Customer Reviews

Will They Ever Trust Us Again

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

I am not an alleged soldier. I did write an email to Michael Moore, and gave him express permission to use portions of my email in this book. I felt compelled to respond to the reviewer who implied that I am not a real veteran of the Iraqi war and the 'war on terrorism.'

I wrote a letter to Mr. Moore after I returned from Iraq because when I was sent to Iraq in March 2003 and throughout my ten months of service in Baghdad I was extremely upset at fighting a war that was not necessary. When I and my comrades signed up for the Armed Forces we knew war was a possibility, but we trusted that our government and our leaders would only call upon us to risk our lives if war was absolutely necessary and only as a last resort. The Iraq war was not absolutely necessary and was not waged as a measure of last resort. Mr. Moore's recent documentary seemed to echo my sentiment, so I wrote him with some of my thoughts. You will now find some of these thoughts in his book.

Please at least flip through this book in the bookstore, if you can find it. We are real soldiers, and we are really upset at being used in a war that shouldn't be. I wouldn't expect the book to be filled with those soldiers and officers who support the war; generally, a lot of us at one point or another have had to convince ourselves that the war is necessary and good, which is sometimes the only way to keep yourself going. What you will see in the book are those us of who have stopped lying to ourselves, those of us who are now home, and some of us who were lucky enough to get out of the military so we can stop being pawns in a game we don't belong in.

I was lucky to find my way out of the military through special exceptions to stop loss policies, but many members of the military are looking at endless deployments with little time at home with their families; our military is stretched extremely thin, and I am very concerned that if we as a country ever really need the might of our military it won't be there for us.

-Andrew Balthazor

I have read the book as I am interested in the troops. The book is not about Moore, its about the men and women who are serving or have served all over the world. Some of the letters are from officers, but mostly from the average soldier. The book also encludes the thoughts of their families.

The people who fight for our nation do not have a voice. The press doesn't report about them unless they are killed, and usualy not a name unless they are beheaded.

Our troops are real people who have a story to tell. I suggest you listen.

Dear Haters of Michael Moore,

I want you to know that I am one of the people featured in this book. I was contacted directly by Michael Moore's Personal assistant who was helping him in the compilation of the book. This was following my 12 May 2004 Nationwide UNPAID Article entitled "West Point Graduate and Disabled Desert Storm Veteran Speaks Out Against Iraq Occupation".

He very courteously asked me if I would allow Michael to publish either that or another article I had published in 9 states. It kind of reminded me how I have read from a number of families of soldiers and marines killed in Iraq who received no contact whatsoever from ANY administration officials after their sons deaths in Iraq. YET, they did get personal phone calls from John Kerry. I bet that makes you Bush Worshippers sick at your stomach to know that this commander in chief had not attended the funeral of a single deceased Iraqi Vet the last time I researched that in June.

To him Commander in Chief means as he stated at the War College Speech in May. "If more troops are needed I will send them" Shortly thereafter he said that it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. It reminded me of Lord Fahrquad in SHREK 1 when he reminded his troops that some of them would die but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Some speechwriter really screwed that one up, but just ask yourself WHAT LEVEL OF SACRIFICE will this President allow to get his "safe for democracy Iraq", his Safe For American Corporations and Oil Barons Iraq. That is what this is about and do not forget it!

I gave my permission to be in the book and added a caption specifically requesting for readers to vote and do what it takes to prevent a second Bush term on November 2nd. I also had a requirement for Michael Moore to note the dates of my articles and their context of being published just before the President's War College speech--which was nothing new--once again.

I don't care how Brian or others feel about Michael Moore. I have ordered the book before I get my own copy and will be reading it starting next Tuesday because I am curious to see how eloquent --those who don't have to spend all of their time lying to cover up bigger lies (The Bush Administration)-- can be.. I give it 5 stars because I am one of the authors the way I see it and it is people like Brian and the presently deceived Bush Wing of the Republican Party that do not want the voices of soldiers and their families heard. Ronald Reagan never would have let this get out of hand--he would have been intelligent about it and not driven by greed, oil, connections, or grudges against Saddam. He simply would have done what was right--that is why I left the Republican Party and you Moore haters are stuck in the Bushes.

5 stars for the way Mr. Moore and his crew sought the permission of me and my friends to get the truth out about this miserable continuation of the war in Iraq--A WAR THAT WAS WON IN APRIL 2003--and is being lost by an oil driven administration that wants a puppet oil province and really does not seem to think that victory in the war on terror is very important...at least not for the next 20 or 30 years as Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld have all stated they think this could last.

I SAY THAT IS TOTAL BS!!! IF THIS COUNTRY WAS MOBILIZED IN MANPOWER AND TRAINED TO REALLY FIGHT THIS WAR WE WOULD SQUASH AL QAEDA AND ANY TERRORIST REGIME LIKE BUGS IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR. BUT THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN WITH YOUR PRESIDENT AND HIS TAX EVADING BIG OIL BUDDIES RUNNING THIS COUNTRY.

Read the book, I have reviewed a number of the entries and I put my faith in its real authors; not the deceivers of this presidency who want to shut down any voice of opposition.

5 stars.

Having sat here and read the reviews for this book I am deeply disturbed by people who claim support for our men and women in uniform who are posting negative reviews of this book, regardless of how you feel about Michael Moore the letters are not written by him, Just because you feel that these letters do not represent the majority does that mean no one should listen to what they are saying. In the interest of fairness, I wrote a letter to Michael that appears in this book, I wrote it to him because no one in the mainstream "liberal" media wants to hear what the other side has to say. I would suggest to people that if you have enough time on your hands to actively seek out a book you haven't read to give it a bad review and you actively support this "president" and this war, The armed forces are looking for a few good men and women like you.

It makes you know that supporting our troops means more than sticking a flag on your car or a "support our troops" sign. I was so moved, I went to www.booksforsoldiers.com and sent three care packages.

Far more blunt about its subject than anything you'll find on network television, in TIME or Newsweek, or in your hometown paper, this book ought to be read by everyone who thinks they know the cost of war. That's because the words in it are not the half-truths of campaigners for public office. Nor are they the ramblings of diplomats and press secretaries. These are the unedited gripes of ordinary twenty-somethings who have been carted halfway across the globe to watch their peers be maimed-or killed and shipped home in body bags. Gathered in this book, their voices create an unsettling murmur; one that is growing and demanding a response. "We're pawns in a deadly game of chess," they seem to say. "We're being sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed and political ambition."
In post-September 11 America, many people consider such sentiments dangerous. Good citizens close their ears to the whisperings of dissent. God Bless America. Support Our Troops.
Ironically, safe as the latter slogan may seem, it's so vague that it can mean almost anything. Support the troops by sending over more? Support the troops by bringing them home? As it is, neither is likely to happen soon. For one thing, the Pentagon is running out of trained personnel; for another, there aren't any signs of a pullout on the horizon.
The troops you'll meet in Will They Ever Trust Us Again? offer a third alternative: Support the troops by listening to what they have to say about Iraq. Sadly, many people won't ever get to do that once they find out who compiled it. But this book is not about Michael Moore, and not (strictly speaking) even by him. Nor is it about the Bush family, or the Saudis, or Election Day. It's about something much deeper and more essential, and it's captured with unconscious eloquence in this response from a mother of two toddlers. Her husband was sent to Iraq in January, and his twelve-month tour has been extended by another six. In addition, his leave for this year was recently cancelled. She writes: "Dear Michael... Thank you for pissing a lot of people off with the truth. Thank you for showing the pain that comes with war."

Just finished the book and just sent out a few books on Booksforsoldiers.com. Does this sound like a traitor or a lefty that wants to harm America?? These letters are what the USA should be reading before election day. After reading them l, I would never want any family to have to offer up a son or daughter for a something that wasn't a direct threat to the US. All those who are so gung-ho about fighting this war should offer up their sons and daughters and then see the kind of mail they get back from them. The letters in this book are gut wrenching and dare anyone to call these people un-American.

A firsthand account on what is truly happening in Iraq. Critics & Moore-haters can degrade his documentaries & published books, but what can they say about this particular one? These are the words of servicemen & women who are screaming their disapproval of this war we've been led into w/out reason. Most have lost faith they once had in our last elected (?) Commander-In-Chief, wanting Nov. 2nd to come quicker than it actually is. Truly a masterful collection of letters, speaking nothing but the truth. I salute Michael Moore for sharing these with the American people. This is a monumental book.

This book in an amazing book, becasue it is written by soldiers themselves confirming many things in Fahreinheit 911. Not just soldiers, but men of the higher ranks, mothers, spouses, family of deceased men and women. They were not given adequate armorment, they had shortages of simple things like water, they witnessed other soldiers hatred of all iraqis, even if they werent the enemy. These are voices from the war, voices that think the war is unjust, some concealing their names for safety reasons, some disclosing their names for all to see that they spoke out. A war that will go into history as a calamity similar to vietnam. These are soldiers who feel betrayed by our president, a president bent on thriving corporate interests, who wanted iraq only a day after 9-11 began. The letters express hatred, anguish, fear, but overall- betrayal. A medic didnt have enough scrubs to wear and clean while operating on soldiers wounded in battle, so the mother and a friend make them and send them to the unit. A soldier writes about his interactions with iraqis, " we pick up rocks before patrol for the kids that will no doubt be throwing them at us."
Soldiers are told to run over anyone threatening on the roads, while most run to the roads begging for food or a handout. Most just feel that they had gone to a just war, but after time it felt much different, they didnt want them there, the soldiers didnt know their mission. The worst letter to me was a soldier who came home with post traumatic stress disorder, but a high rank captain told him not to go home and cry about PTSD, you can get over that by going to the bar and downing some drinks, he was made to feel like a wimp if he needed help. The soldier ended up killing himself. I definitely recommend this book to anyone with a soul, something Brian who gave the book a 1 star doesnt have. You are a moron!!!!!

An e-mail I sent to Mr. Moore is included in this book ("My Brother Would Have Preferred A Quick Death"). About a year before he died, my brother Chip and I got into a heated discussion about a certain military policy- one which I disagree with. Though he disagreed with my opinion on the matter, he said to me "Anne, what have you done? Who have you written? Have you contacted any of your elected politicians? If you have done nothing, then you have nothing to complain about." Before we removed him from the vent and as he lay with little brain function, I promised him I'd do something. That I wouldn't let his death go unnoticed by our military, the government, or its people. I have chosen a pen and paper as my weapons. I thank Mr. Moore for giving those of us who have been forever affected by this horrible war a voice--which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for the current administration, the Veterans Administation, or many of our elected officials in Congress. They want us silenced- Mr. Moore gives us a podium. I find the reviews that attack Mr. Moore and his opinion almost comical for, if you have read the book, you would know the heart of this book isn't created through Mr. Moore's words--it is created through ours-- the soldiers and the families who've lost so much. As Chip would tell you if he was still alive, to ask questions and to voice your opinion isn't unpatriotic-- these are the very rights he believed he was fighting for by joining the Marine Corps.