{"product_id":"dogwood-a-national-guard-units-war-in-iraq","title":"Dogwood: A National Guard Unit's War in Iraq","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is an unsparing account of the sharp end of war written by one of the finest military historians of his generation.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAndrew Wiest, author of the bestselling \u003ci\u003eBoys of '67\u003c\/i\u003e, traces the experience of the 150th Combat Engineers of the Mississippi National Guard in their 2005 tour of duty in Iraq, centered on the forward operating base \u003ci\u003eDogwood\u003c\/i\u003e. Comprising youth hoping to attain a way out of grinding poverty, women seeking to break barriers, and patriots answering their nation's call after 9\/11, the 150th represented nearly all of what America had to offer in 2005. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmid the transformation of the US military in the 21st century, no longer were they destined to be weekend warriors tasked mainly with local disaster relief. The new Guard was a sharp weapon of war. Soldiers grew up in the same communities, played sports and served together. As \u003ci\u003eDogwood\u003c\/i\u003e reveals, this provides a singular advantage, but also intensifies loss. Defying poor equipment, lack of specialist training and heart-breaking losses, the 150th endured combat. They also implemented their own homespun counterinsurgency policy that turned an insurgency hotbed into a thriving community - one of the war's few success stories. But all was forgotten. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSet within the context of a changing military, an evolving strategic situation and an unpopular war, \u003ci\u003eDogwood \u003c\/i\u003eis an unflinching history which lays bare the harsh reality of combat through countless first-hand accounts.","brand":"Osprey Publishing (UK)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51944103182567,"sku":"9781472863188","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0449\/4075\/5096\/files\/imageloader_67bbd5c8-9a41-4d8b-8fd7-5f1295152d57.jpg?v=1775352612","url":"https:\/\/arvidabookco.com\/products\/dogwood-a-national-guard-units-war-in-iraq","provider":"Arvida Book Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}