Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq [Hardcover]

Michael Anthony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 2009

From the Introduction:?Look around,? the drill sergeant said. ?In a few years, or even a few months, several of you will be dead. Some of you will be severely wounded or so badly mutilated that your own mother can?t stand the sight of you. And for the real unlucky ones, you will come home so emotionally disfigured that you wish you had died over there.?It was Week 7 of Basic Training . . . 18 years old and I was preparing myself to die.

They say the Army makes a man out of you?but for 18-year-old SPC Michael Anthony, that fabled rite of passage proved a very dark journey. After soliciting his parents? approval to enlist at only 17, Anthony began his journey with an unshakeable faith in the military born of his family?s long tradition of service. But when thrust into a medical unit of misfits as lost as he was, SPC Anthony not only witnessed the unspeakable horror of war?but the undeniable misconduct of the military?firsthand. Everything he ever believed in dissolved, forcing Anthony to rethink his loyalties, and ultimately risk his career?and his freedom?to challenge the military he had so firmly believed in.

This searing memoir chronicles the iconic experiences that changed one young soldier forever. A seasoned veteran before the age of twenty-one, he faced the truth about the war?and himself?in this shocking and unprecedented eyewitness account.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. When SPC Anthony joined the Army at 18, he went in with high hopes and sterling ideals; coming from a family with a proud military background, Anthony expected to meet mentors, heroes and lifelong friends while earning money for college and becoming a man. What he discovered was a disenchanting web of mundane corruption and self-serving lies. Unlike accounts exposing the military's most shameful iniquities, Anthony's memoir focuses on an endless parade of petty offenses-the cowardice, drug addiction, thievery, adultery and rampant hypocrisy-he found while working in a base hospital. Relentlessly honest and reflective, Anthony's record communicates perfectly the stranglehold of sadness, fear and disappointment that came with his lost innocence; just as worse is his eventual acceptance of the pointless, dysfunctional bureaucracy maintaining the status quo. Avoiding the intensity of the battlefield and the OR itself, Anthony's frustrations resonate with the feelings of any young man learning about the nature of authority and his helplessness before it. Readers curious about the human side of the ongoing Iraqi conflict will be struck by Anthony's strong voice, direct storytelling and stark honesty.

Review

"A raw, honest narrative by a young soldier thrust into an atmosphere that demanded care for the wounded, yet seemingly deprived of leaders who understood their role was to help, and not to be self-absorbed." -- Bing West, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; Author of The Village and No True Glory

"I was moved by Michael's very personal account of life in Iraq and the wisdom he gained in that crucible--including not to salute if I ever find myself in a war zone." -- Susan N. Herman, President, American Civil Liberties Union; Centennial Professor of Law

"Michael Anthony introduces us to an alien world that is unimaginable unless experienced--or witnessed--through the author's eyes and pain, and youthful, matter-of-fact wisdom. It is hard to read about the unexpected casualties of war, but Michael takes us on an unforgettable personal journey as filled with humor as it is with horror." -- Philip G. Zimbardo, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

"Michael Anthony's memoir is not about the politics of Iraq. Instead it takes up deep inside the war, inside and outside the operation room, the barracks, the talk of the soldiers, the feeling of the situation...unique and powerful." --HOWARD ZINN, Author of A People's History of the United States

"Riddled with very dark humor, Mass Casualties is M*A*S*H absent the lightheartedness. For those who love war stories, this should be mandatory reading." --Gary Hart, United States Senator

Much will be written about the Iraq War in years to come, but it's difficult to envision any of it ever topping Michael Anthony's Mass Casualties. The book is subtitled A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception and Dishonor in Iraq, but even that does little justice to Anthony's raw, unfiltered look at the heartache and misery he found himself surrounded by. Anthony's one-year tour was spent alternately dodging mortar fire and spending long, sleep-deprived hours in operating rooms where medical teams struggled frantically to stitch similarly young lives back together. All the staples of war from classics like The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien or A Rumor of War by Phillip Caputo are here, from the disillusionment to the mind-numbing detachment to the utterly pointless political infighting. The difference is those books were at least mostly fiction, while Anthony's real-life tale is presented in riveting diary form. Slight, short and to the point, Mass Casualties is destined to become a classic of its kind. Anthony's prose is draped in caution, a warning sign flashed before the eyes of the jingoistic sensibilities of those who strut their patriotism before a curtain of deferments. -- AuthorMagazine.org, October 2009

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media; 1 edition (October 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440501831
• ISBN-13: 978-1440501838
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Anthony spent six years in the U.S. Army, including a yearlong deployment to Iraq. He first became an author at the age of 23, publishing a memoir of his time spent overseas; detailing a unit of zany misfits and the hijinks they found themselves in, the book received praise and endorsements from several U.S. war heroes, U.S. senators, world famous historians, psychologists, and NYT best-selling authors. His additional publishing credits include a children's book, and a non-fiction book containing works written only by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. He now spends his free time volunteering with veteran groups and working on his writing.

Anthony holds a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing (Bridgewater State University, 2012).

www.MassCasualties.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The unedited truth about Army deployments November 13, 2009

By M. ARMSTRONG

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book relays the experiences of a soldier deployed to war in a way that only a vetern can portray. I was unable to put the book down from start to finish. I knew all of the stories before they were told, because I lived them. Yet I found myself unable to set the book aside as I was drawn in by Anthony's unique story telling abilities. I had high expectations about where this book would go. I wanted to re-live my memories without censorship, without being politically correct. Reading this book fealt as though I were reading my own journal; a journal which Anthony had prepared just for me. Although some of the stories seem too crazy to be true, I can assure you they are honest accounts of where our deployment took us. From the unstable leadership, to the drug-induced sleep, every story is exactly how I had remembered it. I'm proud to have served with Anthony, and I'm proud of the courage he had to put this book out there for people to see. (Just as he had warned fellow soldiers about the dangers of a questionable vaccine). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the truth about modern combat.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Stress and Consequences February 27, 2010

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Michael Anthony has published his journal recorded during his year in Iraq serving as a medic in the midst of the worse than bizarre war being played out around him. The book is a journal written with fine graphics dividing the entries by hours in the days in the weeks in the months of his tour of duty - all bound by the barbed wire that so aptly describes the imprisonment felt by those serving in a position for a given period of time to perform despite the belief in the cause. This writing technique serves Anthony well: he is freed from the literary confines of connecting incidents, minutes/hours/days, into a flowing story - the entries do that for him.

What we learn from this young writer (of very great promise!) is not so much about the particular war in Iraq, but instead about what happens in every war in which civilians serve in the medical capacity. The flow of information is more about the interaction of the various members who comprise the OR team - the docs, the medics, the techs, the nurses, the true military personnel who command the actions away from the OR table - than it is about the war itself. Anthony introduces the friends he makes, the enemies he encounters, the pecking order of those in charge, the 'illegal activities' that are commonplace, the addictions, the chronic lack of sleep, and that most difficult hurdles of all - the agony of seeing young bodies both American and Iraqi torn by shrapnel and commonplace explosions. We feel Anthony's grief and disillusionment while we are sifting through his own addiction to sleeping pills, his only way to rest from the trauma and the at times exceeding boredom of the day....

So what Michael Anthony has achieved in MASS CASUALTIES is an insider's (literally) account of being a medic in a war that grows ever more unpopular with each day. It is timely and it is well written. If the reader expects to discover significant information about the actual war strategies and atmosphere on the battlefield of Iraq, then this is not the book to read. But for a fine account of how the days pass while imprisoned by a war game far from home, Anthony captures that beautifully Grady Harp, February 10 Read more ›

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opener, a superb read September 30, 2009

By P. Askedall

Format:Hardcover

I am drawn to a soldier's memoirs not only because I'm a warrior at heart, but it tells the experience and emotions during their tours overseas, educating one in a lifestyle very different from the one that too many people take for granted. Specialist Michael Anthony's book lacks no sharing of that experience and those emotions. Whether it was connecting with his thoughts and humor throughout, or relating to his very-much-human sentiment, I just could not put this book down and actually read it all the way through. I was pulled in and wanted to know what happened next. It really is a phenomenal read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars First Hand Look At The War Through A Medic POV November 14, 2009

By Henry Carrasco

Format:Hardcover

I just finished reading this book, literally couldn't put the book down. Michael really gives a raw point of view of HIS war experience.

This book is better than any story I've ever read, better than Harry Potter. Michael Anthony doesn't hide any emotion. He expresses every emotion he has at any given time. From thoughts of death to the memories of friends, Michael Anthony gives you an experience you'll never forget.

Every page, every line, every bit of ink is pure gold. Michael Anthony is not worried about what people may think, this is HIS story, these are actual encounters he had in Iraq. It's as if you are reading directly from his journal he kept.

Michael Anthony survived Iraq, and I don't know if I could of done the same. I recommend this book 100%.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars War is Hell October 25, 2009

By Don Emmerich

Format:Hardcover

Anyone thinking about going into the military would do well to read Michael Anthony's memoir, Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq. While the title might suggest that this is the work of some renegade peacenik, another soldier-turned-antiwar-activist, Anthony in fact seems proud of his military service, and he never criticizes the US mission in Iraq. Not that any of that matters. Mass Casualties isn't about the politics of war. It's simply what it claims to be, a memoir, one soldier's remembrance of his time in Iraq.

A natural storyteller, Anthony populates his book with memorable characters, some loveable, some not so loveable. There's Denti, a fellow operating room medic. "Denti's always been a storyteller, and I quickly learned to never believe anything he says, including the fact that he was a pimp, a drug dealer, gang member, and a weightlifting power-lifter--he says he only joined the Army because he wanted to get away from the hectic lifestyle." There's also Gagney, the staff sergeant in charge of the operating room who's not exactly the world's most gracious loser. "Then a month ago Gagney, Reto, Denti, and I were playing Risk, a game of global domination. I had an alliance with Reto, and we attacked Gagney's armies. Gagney flipped out, knocked the game board over, called us all `f***ing idiot cheaters,' and stormed off."

One can't read Mass Casualties without at some point being reminded of M*A*S*H. People are often joking around. People are often--okay, usually--okay, almost always--having sex--lots and lots of sex. But, more to the point, nobody wants to be there. This isn't summer camp. This is the Army. This is war.... And everyone knows that at any given moment his life could come to a sudden, tragic end.

The more we read, the more we realize that the practical jokes and adulterous escapades are really just a desperate attempt to create some sense of normalcy. But, of course, normalcy can't be created in the hellishness of war. No matter how hard Anthony and his cohorts try to escape the horrors of their present reality, there they find themselves, operating on a soldier who's just had his face blown off, running into a bunker as mortar rockets rain down from the sky. "When I close my eyes," Anthony writes, "I dream of death and war. When I open my eyes I see death and war. I blink and as my eyes close I see images of death, and as they flutter open I see death--there is no escaping it."

Many who went to Iraq undoubtedly had it worse than Anthony. Indeed, his experience appears to have been a relatively good one. (Let me stress the word relatively.) And this is precisely why those wanting to join the military should read Mass Casualties. Because, as Anthony so masterfully illustrates, war thrusts all of its participants, even those who don't end up getting shot full of holes, into a situation that the human psyche is simply not equipped to handle.

Contrary to what most eighteen-year-olds think, war isn't like a game of Halo. It's certainly nothing like the latest Army recruitment video. And to make matters worse, the military is largely run by a bunch of self-absorbed, even sadistic, people who don't seem to give a damn about those serving under them. At one point, Anthony describes how a colonel postpones treating a severely wounded soldier so he can finish attending an awards ceremony. Another time, the unit's officers refuse to send a suicidal soldier away to receive the care he needs, fearing that doing so might make them look bad.

Yes, the military might "make you a man," that is, if you come back alive. But, as Mass Casualties demonstrates, as the record number of soldiers returning home with drug and alcohol addictions, with brain damage, with PTSD and other mental disorders, can testify, it's also likely to destroy you. Read more ›