Overview

Bad War Stories unravels a soldier-scholar's haunting memoir from Iraq and Afghanistan (2003–2014), blending real combat experiences with fictionalized elements to reject sanitized war myths. With raw authenticity and dark humour, it exposes the absurdity, loss, and institutional folly of modern warfare-dead children, futile raids, and staged training exercises-while questioning the cultural blindness and strategic disarray that defined decades of U.S. conflict. Through stylized dialogue and anonymized names, Bad War Stories critiques military hubris and doctrinal irrelevance, offering a visceral lens forged by the author's father's silent World War II legacy. From the Sunni Triangle to Kabul's security forces, it challenges heroic tropes with tales of chaos and despair, bridging personal scars to societal flaws. Philosophically introspective and irreverently honest, this book will appeal to veterans, scholars, and readers seeking unvarnished truths about war's messy residue. This debut memoir, with its rare fusion of visceral experience and intellectual depth, provokes readers to confront war's myths and humanity's narrative coping. For those drawn to bold, cathartic takes on conflict, Bad War Stories offers no glory-only the unfiltered essence of war's chaos and trauma. AUTHOR: Dr. Ben Zweibelson has over three decades of service to the U.S. Department of Defense, retiring as an Infantry Officer with 22 years combined service, multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and awarded four Bronze Stars. Author of two other books, 'Understanding the Military Design Movement' (Routledge, 2023) and 'Beyond the Pale' (Air University Press, 2023), Ben lectures at numerous war colleges and universities around the world. He holds a doctorate in philosophy, has three master's degrees, and graduated U.S. Army Ranger School among numerous other demanding military courses. Ben resides in Colorado Springs with his wife and three boys. 16 colour photos

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9781804519424

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Dr. Ben Zweibelson has over three decades of service to the U.S. Department of Defense, retiring as an Infantry Officer with 22 years combined service, multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and awarded four Bronze Stars. Author of two other books, ‘Understanding the Military Design Movement’ (Routledge, 2023) and ‘Beyond the Pale’ (Air University Press, 2023), Ben lectures at numerous war colleges and universities around the world. He holds a doctorate in philosophy, has three master’s degrees, and graduated U.S. Army Ranger School among numerous other demanding military courses. Ben resides in Colorado Springs with his wife and three boys.

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