Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq

by Jason Christopher Hartley

This is not your father's war This is Iraq, where a soldier's first duty is reinforcing his Humvee with sheet metal and sand bags. Or, in the absence of plumbing, burning barrels of human waste. Where any dead dog on the side of the road might be concealing an insurgent's bomb and anyone could be the enemy. At age 17, Jason Christopher Hartley joined the Army National Guard. Thirteen years later, he is called to active duty, to serve in Iraq. Sent to a town called Ad Dujayl, made notorious by Saddam Hussein's 1982 massacre, Hartley is thrust into the center of America's war against terrorism. This is his story. "If you are distrustful of the media and want to know exactly what's going on in Iraq, you'll have to pray for divine enlightenment, because only god knows what the hell is going on over here. However, if you want to know how it feels to be a soldier in Iraq, to hear something honest and raw, that I can help you with." Sometimes profane, often poignant, and always nakedly candid, Just Another Soldier takes the reader past the images seen on CNN and the nightly news, into the day to day reality of life on the ground as an infantryman, attached to the 1st Division, in the first war of the 21st century. From the adrenaline rush of storming a suspected insurgent's house, to the sheer boredom of down time on the base, to the horror of dead civilians, Hartley examines his role as a man, as a soldier and as an American on foreign soil. His quest to discover the balance between his compassionate side and his baser instincts, results in a searing portrait of today's Army and a remarkable personal narrative written in a fresh and exciting new voice. Just Another Soldier is more than a war story; it delivers an intimate look at a generation of young men and women on the front lines of American policy. Whether you're for or against the war in Iraq, this is essential reading.

Genres: Military Fiction, War, Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, History

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Terry Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little different than a typical 'war' history book. Hartley's book started out as a blog he maintained while he served in the Army National Guard. It starts with his notification of being deployed to Iraq in September 2003, and ends with his return home in early 2005. The writings are his personal observations, experiences, and reflections of his service as well as other members in his unit. Other books I've read from soldiers that served in theater place their activities and missions in broader scope of perspective.

A wide mix here--humor, and the mundane and monotony of living with limited resources. Plenty of time to reflect on current life, past life, and hopefully the future. Violence and death--particularly to American soldiers is fairly limited--but at times horrific. Some of his musings/actions seem adolescent for a thirty year old NCO, but then again he was serving with some younger soldiers. Hartley got into some trouble because he was asked to deactivate his blog while serving in Iraq by his unit's commander. He did, but then re-activated it shortly before his unit was replaced-- supposedly threatening operational security. Hartley kept up with his 'journaling' during deployment but didn't post until this point. To me this really was a distraction from his story.

If you want to read something besides the typical map and strategy approaches to Iraq, this book from a typical ground pounder's point of view makes an entertaining and easy read.

[J.J. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Christopher Hartley's memoir "Just Another Soldier" is less about what happens, and more about how it feels to be on the ground in Iraq. The book is a shock to read, as a civilian, but I couldn't put it down and looked forward to reading each new entry as a window into his world in the service. My father was a veteran of WWII, but was also opposed to war. The stories soldiers tell have changed a lot since that time. Jason is a great story teller. I highly recommend his book for readers who want to think deeply about what we are doing as a country, by going to war, and how it changes the young men who become soldiers.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book gives a noncombatant an intimate view of the Army's day to day life in Iraq. Jason's writing style is harsh, and brutally honest about others as well as himself. Which of course lends to an interesting and enlightening read that forces some introspection on the reader as well. Basic Info about the book- created from a series of blog entries posted while Jason was a soldier in the US Army in Iraq, year 2oo4. A lot of controversy surrounded the blog and he was forced to take it down a couple of times by the Army, but now it is accessible to everyone in this book. Read it.

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first became aware of this book right around the time it came out. I'd been teaching STS--Science and Technology in Society--for a few years by that point, and part of the course's goal was to look at how the development of new technology influenced society, and vice versa. Even before the book, I'd been aware of Hartley's blog and the censorship discussions it had prompted. In short, if you haven't heard about the controversy surrounding the blog, it comes down to this: A soldier started keeping a blog while he was deployed in Iraq, and even though his goal was to talk about the life of a soldier (going to pains to avoid giving up any information which could potentially compromise national security), his military superiors requested he take it down as soon as it was discovered. Later on, when he put it back up toward the end of his deployment, he was demoted and penalized for doing so. At the time of the blog's writing (2003-2004), the military wasn't yet prepared for soldiers' widespread use of the internet while overseas. Policy hadn't caught up to technology, so there was a loophole allowing for a soldier to, essentially, informally report his day-to-day life to whoever wanted to read it.

In the case of Hartley's blog (though his wasn't the only one), the blogs talk about everything from food to sex to fighting, with particular focus on average soldiers' positions and thoughts.

When we talked about it in my class, this was a real-world, current example of technology and the government being out of step when it came to capability and policy, and we had some amazing discussions in relation to some of the blog entries I shared. As a result, I always meant to get around to reading the whole book... and finally got around to it now.

I have to admit, it was hard to read at first. Not because of the war, but because of the unflinchingly sarcastic and non-PC comments that, on some level, I guess I've gotten used to not seeing (especially not coming from a voice that I'm already preconditioned to be sympathetic to). So, it took me some time to get used to Hartley's voice, and also to remember that all this was written nearly two decades ago, when what could pass for jokes--even if seen in bad taste--were still on some level seen as acceptable and not to be censored. Do I think that this, as it stands, would get printed today? Probably not without some of those non-PC jokes being removed. (And I don't say this lightly, but I admit I cringed at a number of moments, especially in the beginning when I wasn't quite prepared for some of what I was walking into, or had just perhaps forgotten some of the jokes I'd come across in reading original entries.) At the same time, there's something to be said for this being a snapshot backward in time, and providing a real look at soldiers on the ground, so in some ways I actually appreciate that none of it was toned down.

Can you tell I've got mixed feelings about the voice? Well, there you go.

That said, Hartley's writing is powerful, and the honesty that comes from the pages is more powerful because he doesn't go to pains to over-analyze what he's saying or censor himself. What's printed in the book is, in large part, simply a printing of the blog that he wrote while on the ground in Iraq, which he was writing even when he wasn't allowed to post online. I'm glad to have read it now, and I'm glad it got published in this form; ultimately, I'm also glad that Hartley kept writing, and pushed the boundaries of what he was "allowed" to have an opinion on as far as the army was concerned. The book is worth reading for all of those reasons.

Would I recommend it? Well, it depends on the reader. It is a snapshot backward in time. If you're looking for the thoughts of an average soldier in those days, or a look into the day-to-day stressors, mindsets, and difficulties, it's worth reading. Hartley's talent for bringing the people around him to life in few words, and for not censoring himself, make the book a powerful one that's got a lot of sincere thought, and no little amount of humor. It is, at times, hard to read, and it's not meant to be a full story of the war or politics in any way, so if you're looking for a full history in that dimension, this book isn't it.

Yet, I'm glad to have read it, and as jaded as some of its pages and reportings are, there's a lot of goodness to take from it, too.

[Matt A · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you are distrustful of the media and want to know exactly what's going on in Iraq, you'll have to pray for divine enlightenment, because only god knows what the hell is going on over here. However, if you want to know how it feels to be a soldier in Iraq, to hear something honest and raw, that I can help you with."
~ Jason Hartley

[Jeff Pavlick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give this book 2 words... brutally honest

[Michio Papers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Just Another Soldier" is a true story of events following the author, Jason Hartley, through his tour in Iraq. The book provides an in-depth, no-frills honest perspective from the eyes of a US grunt on the ground.
Hartley's documentation of his deployment was first posted on his blog site while he was in Iraq. After coming back to the States, however, he decided to compile his entries into a book format. The resulting string of entries covers his entire wartime experience, from the training he received in the Eastern United States prior to deployment all the way till after he gets back home. The author is a Sergeant during the time of his deployment, and is in charge of his own "team" of soldiers. The reader gets to know these soldiers' personalities and traits as the book goes on. Hartley does a great job of personifying each different character, and it is easy to remember the various last names of the soldiers he served beside.
The author brings a range of different emotions to the table throughout the novel. He describes humorous moments while practicing how to dismantle a machine gun during training, but then later on describes how it feels to have a member of his platoon seriously injured while on patrol.
The whole book has a very honest and at some times brutal feel to it. It is easy to tell that Hartley is holding nothing back in his entries, and this truth, in a sense, is comforting to know. The book is not about combat or the horrors of war. It covers much more than that. Over the course of the novel, the reader learns about the long periods of waiting in the base, the brief moments of terror from IED's(Improvised Explosive Device's), the midnight raids on empty houses, some of the back-door politics that the public doesnt hear, and how Hartley even goes through a legal battle with the military regarding his "controversial" blog posts.
For many, "Just Another Soldier" will provide a fresh and revealing look into what the daily life of a deployed US soldier in Iraq looks like. The broad range of moods and emotions brought forth during the novel can conjure up both laughter and tears, or anguish and curiosity. Jason Hartley neatly ties his experiences together into this book, creating both an enjoyable and informative read.

[tygrys · Rating 2 out of 5]

Przyznam szczerze, że po lekturze "Rosjanina w Czeczeni" ta pozycja była prozaiczną opowiastką o frontowym życiu w Iraku. Nie chcę umniejszać powagi wojny lecz spodziewałem się dużo mocniejszych relacji. Najbardziej zależało mi na spojrzeniu w głąb głowy i jeszcze głębiej w duszę narratora.
Forma wypowiedzi blogowa i na dłuższą metę męcząca, stąd moja ocena będzie w środku skali.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it offers a good perspective for someone who is not in the military - what life can be like for our soldiers. Yes, those in the military may take issue with Jason writing his story and may take issue with some of his actions. I do not sit in a position to judge him or his actions. I see this book as an account of what his life was like, not a document with which to judge him.

I find that he has a self-deprecating sense of humor. He admits his mistakes - when he does something stupid, he makes fun of himself. That's one of the reasons that I enjoyed this book. It's real, not some sanitized version of what he think he should write or how he should portray himself.

I'd read his book again (and that should say a lot) and I would recommend it for anyone wanting a better idea of the challenges those in our military face when serving our country.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I wanted to have a better understand of a friend's experience serving overseas, as well as I wanted to read something entirely different than I have read all year.

Not too far into reading it I discover, surprisingly, not only Hartley grow up about 20 minutes from where I did, he is also a former Mormon as well! So this book had familiar neuances that made it extremely enjoyable (My favorite would be how he described answering the phone for one of his duties. He answered it like mormon kids close their prayers, all in one breath one long word strung together; "inthenameofjesuschristamen". Freaking hillarious).

The book was a quick read, not easy though. War is a sad thing. Hartley handles his account with brutal honesty and, if you can get past his slightly "bloggy" style (such as using 'gotta') it's a well written book.

This is a great read.

[Brandon Jennings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there is not anything here interesting stylistically (it was a blog that got "made into" a book, so what the hell should I have expected), there is a lot of honesty in the writing that I appreciate. So basically, I'd have a beer with this guy. If you want to get an insider's look at ground operations in Iraq from a pseudo-sexist (albeit aware of his sexism enough to comment on and attempt to understand it), snarky, at times self-glorifying (see the section on his "Muckraking" that got him expelled from school; he is a bit too proud of that in the way that as an old man I'll still be talking about the no-hitter I pitched against Trona as if anybody gives a shit), then this is a pretty good book. It isn't doing anything masterfully, but it is honest, and it is an example of a veteran who had the, dare I say, cast-iron genitalia to tell the truth as best he could.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jason gives a good account of his point of view, and he is an incredible author. However, he uses this book to try to rationalize his completely amoral behavior.

Jason spent a year in Iraq, and while he was there he knowingly broke the Geneva Convention. He makes himself out to be a victim, but I am somewhat familiar with the briefings that soldiers get before going into combat, and there is NO WAY that he didn't know how completely reprehensible it is to post pictures of detainees on the Internet. Bragging about it in this book is a huge slap in the face of humanity.

I hated getting to know this guy and hoping things would work out for him, only to learn in the last pages of the book that he disregards the basic idea that people deserve to be treated with dignity.

[Billy Dudash · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Just another soldier a guy of the name jason hartley has been in the national guard for a couple of years. He has not experianced war yet but now it is his chance to go to battle. The one thing he said about getting deployed was the long hours of sitting in a vehical an plane. When you go into battle it is unreal, and you never expect what you see he says. a good thing about this book was that it tells you about the life in Iraq and not just about the fighting. one negative thing is that it is boring in the beginning until the fighting starts. I would recommend this book to people who wish to be in the military or like war stories.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting hearing the insight from a soldier on the ground instead of another news reporter. I honestly read this book to try to get a better feel for what it would be like for my boyfriend Brian over there. He will be leaving in September to go to Iraq and I will probably never understand what it will b/was like for him.

[Vern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could not finish reading this book. More of a daily journal than anything. Not a real story. I understand that life of a grunt on the ground doesn't have a "plot" as such, but this just wasn't doing it for me. I thank every service member for their service and sacrifice, but something about the writing style, just left me without looking forward to the next chapter.

[tygrys · Rating 2 out of 5]

Przyznam szczerze, że po lekturze "Rosjanina w Czeczeni" ta pozycja była prozaiczną opowiastką o frontowym życiu w Iraku. Nie chcę umniejszać powagi wojny lecz spodziewałem się dużo mocniejszych relacji. Najbardziej zależało mi na spojrzeniu w głąb głowy i jeszcze głębiej w duszę narratora.
Forma wypowiedzi blogowa i na dłuższą metę męcząca, stąd moja ocena będzie w środku skali.

[Carrie Brang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in diary style by a deployed National Guard infantry soldier from a unit in New York. He writes about his personal experiences in his deployment throughout 2004 and into January 2005. It's an honest account written by a level headed NCO. It's not political. I enjoyed it.

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, but I was on a war movie & book kick and then suddenly I felt overwhelmed. Too much...just, too much. Unfortunately, I hadn't gotten far into this book at that point and didn't feel like I could finish.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud several times reading this book. Hartley's humor vividly illustrates the absurdities of Army life in Iraq.

[Rae · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a disappointment to me. He says he is "just another soldier" but somehow I doubt that. I would like to know what other soldiers who served think of this memoir.

[Shannon T.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting firsthand account of life as a soldier and the war in iraq. i enjoyed it a lot.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This guy was a whiner, he didn't really get it. Not that good of a book.

[Tawnya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and really eye opening!

[Dylan Rass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book pretty interesting but also confusing in my opinion, some points I just didn't know what was going on. The setting varies, it takes place home, in Afghanistan and other places as well. The book is about a man named Jason Christopher Hartley, based on a true story about how it really is during the war and how its nothing like how people make it sound...it's worse. Jason was one of the first to write a blog about the Iraqi war and it was shut down by the army about 5 months after he started it, and now it has became a book. Jason was born in Salt lake city and joined the national Guard at the age of 17 years old. In 2003 his unit was sent into Iraq, where he spent nearly a year in the Sunni Triangle. He is now in the real service of a soldier, from K - rations to dead civilians and extreme fear every day for 11 months. This book takes you to the real day to day experience of the Iraqi war and makes you know the real terror of war. If you like true stories and books about the war then this is the book for you.