The Long Road Home By: Martha Raddatz
Summary
The Long Road Home by Martha Raddatz is a focused and detailed book that enables the reader to visualize the suffering and misery faced by soldiers in the war and their families. Many people have many assumptions about war. They do not realize the depth of emotional trauma that the soldiers face. Some do not even remember that the soldiers have their own families back home and these families live in constant fear about the soldiers well being and safety. Raddatz gives the accounts of these soldiers and their families. She writes the book using the events that happened in Sadr city on the fateful day of April 4 2004, a day that has come to be known as the Black Sunday. As one reads the book, the themes of death and loss, bravery and heroism, and suffering become clear. She writes the book using information from interviews held with the commanding officers, some of the soldiers who were present at the time and the families of some of the soldiers who died that day.
Chapter one of the books begins hours earlier before the fighting started. What is intriguing in this chapter is the fact that the soldiers did not seem to be aware of any hostility between them and the civilians. The soldiers though that by carrying out acts, such as cleaning the raw sewage from the streets of Sadr, they would diminish the chance of being shot at. It is interesting that the people did not take into account the humanitarian efforts of the soldiers. Another important issue that was raised in this chapter was how women and children engaged in fighting. The children were obviously not old enough to know what they were fighting for and this is clear in the beginning since some days earlier the US soldiers had greeted the children warmly. The soldiers were clearly not looking for war, nor were they expecting one. Another important issue raised in this chapter is the loneliness and uncertainty experienced by the families and the soldiers as they are living for battle.
The soldiers, and indeed the United States thought that Sadr city did not pose any threat to the US since, being a Shiite community; it had suffered under the reign of Saddam Hussein who was a Sunni. They were therefore not prepared for any attacks and any sign of violence surprised them. This was despite the fact that the same community had attacked the US troops and they ended up killing one soldier. It is interesting to note the power one individual can have over thousands of people. This was the case with Moqtada al-Sadr, who controlled the larger population and even the police force. Those who spoke against al-Sadr were considered enemies and they were even punished heavily. The previous regime had used the same system of control under Saddam Hussein and they had not been in favor. This changed under the reign of al-Sadr. The US forces did not have enough human intelligence and this made them feel inadequate since they did not know what was happening.
Had the US had sufficient and reliable human intelligence, none of the events of April 4 could have happened. The Mahdi army had obviously prepared for the days events. There had been no warning to the US forces and thus they were caught unaware by the Mahdi army. Chapter 5 and 6 are emotional accounts of the events that took place during the response and the consequences of the fight. Subsequent chapters give a description of what transpired during the fight, and after the U.S., soldiers went to the aid station. They did not have enough, adequate weaponry, or even medical facilities. The descriptions about the wounded soldiers at the station are sad. Raddatz combines the details of the soldiers and their personal lives. She records that specialist Stephen Hiller had just announced that they were expecting another child. Unfortunately, he would not get the chance to meet his child or see his wife again. Lieutenant Shane Aguero also records the thoughts he had about his wife.
Even in battle and war, religion never seems to be far and soldiers seem to draw their strength from their God. Captain Abrams is no exception and even in his troubled state, he does not fail to ask God for help. The soldiers also rely on the chaplain for their spiritual guidance and prayer. The soldiers faced a lot of suffering that day. Some of the details about the injuries the soldiers received are gruesome. Staff sergeant Robert Reynolds’ injuries are described vividly and some may find it difficult to read. This is the saddest chapter in the book. The medics had to do a lot of work and it must have taken all the strength they had to carry out some of the tasks such as binding intestines. The war zone is no place for dignity or shame. Some of the soldiers were naked and their private parts were exposed. It was a trying time for them.
Chapters 19 and twenty-three deal with the soldiers families and how they received the news. It is interesting to note that despite their families knowing that the soldiers had gone to war, they were not prepared to receive the bad news about their loved ones death. Raddatz only included few families and recorded how they received the news. It is not possible to describe how some of the families were affected by the news. Some of them took it so hard such as Sergeant Miller’s wife and they were unable to handle the news. Many more soldiers were wounded in Sadr and few were lucky to escape without serious injuries. Despite this, they suffered emotionally. Many of the soldiers had not fought in any war prior to that day. They might have been the best soldiers when they were practicing but the reality of the war hit them hard. This was the case with Captain Abrams, who was considered a tough soldier. It was his first time to be involved in active battle and he was not prepared for what he had seen at the aid station. He felt helpless and he could only offer words of comfort and reassurance to his fellow soldiers.
Critique
It is not often that authors write about war events without including politics or trying to figure out what strategy would have been applied successfully during combat. Raddatz has managed to tell the story focusing only on the soldiers and their families. This is one of the strengths of this book. The book has focused on the events that transpired during that day, how the soldiers were reacting to these events and how they coped during this time. It also records details about their thoughts and feelings and this actually presents the soldiers in a humane way. People usually forget that soldiers can get scared especially if they have never fought in any war. This book records the pain the soldiers were in and shows how scared they were.
I like the author’s presentation because it has included the soldiers’ families. The author has included spouses, parents, and even the children. Most authors do not take the time to learn about the families that have been affected by the war and how they cope with their loss. This inclusion is important in many ways. Many families feel abandoned when they lose a loved one during the war. Some families got the chance to speak out and tell their story in this book. The book provided an avenue for the unrepresented families to read the details as they occurred. Some of the surviving soldiers may have been too traumatized to talk to their families about that day. Writing about it may have helped them get closure.
I also like the author’s presentation because she has avoided the use of technical terms, which some may find hard to understand. Her writing style is simple and appealing to many readers. She is honest in her writing and she has not shied away from describing the injuries as described by the soldiers. Another great strength of this work is the inclusion of images, which makes it easier for the reader to relate to the story.
Reviews
Greg Weeks has written the review “Martha Raddatz’s The Long Road Home”. I agree with this review because it has captured the whole story. He has noted the lack of basic equipment, which was important during the war. In his review, Weeks noted that the soldiers considered Iraq a humanitarian mission and this was probably the cause for their lack of preparation. He notes that this sentiment was also shared by the government and they thought the war was ending. He notes that the soldiers did not have enough intelligence and perhaps that was the reason why they did not know about the militia’s tactics. Greg has noted the unavailability of aid and medical supplies, which made saving lives difficult. In his review, Greg has not mentioned the families of the affected soldiers yet this makes up almost half of the book (Weeks, 2010).
Natalie Maier’s article “Long Road Home meets Rosie standards” is not descriptive and it leaves out a lot of information. The article contains a lot of summary and lacks a personal perspective. The main thoughts given by Maier are that the book is politically objective and it contains relatable content. Maier has mostly summarized the contents of the book. She has mentioned topics such as the inclusion of family. She has also mentioned that some of the stories are told through the eyes of a “terrified yet confident soldier.” She is careful enough to note that the book has been organized into different sections (Maier, 2010).
War brings with it emotional trauma, death and physical injuries. Many times authors who choose to write about war and the effects of war will only focus on the economic and political aspect of the war and will choose to disregard the effect of the war on the families and the soldiers who fight in the war. Raddatz has managed to deviate from this norm and she has presented the soldiers in a humane way, remembering to note their emotional distress and their loneliness and fright at the battlefield. She has remained objective by telling the stories as they happened and by including the families of the affected soldiers. Perhaps what could have made the book an exceptional reading was more research. She could have included the opinions and records of more soldiers who were actually engaged in the war.
Works Cited
Maier, Natalie. Long Road Home meets Rosie Standards. Nov 1 2010. Web. 27 May 2011.
< http://hilite.org/archives/10969 >
Weeks, Greg. Martha Raddatz’s the Long Road Home. March 27 2010. Web. 27 May 2011.
< http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2010/03/martha-raddatzs-long-road-home.html >
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