weren’t preventing terrorism or making Americans safer... I realized that I was part of a war that I believed was immoral and criminal, a war of aggression, a war of imperial domination. I realized that acting upon my principles became incompatible with my role in the military, and I decided that I could not return to Iraq.” He filed for conscientious objector status and told the military he refused to return to the battlefield.
Camilo Mejia found support for his refusal here in the U.S. – first with the Citizen Soldier support organization and its legal director Todd Ensign, and later with the pacifist Peace Abbey, which gave him sanctuary until he turned himself in to fight for his right to be recognized as a conscientious objector.
Despite losing his case before the military kangaroo court, and serving nine months in military prison, Camilo Mejia came out of prison fighting, and has traveled around the country speaking and organizing. He became the chairperson of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).
Reviewed by Dee Knight, author of "My Whirlwind Lives: Navigating Decades of Storms."
June 28, 2025
" كانت مثل هذه الأعمال المعبّرة عن التعاطف والرحمة والإنسانية قليلة ومتباعدة، وحاولنا دائما إظهارها بوصفها جزءا من استراتيجية كسب القلوب والعقول. في بعض الأحيان حاولنا أن نبقيها سرا. ذات مرة بعد أن دمّرنا منزلا في أثناء غارة لم نعثر فيها علي أي سلاح ، انتظرت خروج الجنود من المنطقة قبل أن أقدّم لإحدي سيدات المنزل ورقة من فئة عشرين دولارا ، ولكن هذا التحفظ والسرية لم يمنعا وصف الجماعة من قبل بقية الفصيلة بأنها " الجماعة الإنسانية " ومثّل اللقب - وهو وصمة عار في الحقيقة - مصدرا دائما للتهكم والسخرية ، إذ لم ينظر إلي المشاعر الإنسانية في عالم وحدة المشاة في الرمادي التي مزقتها الحرب نظرة تقدير واحترام "
يخبرك الرقيب ميخيا هنا أنه كان شاهدا صامتا علي عمليات تعذيب نفذت بحق عراقيين أمام ناظريه وهو حاضر مكتوف الأيدي لا يملك للمعذبين شيئا ، لاتظنه برئيا لا ذنب له أو تفكر في التعاطف معه ، أنت في العراق في سنوات الغزو الأولي والكل هنا مدان حتي من عمل مع قوات الاحتلال غزاة الأرض ولو بالترجمة أو حتي لو كان قد أمدهم ولو بشربة ماء ، تختلف ظروف البشر وطريقة تصرفاتهم واختياراتهم في فترات الحروب ولكن لاعذر لمن تعاون من محتل فما بالك بمن كان يعينه علي احتلال أرض ليست بأرضه؟؟
ثم يعود الرجل مرة أخري ليخبرك في موضع آخر أنه وتحت الضغط النفسي والعصبي - وهي حجة واهية يبررون بها لأنفسهم خطايا كثيرة - أنه لم يشعر بنفسه إلا وأصابعه تعتصر زناد سلاحه ليقتل في النهاية عدة عراقيين غير مسلحين يتظاهرون أمام مقر يقوم بحراسته ، يخبرك الرجل أن الأمريكيين أوغاد غدروا به في نهاية المطاف ورفضوا تسريحه من الخدمة ، وأنهم استغلوا حاجته - وأشباهه الكثير - للمال وجندوهم في الجيش بدعوي أنهم بحاجة لمجندين في الحرس الوطني المست��ر علي أرض الوطن ليكتشف فجأة أن العالم قامت قيامته وأنه سيذهب لأحد بؤر الصراع الساخنة في بلاد العرب.
برأيي: لا يهم ما أخلفوه معه من وعود ولا يهم حياته التي تضررت بعد محاكمته لعصيان الأوامر فقد أضرّ هو أيضا بالمثل الكثير وكان يملك خيارات كثيرة - لايملكها بشر العالم الخامس أو السابع الذي نحيا فيه - منها أن يحيا علي حد الكفاف أو أن يعود لمسقط رأسه متخليا عن أحلامه وألا يزج بنفسه إلي أن يكون بإمرة العسكريين.
لم أتعاطف معه ولو بذرة واحدة من كياني بل أري أنا ما جري له عقابا عادلا أتمني أن يناله كل منتسب لهم طمعا في المال أو في سداد ديون جامعية أو حتي طمعا في إقامة في أرضهم وراء البحار ، هذه يوميات المقصود منها أن نتعاطف مع الرجل - أو يتعاطف مع قضيته الأمريكيون الذين سيقرأون كتابه - ومأساته ولكنها شهادة مهمة من مجند عادي صاحب مظلومية علي بعض ما جري لأهلنا في العراق بيد حثالات الأرض ممن جمعوهم من كل مكان لقتالنا في أرضنا فهو ليس بقائد كبير يراعي أسرار كبري أو يحتاط لانتخابات أو ترقيات أو علاقات سيفقدها ان تحدث بما لايجب ، بل يسرد جزءا مهما مما عاناه الأهالي وقتها
لعن الله الأمريكيين ومن شايعهم وسار في ركبهم مدنيا كان أم جنديا في جيشهم
يخبرك الرقيب ميخيا هنا أنه كان شاهدا صامتا علي عمليات تعذيب نفذت بحق عراقيين أمام ناظريه وهو حاضر مكتوف الأيدي لا يملك للمعذبين شيئا ، لاتظنه برئيا لا ذنب له أو تفكر في التعاطف معه ، أنت في العراق في سنوات الغزو الأولي والكل هنا مدان حتي من عمل مع قوات الاحتلال غزاة الأرض ولو بالترجمة أو حتي لو كان قد أمدهم ولو بشربة ماء ، تختلف ظروف البشر وطريقة تصرفاتهم واختياراتهم في فترات الحروب ولكن لاعذر لمن تعاون من محتل فما بالك بمن كان يعينه علي احتلال أرض ليست بأرضه؟؟
ثم يعود الرجل مرة أخري ليخبرك في موضع آخر أنه وتحت الضغط النفسي والعصبي - وهي حجة واهية يبررون بها لأنفسهم خطايا كثيرة - أنه لم يشعر بنفسه إلا وأصابعه تعتصر زناد سلاحه ليقتل في النهاية عدة عراقيين غير مسلحين يتظاهرون أمام مقر يقوم بحراسته ، يخبرك الرجل أن الأمريكيين أوغاد غدروا به في نهاية المطاف ورفضوا تسريحه من الخدمة ، وأنهم استغلوا حاجته - وأشباهه الكثير - للمال وجندوهم في الجيش بدعوي أنهم بحاجة لمجندين في الحرس الوطني المست��ر علي أرض الوطن ليكتشف فجأة أن العالم قامت قيامته وأنه سيذهب لأحد بؤر الصراع الساخنة في بلاد العرب.
برأيي: لا يهم ما أخلفوه معه من وعود ولا يهم حياته التي تضررت بعد محاكمته لعصيان الأوامر فقد أضرّ هو أيضا بالمثل الكثير وكان يملك خيارات كثيرة - لايملكها بشر العالم الخامس أو السابع الذي نحيا فيه - منها أن يحيا علي حد الكفاف أو أن يعود لمسقط رأسه متخليا عن أحلامه وألا يزج بنفسه إلي أن يكون بإمرة العسكريين.
لم أتعاطف معه ولو بذرة واحدة من كياني بل أري أنا ما جري له عقابا عادلا أتمني أن يناله كل منتسب لهم طمعا في المال أو في سداد ديون جامعية أو حتي طمعا في إقامة في أرضهم وراء البحار ، هذه يوميات المقصود منها أن نتعاطف مع الرجل - أو يتعاطف مع قضيته الأمريكيون الذين سيقرأون كتابه - ومأساته ولكنها شهادة مهمة من مجند عادي صاحب مظلومية علي بعض ما جري لأهلنا في العراق بيد حثالات الأرض ممن جمعوهم من كل مكان لقتالنا في أرضنا فهو ليس بقائد كبير يراعي أسرار كبري أو يحتاط لانتخابات أو ترقيات أو علاقات سيفقدها ان تحدث بما لايجب ، بل يسرد جزءا مهما مما عاناه الأهالي وقتها
لعن الله الأمريكيين ومن شايعهم وسار في ركبهم مدنيا كان أم جنديا في جيشهم
December 24, 2018
Road from Ar Ramadi is the story of man who goes from being a privileged son of the Nicaraguan revolution to living in the U.S.A. without much promise to becoming a Florida National Guard infantry squad leader to acting as strong critic of the military and an unjust war. Mejía knew the war was wrong, and he eventually refused to go back. He refused to continue being part of the lie. He refused to go back if only for “his buddies.” He refused because of an individual, ultimate necessity: To act according to his own conscience, not social loyalty or conventional patriotism. He thus spent a year in prison. He dedicates his book: “To the war resisters, to those facing the imperial powers of the earth.” His is a story of waking up, claiming his own voice, and walking the walk.
Throughout the book Mejía struggles; none of this was easy for him. He acknowledges his own cowardice and weakness in refusing to speak up while in Iraq. I can see the traces in him of loyalty to the military, even as he denounces the “imperial powers on earth,” which rely on soldiers willing to do whatever it takes to maintain the disparity for the benefit of the empire. Here are some representative passages of Mejía’s inner and outer battles:
“My heart was racing as I witnessed all this; I found it wrong and shocking. But I didn’t want to appear upset in front of the other soldiers, who seemed okay with everything that was going on. I kept reassuring myself with the fact that the detainees were not being hit, although, by the way they were shaking, you could tell their distress and exhaustion were messing them up physically as much as psychologically.” 50
“I was in shock and awe myself, not so much because of the ruthless bombardment, but because of how the U.S. government had ignored international law and forced this war not only on Iraq but on the entire world.” 54
“The work at al Assad was one of the hardest missions I undertook while I was in Iraq, if not during my entire time in the military. On one hand I was completely against the way the prisoners in the camp were being treated. On the other, I was afraid of speaking up for them and appearing soft and weak as a squad leader, perhaps even of being charged with insubordination and court-martialed…. To this day I cannot find a single good answer as to why I stood by idly during the abuse of those prisoners except, of course, by my own cowardice.” 56
“This disheartening situation of being attacked by a resistance that we could never pin down would soon become the norm. The enemy we faced had no face, they had no units, no uniforms—we couldn’t see them but we knew they were everywhere, in the homes, behind the date palm trees; they watched us through the fog and through the sand, and from dark windows. They were in the alleys and streets, and in the marketplace as well as in the mosques. They were the sons and daughters of Iraq, and they were fighting for their land.” 81
“I regretted the face that being a U.S. soldier prevented me from experiencing the [Iraqi] culture in any significant way. 84 “If only we could bring peace to these people, not as foreign soldiers, but as fellow human beings, as citizens without borders.” 86 “I wanted to be their brother, but I couldn’t. I was an occupier.” 86
“The truth as I see it now is that in a war, the bad is often measured against what’s even worse, and that, in turn, makes a lot of deplorable things seem permissible. When that happens, the imaginary line between right and wrong starts to vanish in a heavy fog, until it disappears completely and decisions are weighed on a scale of values that is profoundly corrupt. That day I was wrong not to listen to what my better judgment was yelling at me. By ignoring it, I failed not only my own principles but also the one person who was taking a stand for what was right and decent.” 126
“I hadn’t just lost the freedom to think for myself as an individual with moral and spiritual values, independent from the military; I had also lost the freedom to accept the fact that I wasn’t free.” 134
“I wanted to be neither a hero nor a citizen, I just wanted to get out of a war I considered illegal. 189
“The truth was that I had abused prisoners despite knowing that it was wrong, because I was too afraid to take a stand against orders that undermined my morality. How could I ever teach my daughter right from wrong when I had done so much wrong myself? What moral authority did I have left to be a good father? As our time in Iraq continued and I became more and more preoccupied with the single task of surviving, these issues concerned me less and less. But now, at the door to Samantha’s home, they all came flooding back to me.” 207
“Trying to convince myself that going back to Iraq was the right thing to do had proved completely unsuccessful. The reasons I had used in the past to justify my involvement in the war no longer carried any weight. It still hurt me deeply to think that the soldiers in my squad might be injured or killed without my being there; we had become very close to one another during the war, and it wasn’t without much soul-searching that I quit my job as their combat leader. But I had come to realize that individuals have to make their own decisions based on their conscience.” 222
“This would be, first and foremost, a war waged within myself, one where my fears and doubts would come face to face with my conscience, a war to reclaim my humanity and my spiritual freedom. It would also be a war against the system I had come from, a battle against the military machine, the imperial dragon that devours its own soldiers and Iraqi civilians alike for the sake of profits. I had to turn my words into weapons, that speaking out was now my own way to fight.” 223
“In Iraq, I had seen and participated in the brutal and abusive treatment of prisoners and civilians but had lacked the courage to disobey orders. Now, faced with a moral duty to publicly refuse and resist the war, I was paralyzed once again, too weak to break the chains of my own fear. But looking at the faces of those children, from times and land unknown to me, I felt a new resolve and realized that I did have the strength to give myself up and to speak out when doing so. What’s more, I knew the Abbey was the place where I wanted it all to happen. I would go public with my denouncement of the war and my refusal to return to it in this place that had been dedicated to peace from its very beginning.” 238
Mejía spent many months in prison. Not a single person of the Bush Administration upper echelon who instigated the illegal aggression in Iraq has served an hour in prison.
Throughout the book Mejía struggles; none of this was easy for him. He acknowledges his own cowardice and weakness in refusing to speak up while in Iraq. I can see the traces in him of loyalty to the military, even as he denounces the “imperial powers on earth,” which rely on soldiers willing to do whatever it takes to maintain the disparity for the benefit of the empire. Here are some representative passages of Mejía’s inner and outer battles:
“My heart was racing as I witnessed all this; I found it wrong and shocking. But I didn’t want to appear upset in front of the other soldiers, who seemed okay with everything that was going on. I kept reassuring myself with the fact that the detainees were not being hit, although, by the way they were shaking, you could tell their distress and exhaustion were messing them up physically as much as psychologically.” 50
“I was in shock and awe myself, not so much because of the ruthless bombardment, but because of how the U.S. government had ignored international law and forced this war not only on Iraq but on the entire world.” 54
“The work at al Assad was one of the hardest missions I undertook while I was in Iraq, if not during my entire time in the military. On one hand I was completely against the way the prisoners in the camp were being treated. On the other, I was afraid of speaking up for them and appearing soft and weak as a squad leader, perhaps even of being charged with insubordination and court-martialed…. To this day I cannot find a single good answer as to why I stood by idly during the abuse of those prisoners except, of course, by my own cowardice.” 56
“This disheartening situation of being attacked by a resistance that we could never pin down would soon become the norm. The enemy we faced had no face, they had no units, no uniforms—we couldn’t see them but we knew they were everywhere, in the homes, behind the date palm trees; they watched us through the fog and through the sand, and from dark windows. They were in the alleys and streets, and in the marketplace as well as in the mosques. They were the sons and daughters of Iraq, and they were fighting for their land.” 81
“I regretted the face that being a U.S. soldier prevented me from experiencing the [Iraqi] culture in any significant way. 84 “If only we could bring peace to these people, not as foreign soldiers, but as fellow human beings, as citizens without borders.” 86 “I wanted to be their brother, but I couldn’t. I was an occupier.” 86
“The truth as I see it now is that in a war, the bad is often measured against what’s even worse, and that, in turn, makes a lot of deplorable things seem permissible. When that happens, the imaginary line between right and wrong starts to vanish in a heavy fog, until it disappears completely and decisions are weighed on a scale of values that is profoundly corrupt. That day I was wrong not to listen to what my better judgment was yelling at me. By ignoring it, I failed not only my own principles but also the one person who was taking a stand for what was right and decent.” 126
“I hadn’t just lost the freedom to think for myself as an individual with moral and spiritual values, independent from the military; I had also lost the freedom to accept the fact that I wasn’t free.” 134
“I wanted to be neither a hero nor a citizen, I just wanted to get out of a war I considered illegal. 189
“The truth was that I had abused prisoners despite knowing that it was wrong, because I was too afraid to take a stand against orders that undermined my morality. How could I ever teach my daughter right from wrong when I had done so much wrong myself? What moral authority did I have left to be a good father? As our time in Iraq continued and I became more and more preoccupied with the single task of surviving, these issues concerned me less and less. But now, at the door to Samantha’s home, they all came flooding back to me.” 207
“Trying to convince myself that going back to Iraq was the right thing to do had proved completely unsuccessful. The reasons I had used in the past to justify my involvement in the war no longer carried any weight. It still hurt me deeply to think that the soldiers in my squad might be injured or killed without my being there; we had become very close to one another during the war, and it wasn’t without much soul-searching that I quit my job as their combat leader. But I had come to realize that individuals have to make their own decisions based on their conscience.” 222
“This would be, first and foremost, a war waged within myself, one where my fears and doubts would come face to face with my conscience, a war to reclaim my humanity and my spiritual freedom. It would also be a war against the system I had come from, a battle against the military machine, the imperial dragon that devours its own soldiers and Iraqi civilians alike for the sake of profits. I had to turn my words into weapons, that speaking out was now my own way to fight.” 223
“In Iraq, I had seen and participated in the brutal and abusive treatment of prisoners and civilians but had lacked the courage to disobey orders. Now, faced with a moral duty to publicly refuse and resist the war, I was paralyzed once again, too weak to break the chains of my own fear. But looking at the faces of those children, from times and land unknown to me, I felt a new resolve and realized that I did have the strength to give myself up and to speak out when doing so. What’s more, I knew the Abbey was the place where I wanted it all to happen. I would go public with my denouncement of the war and my refusal to return to it in this place that had been dedicated to peace from its very beginning.” 238
Mejía spent many months in prison. Not a single person of the Bush Administration upper echelon who instigated the illegal aggression in Iraq has served an hour in prison.
August 8, 2018
طريق من الرمادي هي مذكرات الرقيب ميخيا
من وحدة المشاة في الجيش الأمريكي الذي يروي تفاصيل بداية إحتلال العراق، يروي لنا كيف تورط مع الجيش ليذهب إلى الحرب في العراق وتفاصيل العمليات العسكرية الميدانية ومالذي كان يحدث مع المدنيين من قبل جنود الإحتلال وكيف أنه كان ذاهب إلى عملية "الحرية من أجل العراق" كما كانت تبلغهم الآلة العسكرية ومالذي تبين له بعد ذلك، في إعتقادي أن الكاتب كان رمادياً كالمدينة التي حارب فيها فالذي أتصوره أن ماكان يحدث هناك أشد إيلاماً مما ذكره الكاتب، ومن جهة أخرى الكتاب لم يمكن موجه للعرب أو الشرق الأوسط بل كان موجه للداخل الأمريكي وهذا جيد ليفهم المواطن الأمريكي بأن حرب بلاده هناك لم تكن من أجل الحرية ولا الحرب على الإرهاب، إستمتعت بالكتاب كرواية بوليسية أكثر من كونها مذكرات، عموماً الكتاب جيد وفيه معلومات عما كان يحدث هناك وبعض مما كان يحدث في أمريكا تجاه الحرب في العراق
من وحدة المشاة في الجيش الأمريكي الذي يروي تفاصيل بداية إحتلال العراق، يروي لنا كيف تورط مع الجيش ليذهب إلى الحرب في العراق وتفاصيل العمليات العسكرية الميدانية ومالذي كان يحدث مع المدنيين من قبل جنود الإحتلال وكيف أنه كان ذاهب إلى عملية "الحرية من أجل العراق" كما كانت تبلغهم الآلة العسكرية ومالذي تبين له بعد ذلك، في إعتقادي أن الكاتب كان رمادياً كالمدينة التي حارب فيها فالذي أتصوره أن ماكان يحدث هناك أشد إيلاماً مما ذكره الكاتب، ومن جهة أخرى الكتاب لم يمكن موجه للعرب أو الشرق الأوسط بل كان موجه للداخل الأمريكي وهذا جيد ليفهم المواطن الأمريكي بأن حرب بلاده هناك لم تكن من أجل الحرية ولا الحرب على الإرهاب، إستمتعت بالكتاب كرواية بوليسية أكثر من كونها مذكرات، عموماً الكتاب جيد وفيه معلومات عما كان يحدث هناك وبعض مما كان يحدث في أمريكا تجاه الحرب في العراق
November 26, 2021
Enjoyed reading this novel a lot, it was an eye opener for what happens on the other side of war. I wish I read it in English, the translation was great, but very English like (robotic/no emotions).
I'm glad to know that at least one person have a clear conscious now. It is traumatizing reliving all the war again, it triggered my PTSD and panic attack like crazy.
I might read it in English 2022
If you try to search it in English it's actually (Road From Ar Ramadi) NOT Road of Gray or The Gray Road, which what I thought it was.
I'm glad to know that at least one person have a clear conscious now. It is traumatizing reliving all the war again, it triggered my PTSD and panic attack like crazy.
I might read it in English 2022
If you try to search it in English it's actually (Road From Ar Ramadi) NOT Road of Gray or The Gray Road, which what I thought it was.
July 27, 2024
This is a very descriptive and emotional story about a thoughtful and courageous human being who served in the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq as an infantryman while in the FL national guard.
The story focuses on not only Mejia's personal life, family/background etc as a non-U.S citizen and father dealing with not only the many 'more than questionable' orders he received while serving, but also the bureaucracy of the U.S. Army while applying for conscientious objector status and defending himself against charges for desertion brought against him by the Army.
Highly recommended read.
The story focuses on not only Mejia's personal life, family/background etc as a non-U.S citizen and father dealing with not only the many 'more than questionable' orders he received while serving, but also the bureaucracy of the U.S. Army while applying for conscientious objector status and defending himself against charges for desertion brought against him by the Army.
Highly recommended read.
December 6, 2020
Great book. I'm not one for war stories, but found it engaging and enlightening the whole way through. Would 10/10 recommend!
August 19, 2023
My rating is solely based on the book and my enjoyment during and after reading it. Ar Ramadi is a memoir about a man who made the decision to not participate in a war he did not believe in nor accepted. He talks about people who didn’t deserve to be invaded or killed for the atrocities of others. Clearly, Mr. Mejía writes with some anti American views with regards to military occupation. When I read this book, I learned who he was from Nicaraguan news reports; he is the son of songwriter Carlos Mejia-Godoy, so I felt - at the time- that I understood where he was coming from, based on my knowledge of Nicaraguan history.
Fast forward to 2018, when Nicaragua erupted into social-political turmoil, and Mr. Mejía’s true colors shined through. The man who chose to not commit violence against a group of people during a war had no problem supporting the actions of an authoritarian regime against its own citizens - his countrymen - who protested and called for the ouster of a political criminal.
Mr. Mejía would probably say that those who chose to stand up against the Nicaraguan president he supports were terrorists, backed by the country he once defended during the Iraq War. He is entitled to his own opinions, but it’s said opinions that show how contradictory the author of a good book became when it was his homeland that went on to kill.
Fast forward to 2018, when Nicaragua erupted into social-political turmoil, and Mr. Mejía’s true colors shined through. The man who chose to not commit violence against a group of people during a war had no problem supporting the actions of an authoritarian regime against its own citizens - his countrymen - who protested and called for the ouster of a political criminal.
Mr. Mejía would probably say that those who chose to stand up against the Nicaraguan president he supports were terrorists, backed by the country he once defended during the Iraq War. He is entitled to his own opinions, but it’s said opinions that show how contradictory the author of a good book became when it was his homeland that went on to kill.
June 1, 2009
Great book! I would have given it a five-star rating but I am not ultimately against war as a tactic I'm just against the U.S. war tactics. Also this man would be a hero if he was using his power to fight against the White-power structure but he is just a resistor. I believe that he took the right stance I would have preferred if he had listened to his mother and carried the torch that she handed him! He could have been so much more but he was brain washed just like the rest of us in the AmeriKKKan backwards way at no fault of his own. This book is a start on the deprogramming of the common every day male of color. He used his brain and his heart to resist and freed himself from mental bondage. I believe this is a very good book to use to discuss the newly elected Presidents role in U.S. International Policy!
February 6, 2008
As a proponent of nonviolence and nonviolent activist against the Iraq war, I was intrigued by Camilo Mejia, a sergeant who became the first active-duty soldier to speak out against the war. I heard him speak shortly before this book was published, and was moved by his honesty. His book is brutally honest about his own weakness, his complicity in abusing prisoners of war, shooting at civilians and failing to resist before he was sent to Iraq. Mejia is a politically aware and well educated representative of the people who make up most of our fighting force in Iraq and elsewhere; he is a member of a minority, poor and a resident alien. His testimony is important for who he is as well as for what he experienced and did. This is a very important and very readable book.
December 28, 2014
Este libro nos brinda una historia que además de real es impactante, nos brinda un punto de vista moral sobre la guerra que pocos conocemos. Me impresiono la potente sinceridad del autor al relatar los hechos como víctima, victimario y espectador en diferentes situaciones parecen sobrepasar lo real en un mundo lleno de injusticias, de la misma manera nos demuestra el gran poder de cambio y renovación como individuo y el gran potencial de las personas unidas en comunidad a favor de una causa justa.
February 26, 2009
This personal, first account experience touched me in a way that I felt I was actually there and feeling Camilo's frustrations, doubts and growing acceptance of a path he knew he must take. When I met Camilo Mejia at the PDX Peace forum in Portland, he impressed me with his quiet, thoughtful and intense countenance. His book is an inspiration to us all to search for our limits and bravely express and live the truths that we find therein.
October 26, 2007
maybe it's just me but this guy seems to come through w/ a sense of humor in spite of spending ten months in jail for "going AWOL"...anyone NOt interested in hearing another thing about the Iraq war should read this.
November 13, 2007
A great book I recommend. It gets a little long in some parts, but overall it is a good read. There are a couple of things I don't agree with, but it is nice to hear a former army reservist speak out against the bullshit in Iraq.
August 1, 2011
Mejia was in the same unit as I was, he explains the war from his point of view. I don't agree with his rationalization for deserting, but I am glad he wrote a book. It's funny how the same event affects different people is such distinct ways.
Want to read
May 23, 2008Haven't got to it yet but I've wanted to read it ever since I met the author. A man of conscience indeed. See http://nortspews.blogspot.com/2008/01...
July 28, 2008
It is an incredible story of transformation, and a story of the struggle one has to make to take a stand. just an unbelievable story; disturbing at times, and well worth your time.
September 10, 2011
This is an excellent book, which will give you valuable insight into what happened in the latest American invasion of Iraq.
February 21, 2012
Arabic Version
يحكي تجربة جندي في العراق و محاكمته بعد ذلك
أحسست بالمرارة من واقع الحرب على العراق و كذب أمريكا على العالم
الترجمة ليست سيئة
يحكي تجربة جندي في العراق و محاكمته بعد ذلك
أحسست بالمرارة من واقع الحرب على العراق و كذب أمريكا على العالم
الترجمة ليست سيئة
January 1, 2013
low 3, somewhat interest but mostly boring
want_to_buy
June 5, 2014in library
November 20, 2014
Too depressing to finish
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