Iraq And Back: Inside the War to Win the Peace (Association of the United States Army) - Softcover

Olson , Kim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591146496 ISBN 13: 9781591146490

Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 2011

Synopsis

In April 2003, soon after Operation Iraqi Freedom had been declared a success, President Bush sent retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner to Iraq to rebuild the country. As Garners executive officer, Col. Kim Olson was part of the senior leadership circle charged with three tasks. They were to reconstruct Iraqs infrastructure, provide humanitarian assistance, and lay the foundation for a democratic process to take hold. Not long after their arrival in the rubble and ruin of Iraq, however, the political, military, and economic wheels ground to a halt and theirs became mission improbable. This book tells how and why. Readers are privy to the candid discussions of U.S. generals frustrated by operating in a policy void. They sit at the table with Iraqi leaders who warn of an impending insurgency if the proclamations crafted by ill-informed and arrogant policy makers are implemented, and they share Olsons fear as Saddams death squads attempt to assassinate her in an explosion of bullets. This gripping, firsthand account of what went wrong is seen from Olsons unique point of view as a senior female military officer, pilot, wife, and mother. Many of the stories she tells are known to only the handful of people involved, including a mission to rescue two Iraqi women and details of early meetings with tribal leaders to discuss building a coalition government. Her haunting descriptions of Shiite families searching for loved ones in Saddams killing fields and malnourished children in the town of Umn Qasr will remain with readers long after they close the book. From the decisions of political leaders and military commanders to everyday encounters with the Iraqi people and informal conversations with soldiers, such a wealth of honest, insider information is rare.

About this title

About the Author

Through her trailblazing military service as an aviation leader, commander and patriot Kimberly D. Olson, Colonel (retired) United States Air Force has reshaped the perception of women serving their country. Today, she is influencing the future of sustainable food production through her Community Supported Agriculture at the 4K River Ranch, Texas. As the retired CEO/President of Grace After Fire, a Texas-based nonprofit dedicated to helping women veterans help themselves, she reshaped how care was delivered to thousands of women veterans. Kim exemplifies those military veterans who continue to serve their communities and their nation and was inducted into the “Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.”

Edition details

• Publisher: Naval Institute Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1591146496
• ISBN 13: 9781591146490
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232