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Questions for Jay Kopelman
Amazon.com: Before you met Lava and had this experience smuggling him out of Iraq, did you ever have ambitions to write a book?
Jay Kopelman: Yes, I'd considered writing a book previously and have started--but not finished--a novel. Not surprisingly, it's a military murder mystery. And I'm still hoping to get it published. I've also been offered a deal by my publisher to write another book. So I guess I'm now officially an author.
Amazon.com: How has the military responded to it given that you broke a number of rules during your adventure with Lava?
Jay Kopelman: I've actually not had any real feedback from the military establishment. In fact, mostly I only get the good-natured ribbing from my contemporaries about how much money I'll make or about who will play me in the movie. When the story first broke a year and a half ago, one of the generals jokingly asked me for an autograph, and I've given the previous commanding general for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force a signed galley. So, thus far, theres been nothing "official" to which I've had to respond. We'll see what happens now that the book is released and there's going to be a media blitz surrounding the book. What you have to remember, though, is that I really didn't use military assets to get Lava home. Nor did I ever endanger anyone in the military while doing so.
Amazon.com: In the book, you say that you would like it if it can bring hope to people who've lost loved ones in Iraq by showing them how something positive can come out of a brutal situation. Have you heard from people that your book has made them feel better?
Jay Kopelman: I've not yet heard from anyone whos lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, but I have heard from a counselor who works with the returning Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, who said she finds the story so very positive and helpful. She's planning to come to the book signing there. I also got an e-mail from a Marine who said that while her unit was in Iraq, they adopted a puppy and tried to bring it home, but he was ultimately put down. She says that the Marines "remember how Charlie the dog helped us. Charlie will always be loved. During a time when we were far from home that dog made us smile." So, I suppose Lava's story does help people remember and gives them hope. Ive also heard from people who appreciate my candor describing the conditions in Iraq.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
108 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent combination of war memoir and dog story,
By
This review is from: From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava (Hardcover)
I received an advance copy of From Baghdad, With Love for review at Bookslut.com. I expected it to be a very heartwarming story about a soldier trying to save a stray puppy from Iraq and it certainly is that kind of book but I was surprised to find also an excellent war memoir here - the sort of book about Iraq that I don't think we have seen nearly enough of. The author is an active duty marine but he manages not to overly politicize his story - amazingly this is the sort of book that will appeal to those who both support and oppose the war. More than anything though it is just about how it is over there - how utterly insane it is - for US troops and civilians. On top of all of that it is also about why saving an animal in Iraq could mean so much to a soldier, something that I imagine few Americans realize is even happening everyday.
From Baghdad, With Love is a wonderful surprise and will equally appeal to both male and female readers. It is a sure bet for dog lovers but beyond that, for anyone trying to understand the impact the situation in Iraq is having on our soliders (and that means all of Americans), this should be viewed as critical reading.
70 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A remarkable story that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking,
By Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava (Hardcover)
When Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman walks down the hallway of a compound housing U.S. Marines in Fallujah, Iraq, he's startled by a noise. He shouts and raises his gun, his nerves still on edge from having just patrolled the dangerous streets of a city in the grip of violence. His adversary? A five-week-old stray puppy. "There's fear in his eyes despite the bravado," writes Kopelman in FROM BAGHDAD, WITH LOVE. "He's only a puppy, too young to know how to mask it, so I can see how bravery and terror trap him on all sides while testosterone and adrenaline compete in the meantime for every ounce of his attention. Recognize it right away."
The "little outlaw" has been named Lava in a nod to the nickname of his rescuers' regiment --- the 1st battalion, 3rd Marines, otherwise known as the Lava Dogs. In a breach of military policy, the Lava Dogs have been secretly caring for the tiny canine. "The newest grunt" has been "de-flead with kerosene, de-wormed with chewing tobacco, and pumped full of MREs [Meals Ready to Eat]." Although the soldiers enjoy Lava's energetic company and take comfort in the routine of caring for him, Kopelman included, they avoid talking about what will become of the puppy when they move on. And then something happens. Perhaps it's when Lava falls asleep head first in Kopelman's boots. Or maybe it's the morning he wakes up to find Lava curled in a ball at the bottom of his sleeping bag. "Once I decide to save Lava," Kopelman says, "it becomes an unprogrammable mission I don't have the smarts to reassign or the guts to walk away from." What begins is Kopelman's five-month effort to get Lava out of Iraq and into the United States, no small feat in a war-torn country where red tape runs deep and the well-being of one dog is of little consequence except to the few who have come to care for the "cute but fairly drastic breach of military law." What is truly remarkable is that even after Kopelman leaves Iraq, the wheels keep turning to get Lava out of the country, thanks to a group of people determined to complete the mission. Along with Kopelman's first-person account, in which he conveys the harsh realities of life in Iraq, are the stories of those who worked to help him bring Lava home. There is Sergeant Matt Hammond, a Marine recovering from life-threatening wounds who looked after Lava when Kopelman was transferred to another base, and who later arranged a special convoy to take the pup to Baghdad; Anne Garrels, an NPR journalist who sheltered Lava in Baghdad's dangerous Red Zone; "Sam," an Iraqi who risked his life obtaining vaccination papers (and dog biscuits) for Lava; and John Van Zante, director of public relations at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in California, who wonders "what the heck possessed a three-tour, tough-guy Marine to try to save a little puppy in the middle of a war." Indeed, with death and destruction rampant in Iraq, why should the fate of a single puppy be of much importance? In the pages of FROM BAGHDAD, WITH LOVE, Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman shares his and Lava's remarkable story --- one that is heartwarming and heartbreaking, inspiring and candid. Kopelman explains how and why, in the midst of war, he forged a life-altering friendship with "a mangy little mutt." --- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heart Rending,
By Drill Sgt "Beastee Boys Mom" (Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava (Hardcover)
I was looking for a technical book and just happened to see the cover of this book. I'm a veteran, so I took a chance and bought it. I sat down at 8 p.m. with the book thinking I'd read myself to sleep. At 2 a.m. I finished the book. I laughed, cried, cringed and cried some more. What a great story. I was with the Marines for four years and totally know how "gungy" they are. I also know they are big "boys" with big hearts. I've recommended it to everyone I know.
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