Un-American: A Soldier's Reckoning of Our Longest War

by Erik Edstrom

"Eloquent, devastating . . . packed with gimlet-eyed analysis ― cultural, economic, historical ― of how American life came to look the way it does . . . Edstrom’s keen observational powers encompass both the physical world and social nuance." ― Los Angeles Review of Books

A manifesto about America’s unchallenged war machine, from an Afghanistan veteran and new kind of military hero.

Before engaging in war, Erik Edstrom asks us to imagine three, rarely imagined First, imagine your own death. Second, imagine war from “the other side.” Imagine what might have been if the war had never been fought. Pursuing these realities through his own combat experience, Erik reaches the unavoidable conclusion about America at war. But that realization came too late―the damage had been done.

Erik Edstrom grew up in suburban Massachusetts with an idealistic desire to make an impact, ultimately leading him to the gates of West Point. Five years later, he was deployed to Afghanistan as an infantry lieutenant. Throughout his military career, he confronted atrocities, buried his friends, wrestled with depression, and struggled with an understanding that the war he fought in, and the youth he traded to prepare for it, was in contribution to a bitter The War on Terror is not just a tragedy, but a crime. The deeper tragedy is that our country lacks the courage and conviction to say so.

Un-American is a hybrid of social commentary and memoir that exposes how blind support for war exacerbates the problems it’s intended to resolve, devastates the people allegedly being helped, and diverts assets from far larger threats like climate change. Un-American is a revolutionary act, offering a blueprint for redressing America’s relationship with patriotism, the military, and military spending.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, History, Military Fiction, War, The United States Of America

291 pages, Hardcover

First published May 19, 2020

Reviews

[Murtaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erik Edstrom signed up for a life in the military at an age where he took standard nationalist lines about the U.S. Global War on Terrorism for granted. After graduating from West Point, he went on to lead a combat platoon in Afghanistan where he got to see firsthand the nature of the war that was being fought. The experience disillusioned him. One by one Edstrom saw friends and former classmates killed, maimed, or psychologically destroyed fighting a war that had no apparent purpose. Most of their deaths came in the course of futile activities like making sure a rural road was temporarily cleared of IEDs, for reasons none of the senior officers seemed to be able to fully explain. The war was just being fought on autopilot. As his friends were killed, Afghan civilians died too, whether from U.S. gunfire or simply as a result of being caught in the crossfire between U.S. troops and local part-time militants who were trying to expel them. Edstrom turned completely against the war as a result of what he saw, what happened to his friends after, and how his earlier experiences in the military looked once he was able to analyze them with fresh eyes. This book is about his painful coming of age amid the Global War on Terrorism.

Millions of people served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a few have written about their experiences. This is certainly one of the best books I've ever read about the subject however. Edstrom is an eloquent writer who speaks with a sort of controlled fury about the waste and criminality of wars that an entire generation of young people like himself were suckered into. The wars freed no one, killed and maimed huge numbers of people, and wasted money that could've been used to make the United States and the world a better place. It is simply a tragic absurdity that people were losing limbs, killing others, and laying down their own lives doing things that served absolutely no purpose. If you can imagine the silly things that happen inside a corporation for no reason, try and imagine a corporate structure as massive as the U.S. military where pointless tasks don't result in simply boredom but with people being gruesomely maimed and killed. Since the book was published the incredible futility of all this was underlined by the defeat of the U.S. in Afghanistan following twenty years of war in which it failed to outfight or outgovern a movement comprised of part-time farmer insurgents.

It is amazing to me that there are people who after all this still continue to drink the Kool-Aid of U.S. imperialism. Its not so much the wrongness of it, but the sheer incompetence and mendacity that have rung any possible meaning out of the soaring words of politicians and military leaders who have brought their country from one catastrophe to the next, laying the costs on the shoulders of volunteer soldiers and millions of Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, Yemenis and Somalis. This book is a classic of anti-war writing from someone who lived the whole experience and fully processed it afterwards. Not only does Edstrom show what it was like to be a soldier in a pointless war, he is also able to place himself in the shoes of the Afghans and Iraqis who were fighting to expel the U.S. military from their countries. I was waiting for this generation of veterans to start producing reflections just like this.

[Chaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very powerful book. Hard to read in places but it speaks truth to power. This should be required reading by any family with military age children. Glad this is out there.

[Rajiv S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone considering a military career or running for political office. Edstrom has distilled the absurdity of the modern military experience into an achievable and frustrating memoir. The US suffers from a horrible bout of military hero worship that has allowed us to pursue indulgent and misguided military pursuits with little or no accountability. For the better part of a decade, I personally have struggled to express the cocktail of pride, fear, anger, apathy, frustration, confusion, and heartbreak with which I remember my time in Afghanistan. I was so grateful to read Erik's book because what he expresses is truly and certainly brave.
I wish more leaders had the guts to call out the idiocy of military hero worship and fight for more accountability for the cost, death, and destruction we've caused around the globe.
I'll be interviewing Erik on Sunday Nov 22, 2020 at 430pm PT at https://youtu.be/zvgy6KImJNQ
for a great conversation on the true problems facing our veterans and our military.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book and I have read many books about the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since 9/11 and this is probably around book #125 on these subjects for me.

It is hard to argue with most of what Erik points out in this book.

There are some things I disagree with regarding other policies, problems and ways to correct or change them.

I made the mistake of reading some of the 1 amd 2 star reviews about this book and one appears to be from one of Erik’s soldiers who served in his combat unit and essentially called Erik a coward. That may be true yet it is undeniable that these wars indebted our nation for generations to come and our Political Ruling Class continues to spend beyond the taxes the citizens pay and many don’t see the financial reckoning coming.

I highly recommend this book and believe you will both love it and hate it.

[Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely engrossing. Edstrom explores out a lot of the same questions and doubts I had during and after my time in the army, but he articulates and delves into them far better than I ever could. Reading this makes me sad for all of the blood and treasure needlessly expended during the War on Terror, and for what could have been if we'd put those resources toward better goals.

[Ryan Markle · Rating 1 out of 5]

As for knowing him and deploying with him personally, this book is all coming from the eyes of LT. Who was to scared to even go on dismounted patrols, and we were light infantry! Spent more time in his MRAP on the radio then dismounted and playing with his rowing machine back at the FOB.

Then to really top it all off, he talks about being the youngest to ever make it through Selection, aka Special Forces first phase prior to the Q-course!? That is not true, he did not go all the way through the selection process and get selected, it was a cut down run through of what he would go through if he were to go!

Then to add more to this after redeployment, he puts in for the honor guard? Now I completely respect these guys, but as for Eric, I believe he put in for it because he didn’t want to deploy to another hostile war zone again. He was completely petrified while he was there, and prior to us deploying all he talked about was how he was going to go to SF and be all high speed! For anyone who has been there, there are two people, fight, or buckle down and hide! I can tell you which one he was, but I’ll leave that to you to decide.

Things happen on deployments and we get orders to things that we may not like, but it’s our jobs. We may not like or even know why we are there but we all volunteered and served. Then you get jackasses like this who come back and make it sound like we were baby killers and committed all these war crimes? All I remember was I was doing what I had to do to stay alive and bring me and my guys back to our families! Which I didn’t get to do!

Do I agree with the government all the time? NO!
Do I agree with everything we had to do over seas? NO

But wether it was a 2hr mission or a 2 week air assault we had each others backs. Did we all come home alive? No, and I live with this everyday, and I find this book and Eric a disgrace and also do his fallen a dishonor!

MEDICALLY RETIRED SSG RYAN MARKLE.

[John Scherer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. What a blazing indictment of the War on Terror and its manifestation in Afghanistan, our often shallow patriotism, the West Point experience, and our leadership! I was moved by his narrative of his fellow soldiers and angered by the stupidity of our civilian and military leaders. I especially liked his three visions that we should ponder before entering a conflict: 1) imagine your own death (or that of a loved one); 2) imagine war from the "other side;" and 3) imagine what might have been if the war had never been fought (its opportunity cost). Unsure if I agree w/ the ease of implementing his blueprint for an alternative, but it is an important conversation that we have ignored. Well worth your time.

[Alex Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The portions of the book dealing with his personal experience in Afghanistan are compelling and desperately sad. The overall experience of reading this made me very glad I did not join the Army. He makes some excellent points about the nature and limitations of a service academy education but some of the inanities and abuse felt played up for effect.

The concluding portion felt somewhat disconnected from the rest of the content. Anthropogenic global climate change is certainly a serious issue requiring dramatic action, but the transition from talking about the mental health and physical struggles the author and his friends suffered after the conflict to CO2 emissions seemed abrupt and only thinly related to the rest of the book.

I came to this book cautiously but came away satisfied that Edstrom developed a comprehensive and interesting perspective. Not sure it will move the needle any but I'm glad that this book is out there and I hope people read and consider his message.

[Bob Koshin Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The truth must be told

Un-American, and extraordinary read. Every American needs to read this book and take what is in it very seriously. I’ve never read anything like this where the facts are so clear and articulated so well. As a veteran of the Vietnam era I fully support the statements in this book that’s called us to change things. Blessings on the author and on all of us in this troubled world. Thank you!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A litany of all the wrong turns we made in the war in Afghanistan.

[Juan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The chapters on life in West Point and on the ground in Afganistán are good. The best parts of the book are in these details, the narrative and argumentation that bookends it much less so.

[Gregory Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in American military history, you should read this book. If you are interested in common soldiers and the experience of "boots on the ground" in the Global War on Terror, you should read this book. If you are an American and have benefited from years of peace on American soil in the past twenty years, I implore you to read this book.

I could give the detached professional response to this book about how it will teach you about the rules of engagement in war. I could explain that the book does a nice job of personifying some of the costs of war. It also will make you absolutely sick to your stomach to think of the fraction of what Americans know about the Global War on Terror really. It is a travesty how much is not conveyed to the American people.

Edstrom's writing is clear, witty, and absolutely scathing. This is the kind of book that will make you sit back and wonder how you didn't know all of this. It has the potential to be an earth shattering book if enough people read it.

If I am ever blessed with the opportunity to teach US Military History again, I will definitely assign this as the book for the Global War on Terror. It has all the charming, flowery soldier language that makes *Generation Kill* such a fun book to teach and read but it goes the extra mile in terms of gritty commentary on the war itself. This is not merely the ranting of a disaffected US military officer; it's a confessional that cuts to the quick of the national narrative.

Read it. And weep.

[Jordan Crump · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.”
-Sydney J. Harris

“To most Americans, war is elevator music.” - Erik Edstrom

A graphic, visceral account of one veteran’s perspective on the Global War on Terror that is part memoir, part manifesto. Edstrom parses out problematic aspects of American culture and the public’s response to the war with considerable precision, effectively reprimanding not only the government, politicians, special (i.e. “business”) interests, and military leadership, but also the American public at large for an aimless use of military force that has wasted blood and treasure on a scale that is hard to comprehend, and which many of us have already conveniently moved on from in favor of focusing on the current spectacles on offer.

At first I felt that Edstrom’s language and rhetoric verged on zealotry, but I soon realized that all he is doing is matching the tone and rhetoric of a particular attitude he consistently labels as “lobotomized patriotism.” The result is a strong counter-balance to a prevailing sentiment that hyper-support for military members somehow absolves of the responsibility to examine and critique what is being done with bombs and bullets in the public’s name.

This is a must read.

[Eila Mcmillin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unflinching and critical of US American cultural militarism. Far in a way one of the better memoirs in a crowded genre of post-9/11 war memoirs (I've read quite a few at this juncture). Edstrom does an excellent job unpacking the layers of social learning that go into military training and the human and financial consequences of militarism and endless war.

Something that I thought was particularly brilliant in the way that Edstrom presents the financial costs was his use of scaling (this same amount of money could pay for 'x' 20 times over; deaths/casualties proportional to country population; this many 1/10/100 dollar bills laid out end to end from Earth to Jupiter). In my experience as an educator, it's important to put large numbers in perspective, and Edstrom does this in a way that gives readers a sense of the massive waste that went into fueling a kleptocracy in Afghanistan.

I appreciated that Edstrom also presents the idea of understanding the costs of war in opportunity costs as well as financial and human. I did feel that this section of the book/argument was slightly underdeveloped, but not so much that it takes away from the overall excellent quality of Edstrom's argument and narrative.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book devastated me. Written by a veteran of the "War on Terror" in Afghanistan, this memoir follows the author from his training at West Point, through his deployment in Afghanistan, and his struggles with what he lived through in the aftermath. Throughout his journey, he highlights valid, insightful observations about this country's addiction to war and the futility of this particular war on terror. He outlines the disingenuous encouragement he received when he decided to join the army after 9/11, examines the "lobotomized patriotism" of the era, and delivers a clear-eyed, insightful explanation of the meaningless aims of America's longest invasion and what is necessary to move away from our long and bloody history to begin healing our country.
Edstrom is an effective and evocative writer and his story is simultaneously heartbreaking and educational. This book is a difficult read but one that is essential. It contributes to our awareness of the wars being waged in our name and that is one of the most important steps in changing this terrible part of our government and culture. Recommended reading for everyone.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first cracked this open just before the 19th anniversary of 9/11 and was immediately hit with this introductory passage:

"In American parlance, "Never Forget" is tacitly-and exclusively-reserved for Americans to serve in their role as righteous victims, never as aggressors. Instead, let us "Never Forget" the far larger costs of America's permanent war posture and realize that humanity's greatest problems will not be solved by the military. The future of humanity depends on our ability to grow our capacity for cooperation, not conflict."

While at the moment, America is understandably focused on its host of domestic problems, it's important to remember we have yet to reckon with how American exceptionalism and perverse notions of patriotism have led to the constant misuse of our military. American servicemen and civilians abroad have suffered greatly for it.

If we can get more of these honest, personal, highly-credible accounts of the costs of militarism out there, perhaps things will change.

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book to challenge some of my beliefs and see things from a different perspective. I was able to find words to some of the feelings I had been having these past few years in the military. Although I do not agree with everything laid out in the book, I do believe that Erik makes some great points that I have shared with many. It is sad that we cannot question our military's actions without being labeled anti-American instantly.

What is unfortunate, is how fast this book gets shot down from the audience Erik is trying to reach. No one that is breathing in Fox News on the Daily, or even most of my comrades in the Military would be able to get past the first chapter... Why would they read a book called Un-American? It's too much for them to process I guess...

[Margaret Derouleaux]

You Must Read This Book

‘Un-American’ was recommended in a Facebook as. It intrigued me particularly as the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan had just begun (August, 2021) and it was not going well. Mr. Edstrom is a fine writer with a strong ability to punch hard at a reader who may be reluctant to face some of the appalling facts of endless war. And as we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US, it’s imperative that as many people as possible read and respond to Edstrom’s words.
It’s well researched and deeply felt.
This ‘boomer’ thanks the ‘millennial’ for showing me something I need to face.

[Kaile Vierstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the GWOT Edstrom attempts to tally the human, economic and opportunity cost of twenty years of war. While it does occasionally get redundant, the book is ultimately cutting, poignant and very very relevant. He did a great job of opening my eyes to the ways I engage in "lobotomized patriotism" and makes a great case for change and dialogue. Interspersed with humanizing anecdotes and hard facts, Un-American is a great read for those interested in military history.

[Joshua Landeros · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biopic from a young veteran of the Afghanistan war. Gives excellent insight into the life of the modern soldier (specifically a West Point graduate no less) and all the implications of modern urban warfare. Naturally this is a spotlight on the War on Terror. The book does a number of things and I loved every aspect of it. Among them are the roles of nationalism, militarism, and the overall impacts of the war on himself, his fellow soldiers, and the country as a whole. Discovered this book through Chris Hedges' show On Contact (YouTube).

[Jeremy Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book spits a harsh truth of what the Global War on Terror has been and continues to be. It highlights the sacrifices America has made in attempt to make the world more safe but in actuality we have made it more dangerous.

This book should be required reading in high school and definitely before joining the American military.

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading...for everyone in the USA basically. Every page I hear myself saying YES, YES! Scathing, excoriating, eviscerating and the voice of all our consciences combined. I beg you to read "Un-American".

[Janice Roosevelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tough and Essential read

There are war stories and there is this story. Brilliant writing. Must read if you are at all about America’s present and future

[Lynne]

Extensive notes section; but suffers from a lack of a decent index....

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking if a little one sided but good to see

[Joe Callingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

War is fucking sad

[Aya Al-Shakarchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favourite quotes from the book:

“Its hard to recall a time in American history when so much was spent to accomplish so much less”

“Fear became a currency”

“The paperwork is a lot easier when the corpses are labelled as “enemy” or “unknown”

And lastly:

“There is no war without war crimes”

[Sarah Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a deep, personal, and thoughtful reflection on the U.S. military, U.S. foreign policy, the so-called war-on-terror, PTSD, patriotism, the military-industrial complex, U.S. policy priorities, environmental issues, and life/death. Both a memoir/reflection and a powerful commentary. Exceptionally well done.