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Phil Kiver

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Phil Kiver, USA “grew up in Cheney, a small town in Washington state. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Political Science. After spending his college years in the National Guard, he joined the active army to participate in the current war on terror. With his new wife he moved to Fort Hood, Texas. While there he served as a broadcast journalist for the army and anchored a news show on NBC Waco. He also earned a master’s degree in the History of the American Civil War. He was deployed to Iraq in July, 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II.”  Phil Kiver is the author of 182 Days in Iraq and Iraq in Pictures.

According to the book description of 182 Days in Iraq, “Phil Kiver s real-life, moment-to-moment journal of his assignment as an Army journalist in Iraq is honest, irreverent gripping and emotional one moment a howl the next. Kiver s journals are raw reaction, impression, and introspection. This, folks, is what it feels like to be Phil Kiver in this war in Iraq missing home, lounging at one of Saddam s pools, angry with the brass, witnessing the deaths of children and comrades, nighttime explosions too close for comfort, pasta with the Italians, toasting the fallen with the Ukrainians. It s a delirium of experience with this journalist sorting through the rubble and smoke in search of the story that will one day be history.”

 

One reader of 182 Days in Iraq said, “I finished the book in one day, not because I am a fast reader (indeed I am not), but because I was so caught up in the adventure. What makes this book so much better than many other "war stories" is that it is the truth, as witnessed first-hand by a broadcast journalist for the U.S. Army. His position gains him access to many gatherings that the average GI would not have, and he takes readers along for the ride. I laughed out loud many times at Kiver's wit, but I also shared his fear; I even cried on a few occasions. I will confess that I cried as I read the final pages because I so badly did not want his story to end there. I am, however, grateful that Phil Kiver made it safely home and has shared with everyone his daily journal. For anyone who will be deployed (or the family), who has been over to the war, who wishes he were a part of the war, or who would just like to know the truth about what is happening over there, this is a must read.”

 

One reader of 182 Days in Iraq said, “This is the absolute, hands-down best work on the conflict in Iraq. Kiver vividly describes his day-to-day activities in theater. Anyone who wants to gain some insight into what it is like to be deployed should read this harrowing story of a soldier's time in a foreign land, battling terrorists and coworkers alike. However, do not take my opinion as a soldier, read "182 Days in Iraq.”

 

One reader of 182 Days in Iraq said it “is Phil Kiver's revealing account of his tour of duty as a military journalist in theatre, on the ground, in the air, wanting to see it all, going places so dangerous he carried a hidden knife to kill himself so terrorists could not take him alive.  Kiver is without pretense. He tells you his politics, reveals his fears, tells tales on soldiers he thought incompetent, praises those he admired. He covered the coalition war, not only Americans, got to know the Ukrainians and Italians - gives us their take on the war, shows them with their guard down, guzzling vodka and emptying bottle after bottle of wine.

 

What I found most revealing was the things major media never reported, the many projects of soldiers and contractors to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis. We see Kiver's affection for the children, his honest disgust for aspects of Iraqi life and culture that has him calling them savages. Kiver did not tell his story to pat himself on the back or glorify the war; he is too brutally honest about his own failings, tells us repeatedly about military screw-ups.

 

He shows us who his is, warts and all; what he saw, the good and the bad, and simply wants us to know what it is like to be there. It is rare reporting, not seen on the networks, right wing or left. Kiver lets you judge for yourself.”


182 Days in Iraq
Phil Kiver  More Info

Iraq in Pictures
Phil Kiver  More Info

According to the book description of Iraq in Pictures, “The long, painful war in Iraq will be discussed, debated, and dissected for generations. But there are times when one photograph can make comprehensible what a thousand words cannot. Iraq in Pictures offers a stunning collection of photographs taken, mainly by soldiers in the midst of the conflict, that illuminate the many realities of this war. Iraqi war veteran and army journalist, Phil Kiver, who authored two books on the Iraq war, created Iraq in Pictures for historical purposes and in the hopes of helping civilians have a more visceral response to this strange war in a strange land. Iraq in Pictures brings to life the faces, places and events that will define a generation.”

 

One reader of Iraq in Pictures said, “This book correctly shows without bias all that has happened in Iraq. The photos have children playing soccer, as well as bodies without heads. The interaction of American soldiers on the streets with average Iraqis is uplifting and encouraging. Kiver also shows that soldiers from other countries have and are playing a large role respective to their size in Iraq.

 

The forward is written by a retired Army General who does a good job of framing the content of the book for the reader. Be warned some of the photos will warm your heart while other's with make you gasp in horror. This book is the only one I have seen in the Iraq genre that is non partisan. It is a history book. The photos are what they are, no back drop of editorials to cloud the readers Judgement.”

 

One reader of Iraq in Pictures said, it “is a phenomenal depiction of what is really going on overseas. Phil Kiver showcases how our troops are treating the country's inhabitants and how they are being treated. One would expect to open a book with "Iraq" in the title and be subjected to gruesome photographs of explosions and destruction, but when opening up this work, you see pictures of children playing, people poolside, and Iraqi women making groundbreaking gestures-demonstrating how what we are doing there is truly modernizing their culture in a positive sense.

 

While this book is primarily photography, the text that is there really helps you to understand the situation. Kiver gives the reader a solid foundation to build on, as far as interpretation of the war and troops go. This book was an excellent buy and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see the "inside" of Iraq and the war in general.”

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