I finished reading a book called From Baghdad With Love yesterday which chronicles the relationship between a Marine, Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman with a stray puppy which he found at an abandoned house in Fallujah, Iraq. He named the puppy Lava and went against the order (General order 1-A) not to keep any pets. He defied all odds in bringing Lava, a dog who loved to roo-roo-roo at strangers and eat bootlaces.
The book is more about the war and the hardship that the Iraqis endures even up to this day – of the corruption, bloodbath, explosions and how the sanity of a band of Marines was saved by their love for a mutt. It’s also fascinating to read about dedicated journos, Iraqis, doghandlers who helped to bring Lava out of the country.
Why all the fuss about a dog? I have to admit that the thought passed my mind when I read the book – but then again, Lava was saved and rescued from the doom and gloom that is Iraq. When I posted my comment at Singapore Forum, the resident ‘conspiracy nutter’ said that the book was sugarcoating war crimes – I disagree. Kopelman tries to be as objective as he could, in his former position as a marine. After reading Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader and Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room, I learn not to be judgmental when I learn about one’s actions in tough times.
Through the book I learn more about Red Zone and Green Zone, of MREs and RPGs, and how a puppy can provide the sanity and humanity in the midst of chaos.
Highly recommended! [8/10]
Jay Kopelman will be my guest on News Talk Online on Paltalk.com this Thursday July 3 at 5 PM New York time.
You can listen or talk to him by going to my blog, http://www.garybaumgarten.com and clicking on the link to the show. There’s no charge. Thanks.