thedrifter
06-21-07, 07:44 AM
Military historian chronicles war in Iraq
Published Thursday June 21 2007
By ANIESA HOLMES
The (Jacksonville, N.C.) Daily News
On March 23, 2003, in Nasiriyah, Iraq, America lost 18 of its bravest men and women when members of the 507th Maintenance Company were ambushed after becoming lost on their trek through the desert.
Twenty-one soldiers were wound-ed, and six were taken as prisoners. Military historian Richard S. Lowry has captured some of the most brutal moments of the conflict in his book "Marines in the Garden of Eden: The True Story of Seven Bloody Days in Iraq."
He recently paid a visit to Camp Lejeune to share his story in person.Lowry interviewed nearly 100 Ma-rines, reviewed thousands of pages of reports, interviewed four of the survivors of the ambush and three embedded reporters.
It took a total of three years to put the book together. "I write because today's mainstream media doesn't go into depth about the war in Iraq," said Lowry. "It is our responsibility as historians to tell the entire story."
Lowry, who served in the U.S. Navy for eight years, published "The Gulf War Chronicles" in 2003. He is proud of his duty as a chronicler of current military history and of becoming a foremost expert on the Marines' battle for Nasiriyah.
"I write to tell stories for (the troops), for people who don't have voices," he said.
Lowry, who lives in Orlando, Fla., and appears at various speaking en-gagements, hopes that "Marines in the Garden of Eden" will serve as a primary reference for the event. "This is the story of amazing young men and women who gave their lives and fought so gallantly," he said.
"The Marines who are fighting are just as brave as those who fought in all of the previous wars. This generation is truly amazing; it was an honor to interview the soldiers and Marines."
Lowry says his biggest inspiration for writing his books are the parents of the troops. He helps to make sure the whole story is being told about what their sons and daughters have fought for and endured.
"Regardless of whether we went for good and bad reasons, we have to finish this war," he said. "There are 29 million innocent people in Iraq who have families like you and me. They have lives, they have jobs, they want peace and we can't abandon them."
Lowry's next book in the works is "The Surge for Baghdad," which tells the story of Gen. David Petraeus and his effort to bring peace to the people of the country. He is also planning "Strength and Honor: American Spartans ODA," which chronicles the American Green Beret A-Team in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ellie
Published Thursday June 21 2007
By ANIESA HOLMES
The (Jacksonville, N.C.) Daily News
On March 23, 2003, in Nasiriyah, Iraq, America lost 18 of its bravest men and women when members of the 507th Maintenance Company were ambushed after becoming lost on their trek through the desert.
Twenty-one soldiers were wound-ed, and six were taken as prisoners. Military historian Richard S. Lowry has captured some of the most brutal moments of the conflict in his book "Marines in the Garden of Eden: The True Story of Seven Bloody Days in Iraq."
He recently paid a visit to Camp Lejeune to share his story in person.Lowry interviewed nearly 100 Ma-rines, reviewed thousands of pages of reports, interviewed four of the survivors of the ambush and three embedded reporters.
It took a total of three years to put the book together. "I write because today's mainstream media doesn't go into depth about the war in Iraq," said Lowry. "It is our responsibility as historians to tell the entire story."
Lowry, who served in the U.S. Navy for eight years, published "The Gulf War Chronicles" in 2003. He is proud of his duty as a chronicler of current military history and of becoming a foremost expert on the Marines' battle for Nasiriyah.
"I write to tell stories for (the troops), for people who don't have voices," he said.
Lowry, who lives in Orlando, Fla., and appears at various speaking en-gagements, hopes that "Marines in the Garden of Eden" will serve as a primary reference for the event. "This is the story of amazing young men and women who gave their lives and fought so gallantly," he said.
"The Marines who are fighting are just as brave as those who fought in all of the previous wars. This generation is truly amazing; it was an honor to interview the soldiers and Marines."
Lowry says his biggest inspiration for writing his books are the parents of the troops. He helps to make sure the whole story is being told about what their sons and daughters have fought for and endured.
"Regardless of whether we went for good and bad reasons, we have to finish this war," he said. "There are 29 million innocent people in Iraq who have families like you and me. They have lives, they have jobs, they want peace and we can't abandon them."
Lowry's next book in the works is "The Surge for Baghdad," which tells the story of Gen. David Petraeus and his effort to bring peace to the people of the country. He is also planning "Strength and Honor: American Spartans ODA," which chronicles the American Green Beret A-Team in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ellie