Customer Reviews

Inside the Wire: A Military Intelligence Soldier's Eyewitness Account of Life at Guantánamo

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

Erik Saar's book is a very breezy, informative read, and seems to me to accurately reflect the duties, skill levels and personal attitudes of military linguists and interrogators and the atmosphere of two American prison facilities I have seen.

The scenarios in the prologue brought many smiles to this reader, a former Army and Air Force linguist trained 30 years earlier than Saar. I had to chuckle when reading the reader reviews critical of Saar's Arabic language skills. An incredibly difficult language, much harder than the languages of Southeast Asia which fell to me and my generation. Saar tells us in his book that he had his fair share of trouble during language training. Who did not? I've had very brief and disappointing experiences inside one of our prisons in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, and never once saw an American who could interrogate at a professional level in Arabic or Pashto, not one. There must be a few out there, but they are rare creatures. We are doing the best we can in a war for which we were almost totally unprepared. I'm hoping that one of the brilliant Titan ethnic Iraqi or Afghan naturalized American citizens who carry the heavy interpreter burden will write his own memoirs about the trials and tribulations of assisting in these interrogations. These interpreters and native speakers have stories that will knock your socks off when compared to those told by young interrogators. The contract interpreters hold the true key insights into our by now well-recognized failures in the war on terror, and our failure to investigate their reactions disappoints me deeply. Saar does mention these contract linguists, and clearly has learned much from his association with them.

I see nothing in Saar's story that rings untrue. The spotless reputation of the FBI in regard to prisoner handling and enlightened interrogation strategies is still intact, and I would hope that any American who reads the internal FBI complaints which came out of Guantanamo has come to accept by now that our efforts have fallen short of the mark. [They always do fall short in many ways; perhaps that is easier for us older and more jaded veterans to recognize and admit.]

The appendix of "Inside the Wire" is a good collection of key policy documents which help us understand some of the origins of this debacle.

Erik Saar leaves me with the impression that he is a fine young man with a good heart, naive in the best and most traditional American way, expecting our actions in an ugly environment to match our declared American ideals and way of life. Sad to say, wars are not humane endeavors, precisely why we should undertake them only as last resort, so as not to bring ourselves down to our enemies' level. My personal feelings are that we would serve the long term goals of the United States much more effectively by treating these prisons as political reorientation facilities, viewing any information obtained as secondary to our primary goal of demonstrating by unfailing example to our prisoners what the American people truly stand for.

Any military prison is a complicated environment which arouses instinctive animal passions, reflexive brands of patriotism, bigotry, religious convictions both radical and reasonable, and deep-seated feelings of what is fair play and what is beyond the pale. Don't look for "heroism" in our interrogators or guards. Saar shows great insight into all of these diverse factors, and gives us detailed observations of the best and the worst of us at work at Guantanamo. Heroism in prison is reserved only for prisoners. Our prisoners who survived the abuses of the Vietnamese communists are our best example of that. The best any interrogator, interpreter, or guard can do is to remain human.

Erik Saar has made a contribution in the best way he could, and I admire his efforts and his service to our nation. I highly recommend "Inside the Wire" to anyone who understands that a sense of compassion and fair play is a prerequisite to being able to call oneself an American at heart, not merely an American by accident of birth.

First of all, I'm glad I read the book, as I was interested to find out more about the subject of the Army interrogations with the potential terrorist prisoners detained since 9/11. Evidently I read slower than those people who immediately posted their opinion, er, "review", the afternoon of Monday, May 02 -- the day this book came out. This is not a bulletin board discussion or open forum, where people write "Yankees suck", or "Sgt. So-and-so is this or that." It is a place for people to present a BOOK REVIEW. Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but one of the prerequisites for this sort of thing might be, oh say, reading the book. Sure, the internet allows people to present their ideas on almost anything imaginable, but it certainly seems that certain previous biased "reviewers" didn't let little things like reading, or the facts, stand in their way of their 1st amendment rights.

I was pleased with the author's first-person account of his experiences, which quickly brought me into the fold. It is a worthwhile read, and one for which I invite you to develop your own opinion, as well. Despite what certain people may fear is written (again, without reading the book), Mr. Saar does not advocate the prosecution of those who participated in these events, as they were only performing their duty under the guidelines (or lack thereof) provided; nor is he saying that what transpired is the "worst of the worst" itself, for example as compared to other interrogation proceedings in the armed forces and government agencies that have recently made the headlines. It was simply his experience.
As with many things in life, we need to be cautious of those with agendas, whether hidden, or plainly visible, such as certain early reviews here. However, it is clear from the book that Mr. Saar did not have an agenda, and in fact, the outcome and reality of the author's experiences at Gitmo were often in stark contrast to those publicized by the government and what was originally anticipated by the author. Mr. Saar wrote about his truth, and that is all that can be asked of anyone. To those who previously questioned "why didn't he come out with this earlier?", or "why didn't he approach his seniors in command?", I simply say, "read the book." It has been less than two years since Saar emerged from Gitmo, and in that relatively short time he had (a) come to the decision to write about his experiences, (b) applied for -- and received -- approval to write the book, directly from the Pentagon (this was absolutely legally necessary, and thus he could not have breached any disclosure agreements), (c) secured a publisher, which can often take even established writers several years, and (d) last but not least, actually written the near 300 pages I have in front of me.

A few other informed reviewers have written accurate descriptions of this book, so I will not bother to repeat essentially the same synopsis here. The bottom line is that you will not know whether you'll enjoy the book or not until you read it. Personally, I became more aware and was satisfied by the things I learned about being "Inside the Wire". Hopefully you'll read it and then establish your own informed opinion about the book -- not the author -- and feel free to post your review, as well.

I actually knew Saar, and want to let the reviewer named 'Mick' realize that he should not assume that Saar missed E-6 and was a bad soldier . . . or had an agenda. Saar was in a trainee status for HALF of his six years, and made E-5 soon after. He could have made E-6, but decided to ETS. He could have pushed to pin on E-6, but he knew he was leaving that year. He had the points.

Saar and I actually used to debate politics, and I was the rare Army Democrat, to his pro-Bush stance. I was shocked when he wrote the book, but it made it that much more credible. He did not have a liberal agenda/bone in him.

I gave the book 4 stars, because it was a rather short read. It is not a masterpiece, but I suggest it be read by those interested in an impartial opinion from a good American.

SSG J

Anybody with any interest at all in the war on terror needs to read this book. 9/11 was indeed a horrific tragedy but it is not a license to unlimited barbarity in response, as is happening in places like Abu Gharib and Guantanamo.

The sad thing is that 90% of us patriotic Americans will never even know of this dark underbelly of our nation's completely justified efforts to defend itself against terrorism, because they are so hopelessly brainwashed by our rightwing-manipulated corporate mass media, from Faux News to CNN and yes even The New York Times.

How sad that today the only decent source for truthful reporting on our own national policies and military actions is through the British and other foreign press sources, or through rare books like this one which predictably get smeared by online wingnuts and neofascist bloggers.

I read Erik Saar's book, Inside the Wire, cover to cover, within 24 hours of purchasing it. I am surprised that many of the reviews that have been posted immediately after its release could truly reflect any of the content of the book. Did these people really read it, or were they reacting to media publicity or predetermined opinions?
I found the book to be very readable, interesting, informative, and relevant to a situation that concerns many Americans and many people all over the world. Rather than condemning Mr. Saar for not speaking out earlier about his concerns, I believe that he should be congratulated for carefully gathering his facts, checking his sources, and compiling his information in a concise, well-written account that will serve to make the public aware of actions that are taking place in Guantanamo that are the antithesis of what we as Americans stand for.
Erik Saar relates his experiences as he lived them, and he also very clearly explains how his perceptions and attitudes changed with each new development that took place. He obviously has a strong moral outlook forged by his personal religious faith and honorable character traits. He obviously believes that he is "doing the right thing" by exposing the improprieties of the system of interrogation at Gitmo. I agree. The only way wrong methods are corrected is by bringing them to public attention and having them discussed and evaluated.
In several reviews Erik was attacked personally. In the book, if the attackers had taken the time to read it, they would have seen that he very clearly stated that the MPs, guards, interpreters, and interrogators all performed as well as could be expected under the difficult situations that they were in. He did not criticize the quality of work that these people produced. He questioned the appropriateness of the methods that were being used.
The book is worthy of reading by anyone interested in current affairs, moral issues, human interest, and a soldier's memoir.
I highly recommend the book.

Political debate in our country has devolved to such an our-team vs. your-team level of discourse that it's dangerous to simply tell the truth. Anyone who does is likely to be subjected to ad hominem character assasinations based on fabrications of convenience. I just bought this book today, and Erik Saar reads extremely credibly to me. His background is not that of someone out to trash the military, but of someone whose strong religious training and family tradition of military service have left a deep sense of what's good and honorable in our nation and its military. For Sgt. Saar to tell this story has been an act of patriotic courage, and I am grateful for his willingness to speak up.

One of the reviewers said the writing was like a tabloid-style. I don't find it so. Its first-person singular narrative voice is thankfully readable, but clear, clean, and certainly not trashy.

Given how weirdly off-the-mark some of these reviews are (many from people who don't use their names), I have to wonder if there's some kind of campaign to trash the book. If so, and if its goal is obstructing the informed debate so crucial to our nation's democratic capacity to self-correct errant policies, it's a sorry show of pseudo-patriotism.

I find it interesting that so many people make so many negative comments when the book has only been on sale just over 24 hours. Hmmmm... That leads me to question the veracity of the some of the knee-jerk reactions I'm reading.

I firmly believe most of you are reacting to TV accounts/interviews and are voicing opinions on a book YOU HAVEN'T EVEN READ. I've just started the book, as I picked up my copy yesterday, and I've been unable to put it down because I find the writing compelling and the points made very, very credible.

While I haven't finished the entire book, I believe it takes great courage to stand up and say what one believes, particularly when the authors must have known some of you would speak first and read later (or not at all). I consider SGT Saar a hero. First for serving and second for having the courage to stand up to folks like you and tell his story.

P.S. It's "Miracle Whip," not "Miracle Wipe."

If you are even remotely interested in the subject, you should read this book. I found it easy to read and informative. Erik Saar tells a story starting as an American soldier who volunteers to serve his country on the war of terror, with little information on what it was going to be like to be in Guantanamo, to someone who moves through various stages of involvement at the actual prison camp. No matter what your views of Guantanamo are, you will find this an interesting and quick read.

Finally, an American soldier who served at Gitmo has the guts to come forward and describe what he saw there. Unlike the carefully staged interrogations performed for VIPS, Saar witnessed the real thing, and it haunts him--sadistic and ineffective treatment of detainees; bizarre, sexual humilitations and torture. This is a fascinating, beautifully-written book that you won't be able to put down.

At long last we have a book about what is really happening in Guantanamo by an person who has seen the inside of this place and has the courage and patriotism to write about it. Whether you agree or disagree with the decision to go to war in Iraq, whether you are pro- or anti-Bush, this book will help you decide whether America, a country which is built on the rule of law and the firm belief in due process, should be running such a place as Gitmo.

For me the book help me with the big puzzle of Gitmo. How could America which for years complained--correctly so--about the conditions POWs were held by the N orth Vietnam, actually run a prison camp which was very similar? We compained that the Red Cross had no access to the Hanoi Hitlon, now we are doing the same.

But don't believe me. Read the book and decide.

Thanks.