Desert Fox 1998: A Short Memoir of an Even Shorter War

by James Crabtree

In December 1998 a coalition consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom and (to its surprise) Kuwait launched a war against Iraq. Officially it was to set back Saddam's WMD programs and to get weapons inspectors back in the country but by coincidence it was also when President Clinton was about to be impeached for his efforts to obstruct justice. Capt. James "Doc" Crabtree was there with his pen and ink to record the absurdity of this 70-hour war.

Genres: Middle East, War, History

44 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2016

About the author

James "Doc" Crabtree is a veteran of the Cold War, serving as a U.S. Army Hawk Surface-to-Air Missile Crewman. He later served as a Launcher Crewman in the Patriot SAM system and was trained as a Stinger gunner. Commissioned prior to Desert Storm, he served as a Tactical Control Officer in a Hawk IIIA battery and also served as the site reconnaissance team leader. During Desert Storm he located and secured several missile sites in addition to his duties as a TCO. Leaving active duty for a time to pursue an academic career, he remained in the National Guard. He returned to active duty in 1998 and participated in Operation Desert Fox, which is largely forgotten now. Later he served in Operation Southern Watch, which served to enforce No-Fly Zones in Iraq and protect US allies in the Gulf from Iraqi air and ballistic missile attack. Crabtree returned to Iraq in 2005, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He would also serve as a peacekeeper in the Sinai and as a Public Affairs Officer at Guantanamo Bay. Throughout his military career Crabtree has written prolifically and has drawn cartoons poking fun of military life. He has published three other books, On Air Defense, Guerilla Air Defense and Orange Berets, and has had cartoons featured in several military publications.

Reviews

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Note: I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.)

Operation Desert Fox, little remembered now, was a few days of America bombing Iraq in 1998 because Saddam Hussein was rejecting weapons inspectors. The timing was interesting: it happened right as President Bill Clinton was being impeached by Congress, making it look suspiciously like a "wag the dog" scenario. This book is Crabtree's memoir of his involvement (fortunately uneventful) in the operation.

The book's subtitle is "a short memoir of an even shorter war". Do note the repetition of "short"; it's important. The book is 43 pages long, with about half that length taken up by author-drawn cartoons. It's the sort of book which is usually printed in booklet form at the local print shop in a 50-copy edition, to be handed out to the author's 50 closest friends and family members. It's a bit surprising that the author is seeking a wider distribution than that. That doesn't mean it's not an interesting or worthwhile book; but, if you're considering acquiring it, you need to be aware of its length.

Two attitudes dominate the book. One is anger; you'd be angry, too, if you'd been separated from your home and family, and your life placed in danger, by what amounted to an ineffective PR stunt. The other: a sort of wry, fatalistic, SNAFU-fueled humor which should be instantly recognizable if you've ever known anybody who has served in the military. The book stands as evidence that humor is a better weapon than anger; when the text grows angry it comes across poorly, but the accompanying cartoons make the same points much more effectively.

Not a bad book if you're interested in the history of American involvement in Iraq; or in seeing things from a serviceman's perspective.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quirky fun read about one man’s adventure and Christmas in probably the shortest war in the world! The cartoons were cute, as was the story – sort of reminded me of the old “Mash” series on television!