Victory Denied: Everything You Know About Iraq Is Wrong! [Paperback]

Roger Aeschliman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2007

"Everything you know about Iraq is wrong" is more than just the sub-title of the startling upbeat memoir "Victory Denied." It is the truth. The war in Iraq IS over, the insurgency is reeling from hammer-blows and Iraq's future is bright. What's wrong in Iraq is the American national media reporting only the worst of the worst, day after day, ignoring every iota of good news and improvements in the country. "Victory Denied" takes you all over Iraq as a part of the Joint Visitors Bureau official dignitary escort team, into meetings with US and Iraqi Generals, US and Iraqi governmental officials, Iraqi citizens, and the soldiers who are there getting the job done. It is a remarkable memoir, written boots-on-the-ground by a deployed Kansas Army National Guardsman with a professional background in media, government and politics. These skills served him well as he navigated the halls of the US Embassy in Baghdad, crossed vast deserts to opulent palaces, and toured up the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to the very borders of Iran and Syria, dodging diplomats and Congressional aides as well as bullets. Even more it is the personal and moving story of an American soldier leaving home to do his duty when called. Aeschliman is erudite and thoughtful - a true renaissance man - writing as eloquently on the diverse subjects of history, botany, zoology, astronomy, sociology, philosophy and religion, as well as military affairs and current events. Additionally this book is a love story, a deeply touching account of a husband, father, son, and community leader in love with his wife, children, parents and his city, state and the United States of America. "Victory Denied" will shock the public discourse over Iraq and will change the face of our 2008 Presidential campaign.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roger T. Aeschliman served as the chief of the Joint Visitors' Bureau in Iraq in 2006, leading security operations for dignitaries entering the war zone and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service. He is a Lieutenant Colonel and an Armor officer in the Kansas Army National Guard and, as a civilian, is a noted Trust Officer for CoreFirst Bank & Trust of Kansas. A Journalism and Political Science graduate of Kansas State University, he also holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas and is a graduate of the Army's Command and General Staff College. Initially an award-winning newspaper reporter, he later served as Director of Communications for the Kansas Republican Party, then Chief of Staff for the Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives, and then the deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Human Resources. Throughout these postings he was responsible for marketing and training campaigns at the state and national level and also wrote extensively for education, government and military professional journals. While deployed, in addition to these reports about the Iraq War, he also wrote a series of silly poems for his children and a children's novel about the great tsunami of 2004, sending one chapter home at a time. Aeschliman is married to the most wonderful human being on the face of the earth and is the proud father of two once perfect children who tragically became teenagers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (December 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434348946
• ISBN-13: 978-1434348944
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the truth from someone who was there, January 25, 2008

By 

Pat J. Vanhooser "patvan2000" (North Augusta, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Victory Denied: Everything You Know About Iraq Is Wrong! (Paperback)

Thank you Roger for putting a face on the Iraq War and the Americans who are trying to fight it inspite of the left wing press. You can listen to so-called pundits every night on the news spouting their point of view. But this book comes from someone on the ground. I know the author and he is no one's fool. If this were a lost cause he would quietly do his job and then just come home. Read it and see for yourself. Thank you to a patriot and a hero.

5.0 out of 5 stars American by Birth, Soldier by Choice, Volunteer By God, April 26, 2008

By 

John C. Heinley (Olympia, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Victory Denied: Everything You Know About Iraq Is Wrong! (Paperback)

This book is not your typical war-novel but a collection of letters, observations, and notes about the author's experience in Iraq. Roger was blessed with the chance to see Iraq as it is, which includes the good things we're doing there as well as the heartbreak of soldiers lost in combat. The book helps the reader see how we who get our news about Iraq only from the media aren't getting the full story.

Even if a given reporter doesn't have a liberal bias, good things will often be ignored as reporters gravitate toward explosions, killings, scandal, and other 'real' news. That's why the title is Victory Denied. We have gained victory in Iraq, just as a surgeon can claim success in the operating room but may have to fight infection afterwards. The book shows how the whole story is about so much more than the 'infection' posed by numerous groups in Iraq who won't accept others being free.

I may be one of the few people who were able to buy this book at all. My thanks to Roger Aeschliman for sharing his story, his feelings, and his perspective as an Army Officer.