Overview

"During the war's worst fighting in 2006 and 2007, a handful of Iraqi interpreters put their lives on the line to help American troops. Families threatened, a bounty on their heads, ignored by the powers that be, they faced execution as collaborators with the enemy if they remained in their homeland. A Task Force Commander decides a promise made should be a promise kept. After the murders of several Iraqi allies, Lt. Col Steve Miska decides to slice through the bureaucratic red tape to get interpreters to safety. His team creates the Baghdad Underground Railroad to get the ""terps"" and other allies out of the country to Jordan for their Embassy interviews. Soldiers also tap their own families in the United States to serve as sponsors to house and assist the new immigrants. For the Iraqis, they face the struggle of adapting to a culture vastly different from their own. One of them even joins the U.S. Army and returns to Iraq as an American soldier. In this compelling memoir that illustrates humanity and compassion in the midst of war, Steve Miska highlights the plight of local allies, who are essential to the American cause in foreign wars but are often left behind. He also offers an insider's look at the complex and frustrating political reality of Iraq facing U.S. commanders and policymakers following the downfall of Saddam Hussein."

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9781954988033

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Reviews

Steve Miska provides a riveting, vivid description of the mutual trust, shared sacrifice, and extraordinary bonds between U.S. servicemembers and their foreign interpreters on the battlefield. General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, former Director of the CIA Absolutely riveting. Tells the story of the harrowing escape from sectarian violence of many interpreters working alongside Americans. Through the eyes of soldiers and the interpreters, the reader learns to better understand the risks of collaborating with deployed military and diplomats in conflict zones. General Barry McCaffrey, U.S. Army (Ret.), former Commander Southern Command, NBC News commentator The soldiers of Task Force Justice displayed the same determination in fighting al-Qaeda and Shia militias, as they did in battling the US bureaucracy to get visas for their interpreters whose lives were in danger. This book is a testament to the commitment and values of the U.S. military who determined that their creed of no man left behind extended to those Iraqis who had shed blood with them and deserved the opportunity to build new lives in America. Emma Sky, Author, The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq ; Director, Yale World Fellows Program This is the first great book from the Iraq War that captures an essential level of command. It fills a huge void in Iraq War books. Lieutenant Colonels, like Miska, occupied the most important level of command. They were close enough to the street to see firsthand the grunts' frustrations and high enough to grasp the full impact America's tragic mistakes and the Iraqis' often intractable and self-defeating feuds. Greg Jaffe, National Security Reporter, Washington Post During three deployments - 40 months - LTC Steve Miska realizes Iraq is a mess and the United States had broken it in the first place. In his efforts to try to help his fellow soldiers and their reliable Iraqi interpreters, Miska learns that the U.S. immigration process is a threat to getting at risk Iraqis out of the war zone. He sees an opportunity to take home some good stories while getting trusted Iraqis to new lives in the U.S. J. Ford Huffman, nationally published book reviewer Inspiring and highly readable. Steve Miska tells the moving and disturbing story of Iraqi cultural advisors, once called interpreters, who risked their lives to protect American service people and who are often left behind after being promised sanctuary in the United States. Dr. Jerrold D. Green, President, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Council on International Policy Steve's story about his most trusted Iraqi partners illustrates one of the reasons IRAP came into existence. The author shows in grim detail the fate of those who bravely and with great trust sign up to work alongside American soldiers and diplomats, and in doing so, he exposes glaring gaps in our national security policy. Becca Heller, Co-Founder, Executive Director, International Refugee Assistance Project

Author Information

Steve Miska spent twenty-five years in the U.S. Army, including three combat deployments to Iraq and service in the White House as Director for Iraq on the National Security Council. He earned top academic honors as a Counterterrorism Fellow at the College of International Security Affairs and has taught at the United States Military Academy, West Point. Steve speaks on first amendment issues and soft networks and has addressed DIA, RAND, the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Young Presidents Organization of LA, and numerous media outlets and think tanks. He holds degrees from Cornell University, National Defense University, and West Point. He is the executive director of First Amendment Voice, a nonpartisan effort to reinvigorate civic awareness around free expression, religious liberty, press freedom and other first amendment issues.

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