{"product_id":"dogwood-a-national-guard-unit-s-war-in-iraq-863188","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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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 it was all for nought.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Royal Gift Land","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42925393739865,"sku":"9781472863188","price":14.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0611\/0206\/3705\/files\/9781472863188.jpg?v=1766072458","url":"https:\/\/royalgiftland.com\/fr\/products\/dogwood-a-national-guard-unit-s-war-in-iraq-863188","provider":"Royal Gift Land","version":"1.0","type":"link"}