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My War: Killing Time in Iraq
By Colby Buzzell
Berkley Caliber, paperback
The mission flag in Iraq has been lowered, and the last of the troops are on their way out. A war that has existed for a decent part of my life has come to an end at last. Apropos to this enormous conclusion, I’ve decided to talk about My War: Killing Time in Iraq, a memoir written by Colby Buzzell.
In his late twenties, Colby looked back at his life and realized that he was almost thirty and had done absolutely nothing with his life. So he decided to join the Marine Corps…and ended up in the United States Army instead. Despite a rough start, Colby eventually became a machine gunner and was sent over to Iraq. With nothing better to do in his free time (of which is had a considerable amount), Colby divided his attention between a plethora of books, his journal, and his blog. It is the creation of those last two that made this book possible and provides readers with an insight into a country where violence has become a part of daily life.
I’ll admit that I was completely shocked by how much I enjoyed this book. I almost exclusively read fiction, and upon hearing that it was a memoir, I had my doubts. I guess have this stereotype that stories about real people are boring and dry. Sort of like reading a textbook (and I read enough of those already, thank you). But Colby’s tale is anything but dry; it’s colorful, and in more ways than one.
Take, for instance, the tone. Colby Buzzell, as a member of a counterculture, is disrespectful, anti-authority, and very “I don’t give a shit.” As such, he isn’t afraid to swear. A lot. I’m pretty sure more f bombs were dropped in his memoir than actual bombs were dropped in Iraq. But that’s one things that makes him seem so real. When people are in the moment, experiencing very genuine emotions, they really don’t give a thought to censoring their words.
And Colby’s story isn’t what you’d necessarily expect from a war memoir. Though he of course mentions the time spent “on the job” completing assorted missions, the memoir is more of a focus on what’s it’s like to be a human being in Iraq. Readers get an understanding of what exactly soldiers have to go through, and the hypocrisy of the whole situation. For example, Colby writes:
“Another good example of when knowing some Arabic was helpful is when we were doing a dismounted foot patrol through a low-rent part of town or something and everybody was just staring at us uncomfortably, you’d just bust out the smile and the wave and say, ‘Salaam aleikum.’
“It would totally ease up a tense situation, make us not seem as threatening to them, and they’d smile back and say, ‘Aleikum salaam’ (the return greeting). And that barrier between you and them would kinda go away. Then you got one of your interpreters to politely ask them where the fuck are those goddamn weapons caches that I know you fuckers are hiding?”
It’s moments like these that really hit you hard. Colby’s more than honest, he’s blunt. And that characteristic can be felt in the emotions created by Colby’s truths; the fact that the truth isn’t mitigated makes them all the stronger. Time and time again, Colby will tell us what the Army wants civilians to know and then and goes and tells us what they don’t want civilians to know. Such moments are so pervasive that My War sort of makes CBS News seem like a work of fiction.
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Rehann Rheel was a Fall 2011 Shaking intern.
