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Private Soldiers: An Inside Look at a Year in Iraq

The soldiers of the 2-127th Gator Battalion of the Wisconsin National Guard came from all over Wisconsin. They were (and are) citizen soldiers, with civilian jobs and families unaccustomed to long separations. Private Soldiers: A Year in Iraq with a Wisconsin National Guard Unit, a new book from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, tells their story through letters and e-mails home, personal interviews, and photos of heartrending clarity and perspective — from training to "boots on the ground" and the close confines of a tent shared with five other people. And on Tuesday, September 25, author Benjamin Buchholz along with photographers Joseph Streeter and Nathan Olson will discuss and sign their book at 7 p.m. at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison.

The cover of Private Soldiers

Written and photographed by three battalion members, Private Soldiers provides a rare firsthand account of life in Iraq. Fascinating soldier interviews reveal the effects of deployment on the troops and on their families back home, and interviews with Iraqi civilians describe the Iraqis' perceptions of life, war, and working alongside Wisconsin troops. Brilliant photography illuminates the 2-127th's year. Iraqi civilians are pictured, as are blasted-out cities and convoys rolling through sandstorms, but perhaps most poignant are the photos of soldiers tossing horseshoes, playing street hockey, and trying to maintain some normalcy in lives that are far from routine.

"I miss going to Badgers and Brewers games," laments Sergeant Becker. Specialist Thomas Etzel misses his dad's chili. Mid-year, they mourn three unit members killed in action. "The healing process ... still isn't complete and probably never will be," writes author Buchholz.

A photo-journalistic tour de force that brilliantly illuminates the human side of war, Private Soldiers honors Wisconsin's participants in Iraq and the families they left behind. All royalties from sales of the book will go to the 2-127th's family support groups and to funds established in memoriam of the battalion members who gave their lives in the Iraq war.

Copies of Private Soldiers will be available for purchase at the event as well from the Wisconsin Historical Museum Shop.

:: Posted September 19, 2007