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Mission Rejected: U.S. Soldiers Who Say No to Iraq
A shattering journey of revelation, pain, and betrayal, Mission Rejected takes the reader deep into the turmoil of U.S. troops confronting the Iraq War.
- GenresNonfictionWar
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
37 people want to read
About the author
Peter Laufer
50 books39 followersPeter Laufer, Ph.D., is the author of more than a dozen books that deal with social and political issues, including "Mission Rejected: U.S. Soldiers Who Say No to Iraq," "Wetback Nation: The Case for Opening the Mexican-American Border," and "Iron Curtain Rising: A Personal Journey through the Changing Landscape of Eastern Eurpoe." He is the coanchor of "The Peter Laufer Show" on radio station Green 960 in San Francisco. More about his books, documentary films, broadcasts, which have won the George Polk, Robert F. Kennedy, Edward R. Murrow, and other awards, can be found at peterlaufer.com. He lives in Bodega Bay, California.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 15, 2022
Reviewed by Dee Knight
Army deserter Joshua Key told Peter Laufer, “that’s the problem with war – your president, your generals, they send you off to go fight these battles… You’re the one who has to live with the nightmares from it… They made me have to do things that a man should never have to do, for the purposes of their gain.”
This book’s pages blaze with the stories of young American soldiers whose lives and minds were changed permanently by what they were forced to see and do in Iraq. But the stories also tell of successful resistance – refusing orders, getting out one way or another (sometimes as conscientious objectors, sometimes not), rebuilding their lives, and spreading the truth. They also tell how Vietnam-era resisters, including the author himself, have helped this new generation of resisters, inside the U.S., in Canada, and elsewhere. And how many of the resisters built a new anti-war veterans’ movement, often alongside parents of GIs who didn’t make it home.
There is special recognition for the GI Rights Hotline, whose 24-hour telephone number became a lifeline of help for soldiers and their families. The hotline opened doors to a support network of counselors and lawyers, often providing crucial knowledge even before a potential enlistee swallowed a recruiter’s fairy tales. The network included groups like Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War (now About Face/Veterans Against War), Gold Star Families for Peace, and many others.
Along with the anguish and pain expressed by the soldiers and veterans Laufer interviewed, there’s also hope. Cindy Sheehan says “my son died in Iraq for lies and greed. The sons and daughters in this book are living for peace. I hope that all American soldiers will read Mission Rejected and realize that they don’t have to follow bad orders.”
At the end of the book, author Laufer traces the progress of resisters putting their lives together – settling in various parts of Canada, going back to college closer to home, hitting the antiwar lecture circuit or writing books about their experiences.
Reflecting on the impact of the disastrous U.S. adventure in Iraq – very much like that in Afghanistan – Congressman John Murtha (himself a Vietnam combat veteran) testified in 2005 that “the future of our military is at risk. Our military and their families are stretched thin. Many say that the Army is broken…”
These experiences have not yet stopped the U.S. war machine, or ended the U.S. addiction to war. But the stories of yet another American generation facing the truth do something of crucial importance. As one GI told Laufer: “I think it is important to tell it like it is… There was no freedom over there. It was not a war to liberate Iraq. It was a war to make it safe for U.S. business interests.”
This truth is getting around, which makes it harder for the war planners to get the troops they need. As a Vietnam-era war resister myself, I was part of that generation’s massive resistance. (See my memoir, "My Whirlwind Lives: Navigating Decades of Storms.") From one generation to the next, the resistance continues to grow. Eventually it will be enough to really stop the war machine.
Army deserter Joshua Key told Peter Laufer, “that’s the problem with war – your president, your generals, they send you off to go fight these battles… You’re the one who has to live with the nightmares from it… They made me have to do things that a man should never have to do, for the purposes of their gain.”
This book’s pages blaze with the stories of young American soldiers whose lives and minds were changed permanently by what they were forced to see and do in Iraq. But the stories also tell of successful resistance – refusing orders, getting out one way or another (sometimes as conscientious objectors, sometimes not), rebuilding their lives, and spreading the truth. They also tell how Vietnam-era resisters, including the author himself, have helped this new generation of resisters, inside the U.S., in Canada, and elsewhere. And how many of the resisters built a new anti-war veterans’ movement, often alongside parents of GIs who didn’t make it home.
There is special recognition for the GI Rights Hotline, whose 24-hour telephone number became a lifeline of help for soldiers and their families. The hotline opened doors to a support network of counselors and lawyers, often providing crucial knowledge even before a potential enlistee swallowed a recruiter’s fairy tales. The network included groups like Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War (now About Face/Veterans Against War), Gold Star Families for Peace, and many others.
Along with the anguish and pain expressed by the soldiers and veterans Laufer interviewed, there’s also hope. Cindy Sheehan says “my son died in Iraq for lies and greed. The sons and daughters in this book are living for peace. I hope that all American soldiers will read Mission Rejected and realize that they don’t have to follow bad orders.”
At the end of the book, author Laufer traces the progress of resisters putting their lives together – settling in various parts of Canada, going back to college closer to home, hitting the antiwar lecture circuit or writing books about their experiences.
Reflecting on the impact of the disastrous U.S. adventure in Iraq – very much like that in Afghanistan – Congressman John Murtha (himself a Vietnam combat veteran) testified in 2005 that “the future of our military is at risk. Our military and their families are stretched thin. Many say that the Army is broken…”
These experiences have not yet stopped the U.S. war machine, or ended the U.S. addiction to war. But the stories of yet another American generation facing the truth do something of crucial importance. As one GI told Laufer: “I think it is important to tell it like it is… There was no freedom over there. It was not a war to liberate Iraq. It was a war to make it safe for U.S. business interests.”
This truth is getting around, which makes it harder for the war planners to get the troops they need. As a Vietnam-era war resister myself, I was part of that generation’s massive resistance. (See my memoir, "My Whirlwind Lives: Navigating Decades of Storms.") From one generation to the next, the resistance continues to grow. Eventually it will be enough to really stop the war machine.
June 30, 2010
This is an interesting and well written peace movement book. Published by the small press, Chelsea Green.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews