Mar
20

Col. Ted Spain shares his motivation to write “Breaking Iraq”

Breaking Iraq the book is depictedIn the weeks prior to the launch of Breaking Iraq, MilSuccessNet entered into conversations with its co-author, Ted Spain, Retired Colonel,  US Army. Our ongoing exchanges dealt with transition from military life and finding perspective on what happened in the decade covered by the book. The book launched on the 19th day of March, the 10th anniversary of the war in Iraq.

Today’s Wow-Words on Wednesdays, features:

  • How he came to write the book Breaking Iraq
  • Why it couldn’t have been written before
  • Quest for leadership and ethics

Col. Spain responded to our question: How did you come to write the book. [Read more…]

Jul
10

Combat Role to Suddenly Civilian (part 1)

I had the privilege of talking with Teresa Broadwell Grace, a former member of the Army’s 194th Military Police Company who, in 2003 was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with “V” for Valor in Iraq.

A female American soldier mans a machine gun on a vehicle during clashes in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2003. The war in Iraq, which has killed or wounded more U.S. women in combat than any other conflict, has redefined their role in the military and triggered a rethink of their place on the front line. Women who serve in the Army are barred from engaging in combat under rules drawn up by the Pentagon. But the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, where fighting an insurgency and no front line exists as such, have been proving grounds for the women soldiers. Photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense”

Combat, an outstanding story of survival, management of post traumatic stress and an unexpected transition back into the civilian world are part of Teresa Grace’s story. All this as she began her third decade of life. [Read more…]