Reviewing Ryan Smithson's "Ghosts of War..."

Ghosts of War is not a happy, funny book. Rather, it is the touching memoir of one U.S. soldier’s journey from voluntary enlistment, to vocational duty in Iraq, to valiant homecoming.

Ryan Smithson was a 16 year old high school student sitting in American History on September 11, 2001. His teacher informed the class of what was unfolding a few hours downstate from the suburban Albany, New York campus. As Smithson watched in horror while the Twin Towers burned and then imploded, he felt an anger—a calling to duty—rise up within himself. And that’s where the parallel between his story and my own breaks.

I also was 16 at the time, sitting in U.S. History class. Mr. Kemmerer was often late to class (teachers are great examples, eh?). Usually we suspected he was finishing his last cup of coffee in the teacher’s lounge. But on that Tuesday morning, he was exceptionally late. The teacher’s lounge was one of the few places that had TV in it. “You guys are today witnessing American history,” stated Mr. K, once he finally made it to the second period class.

Up to that point, family members had encouraged, even bullied at times, for me to join the armed services for the reason many pre-9/11 young people signed up—loads of free college tuition from Uncle Sam. After 9/11 the pressure to don army fatigues mostly disappeared.

But Smithson felt the call and so enlisted in the reserves. He was eventually deployed, doing missions operating bulldozers and other heavy equipment in Iraq. His time in self-dubbed “Satan’s Clothes Dryer” (the brutal desert conditions) changed and shaped Smithson in ways unexpected. He came to see freedom, life, death, war, heroism, and patriotism in a whole new way. The day-to-day interaction with the underprivileged and abused of Iraq’s countryside molded him and his feelings toward America’s War on Terror.

Smithson shares the one-of-a-kind camaraderie that service members experience when living together on a U.S. base. He delves into what freedom really means, and what the war’s impact has been upon Iraqi society as a whole.

The metaphors and word pictures starting from basic training, to life on an Army base, to the desert landscape of “Civilization’s Cradle” are beautifully constructed. Ghosts truly is a sensory trip for the theater of the mind.

Smithson’s tale concludes with his battles over PTSD and his use of writing on the journey to healing. His insights about Iraq and America's work there are something not seen enough in the likes of CNN, Fox News, or the dailies.

Brookings Institute Iraq Index estimates as of March 2010 that about 98,000 Americans are defending freedom’s cause in Iraq alone. Every one of these brave warriors has a story. Smithson has a gift for writing that takes just one of these stories and truly brings it to life.  His story is certainly far less spell binding and tragic compared to what many service members have experienced.  But writing is Smithson's gift; it's his experession of healing.  If only more soldiers could recover from the wounds of war by crafting their tales into book and essay format. 

So in a nutshell?  Read it.  Ghosts will make you see freedom, country, and military service in a whole new way.  At the very least, it'll give you a deeper appreciation for our men and women in uniform. 

FINAL NOTES

Ghosts of War is heavy on military terminology, but includes a helpful glossary.  Some crude language appears from time to time, but is probably nothing compared to the vernacular of a typical military setting! A short photo insert contains pictures of Smithson during his tour of duty and adds faces to the context.

GET IT

Amazon lists May 4, 2010 as the hardcover release date for Ghosts, but an E-edition is readily available. Buffalo & Erie County Library has Adobe E-pub copies for free download on their website. If you’ve got a library card and a capable E-reader, I’d highly recommend this one.