Interview With Iraq War Veteran And Author Melia Meichelbock

The 33-year-old marketing manager and mother-to-be recently turned her war writings into a book. “In the Company of Soldiers” is the story of her time in Iraq.

Meichelbock took the time for an exclusive email Q&A with BrooWaha to discuss being separated from her unit, a poignant moment while frisking an Iraqi woman and the important role females play in the military.

BrooWaha: When were you in Iraq and what was your position?

Melia: My position was a Civil Affairs Specialist (civil assistance, rebuilding efforts, elections, etc...). We meet with the local leaders to... (more)

Tags: iraq veteran

Iraq Movies: Why They Fail

In his latest column, NY Times Op-ed writer Frank Rich gets it wrong (as usual) when talking about Iraq. This week in particular Frank misses the mark with his explanation of why movies about the Iraq war do so poorly at the Box Office.

He claims Americans want to avoid talking about the war or seeing images of it, because it's all too depressing and horrific to come to terms with.

It would take another column to list all the movies and TV shows about Iraq that have gone belly up at the box office or in Nielsen ratings in the nearly four years since the war’s only breakout commercial... (more)

Tags: iraq, movie, hollywood, education

Prince Harry, Too Good to Die in Iraq, Tony Blair Resigns

Major changes are taking place over at America's parent's house and it would appear that for Tony Blair, Bush's only remaining ally in the Iraq war who still exposed himself to his critics, Merry Ole' England has become little less merry. Perhaps they sent Queen Mum over here to distract our President with all the pageantry. For while Bush was busy figuring out how to keep BBQ sauce off his new white tie, and as he stumbled over speeches that called the Queen hundreds of years old, some monumental decisions took place across the puddle, revealing that the steely resolved Brits ain't so... (more)

Tags: iraq

Life before the U.S Military Operations in Iraq

There were no sanctions against Iraq by the United States prior to the Desert Storm mission. In fact America and Iraq maintained a cooperative business like foreign policy as America gave and sold weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein during his country's crisis with neighboring countries.

During that time Saddam Hussein was a valid asset and stood among many of the cooperative allies of the American government and he was supportive of the business establishments, he also had many welcomed visits from Donald Rumsfelt and purchased many weapons from the government via Mr. Rumsfelt.

Tags: dessert storm, iraq and the war on terror, sadam hussein

Imagine Yourself In Iraq

Close your eyes and imagine yourself living in or just visiting Iraq. Imagine you take a bus from the airport, thinking to yourself is there a bomb on this bus? Will someone attack or hijack this bus, this simple, common, everyday bus you are on. Imagine the woman sittting next to you , she is staring blankly into the air, she looks sleepless, weathered, tired. She looks stressed, anguished, full of fear and apathetic to your presence. Would you know how she felt? Would you wonder what makes her so scared?

Imagine her child with her, a small curious child, at her legs, staring at... (more)

Tags: iraq

First Officer Refusing Iraq Deployment Faces Prison

You may or may not have heard about Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada and the immense commotion that follows his name, particularly from the U.S. Army. But why the excitement and who is he? Back in June of 2006, Lt. Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the Iraq War because of his own personal beliefs. Initially he had joined the army "out of a desire to protect our country." However, as time passed he began reading into the conflicts with Iraq and after much "soul-searching" decided he did not want any part of it. Watada wrote a resignation to his... (more)

Tags: iraq

Interview with Peyman Pejman, author of "Age of Intolerance""

...Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Pejman has extensive experience in the Middle East and the Arab world. His tenure in the Middle East has corresponded with important timelines in the region: the Iranian revolution, the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Gulf Wars and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In addition to his journalistic career, he has been a media and communications professor and a media consultant/advisor/trainer.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I had been thinking for some time that I have traveled extensively as a journalist, been to... (more)

Tags: peyman pejman, age of intolerance, author peyman pejman

How Are the Mighty Fallen

...I simply can’t imagine any country headed by an intelligent leader doing so, a leader with even the lightest grasp of history.

But America did, here, there and everywhere, taking the wolf by the ears, unable thereafter to let it go. Good sense and good politics would have kept America out of Iraq, a country which, no matter how repellent its dictator, kept a check on the regional ambitions of Iran. But good sense and good politics was not at a premium in the Bush Whitehouse; it has not been at a premium ever since. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle.

Tags: china, america, power, imperialism

War and Friendship

...best friend, in our secret place under the city.

To the dim light of our candles, Salwa told me everything she'd seen and heard outside the Jewish Quarter. She begged me to leave the city. ‘They kill you all when British leave. New people come here every day with guns. They come from Iraq and Syria, even Sudan. They shout itbachu al yahod, slay the Jews. Please don’t stay,' she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. I hugged her and pulled her close. I promised that soon we'd play outside together again. My words have calmed her, and with her head on my shoulder, we sat... (more)

Tags: israel, jerusalem, war of independence

Killed for a Haircut

How much do you think was spent in ‘liberating’ Iraq? Personally I have no idea but I guess it was an astronomical figure. Then there are the lives, the people that cannot be replaced. I remember a few years ago the parents of a British officer killed in one of the many terrorist incidents that followed the ‘liberation’ of 2003 comforting themselves that his death was not in vain, that he had died, as they put it, ‘helping the people of Iraq’. We helped the people of Iraq alright, Britain and America; we helped to take them from the first to the ninth circle of hell.

This brave new... (more)

Tags: iraq, fashion, intolerance, fundamentalism