What Was Asked of Us:An Oral History of the Iraq War
October 27, 2006
Trish Wood, author of What Was Asked of Us: An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers Who Fought It (2006, Little Brown) is coming to University of Puget Sound for a special event on Monday, Nov.6. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Wheelock Student Center Rasmussen Rotunda, the author will give a brief lecture, as well as moderate a panel discussion featuring two soldiers profiled in her compelling book. The event is open to the public. Admission costs $5 ($2 for UPS students with ID).
Since it officially began on March 20, 2003, roughly one million young Americans have been involved in the Iraq conflict on some level or another. Although stories of dramatic ambushes and attacks dominate media accounts, little is truly known about the daily experiences of soldiers.
Through a series of in-depth and intensely probing interviews, Wood documented the soldier’s experiences and darkest secrets, offering a multitude of authentic, unfiltered voices-at times raw and emotional, at other times eloquent and lyrical. These voices walk the reader through the war, from the successful push to Baghdad, through the erroneous “Mission Accomplished” moment, and into the dangerous, murky present.
What Was Asked of Us (2006, Little Brown), is the first book to offer the narrative of the entire war to date, capturing the sum total of the soldiers’ experiences and revealing what America is actually asking its young men and women to do.
About the author:
Trish Wood is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked with veterans of the Iraq war for more than two years. She has been honored by the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Canadian Science Writers Association, the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the National Magazine Awards, and the New York Film Festival.
About the Veteran Panelists:
• Jonathan Powers spent 14 months serving in Iraq during 2003 and 2004 with the Army's 1st Armored Division. Powers' experiences while serving were at best heartbreaking, as he patrolled neighborhoods in Baghdad and witnessed firsthand the devastation that war brings to a country. His experiences inspired him to develop the War Kids Relief aid program to provide assistance to Iraq's war children with the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF). Powers is a 2000 graduate of John Carroll University with a bachelor's degree in Education.
• Garett Reppenhagen was a Cavalry/Scout Sniper in the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division, deployed to Iraq from 2004-05 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Reppenhagen also completed a nine month peacekeeping tour in Kosovo and passed the International Target Interdiction Course. Since being honorably discharged in 2005, he has become an outspoken critic against the war in Iraq, and works as an advocate for Iraq veterans. Currently, he works as a veterans outreach coordinator for Veterans for America in Washington DC.
CONTACT
mediarelations@ups.edu
253.879.2611
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