Weird Story.  I was at Book Expo America (BEA) about a year ago in New York, it was a Saturday and I was doing a book signing there.  The publisher had a bunch of paperback galleys printed up and I signed all the copies and we handed them all out for free.  The next day (Sunday) I had driven back to Massachusetts and the publisher gave away the last few remaining copies.  One of the people who had picked up a remaining copies was Damon Dimarco, a famous actor, and author of: Heart Of War (which is a great book about soldiers in Iraq).  Well, as fate would have it, Saturday night when I got back from New York,I was up all night emailing authors who I was fan of and who had written military themed books.  That night Damon comes back from BEA and low and behold, there is also an email waiting for him, from me.  Very serendipitous indeed.  Damon is a great writer and actor, and he just posted up a review of Mass Casualties on his blog:

http://www.damondimarco.com/author/?p=94

My favorite war story is The Things They Carried by Tim O'brien.  Even though it's fiction, it is the most well written portrayal of war.

Here is one of the best passages, it is a beautiful description of war:

"War is hell, but that's not the hell of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love.  War is nasty; war is fun.  War is thrilling; war is drudgery.  War makes you a man; war makes you dead."

Paul Sullivan of Veterans For Common Sense wrote up a great review of Mass Casualties (tied in as well, is the movie Avatar).

Essay About Life's Lessons: "Mass Casualties" and "Avatar"

January 11, 2010 - In 1990, while serving as an Army cavalry scout right before the first invasion of Iraq, I briefly asked myself what impact the impending war might have upon me spiritually and physically.

The following two decades have been, without a doubt, the best years of my life, but at a terrible and high cost.  Watching the devastating lethality of our military and the suffering of civilians while driving through minefields and inhaling heavy doses of oil well fire pollution and radioactive waste left indelible marks on my body and soul.

With that vivid and visceral perspective on my front burner, I recently read an excellent book, Mass Casualties, and watched a superb and highly popular movie, "Avatar."   Combined, they convey timeless stories about love, war, personal betrayal, political betrayal, and redemption.

Both the book and the movie are written to entertain, yet both excel by informing the world about the physical and spiritual devastation wrought by two wars on the 2.2 million individuals deployed repeatedly to Iraq and Afghanistan.  More importantly, for the more than 300 million Americans ignorant of realities of war, the book and film tell us volumes about our Nation's challenges and aspirations.

Mass Casualties

In the book Mass Casualties first-time author Michael Anthony, who enlisted in the Army at 17 and became an operating room medic in Iraq, provides bittersweet diary of daily life in war.  His blunt first-person writing style easily combines the brevity of Ernest Hemingway with the insanity of Walter Heller and the poignant entertainment value of the highly acclaimed television series "M*A*S*H."

Reading Anthony's humorous and horrifying account of medical trauma, good leaders, and crappy leaders intimately reveals his serious and intense maturity.  Anthony also describes the many heroic health professionals who performed so remarkably well in the worst situation imaginable - providing emergency surgery to repeated and never-ending surges of war wounded, maimed, and injured.

For me, the hardest part of the book was the tragic loss described by Anthony in the last sentence in the last paragraph of the last page: one of his friends from the war completed suicide after returning home.  This makes the book very real.  At least once per day, I refer a veteran, reporter, or family member to VA's suicide prevention hotline: 800-273-TALK -- (800) 273-8255.

Of all the war and history books I've read, this ranks near the top as required reading for young Americans who want to know what happens in war, without all the political spin and gruesome pictures.  I highly recommend this "Young medic's true story of death, deception, and dishonor in Iraq." 

Avatar

The hot new film "Avatar" came highly recommended by my daughter's friends, excited by the whiz-bang special effects - and they are absolutely breathtaking.  Certainly, James Cameron will earn an at least one Oscar for his spectacular efforts - plus a few million in profits, I'm sure.

Again, not knowing what the highly popular film was about, "Avatar" had me hooked in the first minute, when the lead character, named Sully, announces he is a disabled veteran in a VA hospital - two important issues I work with every day.

So here I am expecting an animated science fiction / fantasy / action film, only to get smacked in the face about the brutal reality of war by a veteran in a wheel chair.  That scene immediately made the film highly personal. 

Using a method far different from Anthony, Cameron uses spectacular and vivid pictures to weave an accurate narrative about a disabled war veteran's personal journey, ripped from the pages of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.  Sully, played by Sam Worthington, experienced one war, and he eventually found redemption in a second war after realizing the personal and political betrayals he survived.

Cameron, who has no military experience, paints a broad canvas about war in general.  Make no mistake, in one way, this is a story for children and teens about protecting the environment and finding love, and in another way, the movie stands as a critical denouncement of President George W. Bush and his failed Iraq War fiasco.

Cameron mixes themes from prior films, including "Dances with Wolves," showing the decimation of Native Americans, and "The Ugly American," how the U.S. military failed to win hearts and minds during the Vietnam War - the same strategy in use both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The cast was brilliantly selected - unknowns without a lot of baggage.  The exception is Sigourney Weaver, made famous by "Ghostbusters" and "Alien."  Her epic scenes portraying a liberal tree hugger who chain smokes may be most remembered as one of our historic ironies.

What draws you into "Avatar" is the cinematography, with bursts of color and pleasure almost like living inside the Northern Lights.  What keeps you hooked is the realistic story about a veteran, a war that went terribly wrong, and redemption.

"Avatar" and Mass Casualties are Excellent

If you need a good, crisp, well-written book to read, then pick up Mass Casualties.  Then you will have a glimpse, without pictures, sound, or smell, of battlefield carnage.   One day, I hope, Mass Casualties will be a film or possibly a TVS series like "M*A*S*H." 

America needs to get a handle that war is real, destroys lives, crushes souls, damages our environment, and costs trillions of dollars over many decades - and it is made far, far worse when the war was based on lies.   If you want a highly entertaining film for teenagers and older that teaches us poignant lessons about love, war, betrayal, greed, hubris, and protecting our fragile planet, then "Avatar" is just for you.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.php/veterans-category-articles/1561-paul-sullivan

Hey guys,

We've finally been able to put up a full list of all the endorsements Mass Casualties has received.  From Pro-War to Anti-War.  From Democrats to Republicans.  From former Senators, to world famous Psychologists and Historians.

You can find it on the website here:

http://www.masscasualties.com/anthony-praise.htm

And if you don't want to go to the trouble to click on the link.  Here's the full list:

"Michael Anthony's memoir is not about the politics of Iraq. Instead it takes us deep inside the war, inside and outside the operating room, the barracks, the talk of the soldiers, the feeling of the situation. It joins the body of war literature in a unique and powerful way."
--Howard Zinn, Civil Rights Leader, Historian
Author of: A People's History of the United States

---

"Though riddled with dark, very dark, humor, Mass Casualties is "MASH" absent the light-heartedness. Michael Anthony's account of his months as a medic in Iraq chillingly describes how the casualties of real war made him 'dead to emotions' as the soul's protection from fear, anger, and grief. He traces the torturous course of emotional disfigurement. For war-lovers everywhere, it should be mandatory reading."
--Gary Hart
United States Senator (Ret.)
Scholar in Residence, University of Colorado

---

"Anthony's painful account of his time at war is at times difficult to read. This coming of age war memoir details the very gut wrenching journey he takes into manhood in the backdrop of grueling combat. His voice is unique and deserves to be heard. We may not all agree with why we fight, but I am proud to be of a generation with Warriors like Anthony, who are compelled to share these important life altering experiences."
--David Bellavia, Iraq Veteran
Author of: House to House: An Epic Memoir of War
Co-Founder: Vets For Freedom
Nominee: Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross

---

"There is a curious similarity between Michael Anthony's "Mass Casualties" diary of daily survival as a young medic in the Iraq war with one of my favorite books, Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz, as a holocaust prisoner in that death camp. Both of these remarkable works introduce us to an alien world that is unimaginable unless experienced-- or witnessed through their eyes, and pain, and youthful, matter-of-fact everyday wisdom. It is hard to read about the unexpected casualties of war, among soldiers as well as prisoners, but Michael takes us on an unforgettable personal journey as filled with humor as it is with horror."
--Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D.
Lead researcher in the: Stanford Prison Study
New York Times best selling author of: The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

---

"I was moved by Michael's very personal account of life in Iraq and the wisdom he gained in that crucible--including not to salute if I ever find myself in a war zone."
--Susan N. Herman, Centennial Professor of Law
President, American Civil Liberties Union

---

"From traumatic injuries to anthrax shots, Michael Anthony has captured in intricate detail life in a combat zone operating room. As someone who's done two tours myself, even I learned an incredible amount."
--Brandon R. Friedman, Iraq Veteran
Author of: The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War

---

"A raw, honest narrative by a young soldier thrust into an atmosphere that demanded care for the wounded, yet seemingly deprived of leaders who understood their role was to help, and not to be self-absorbed."
--Bing West
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration
Author of: The Village and No True Glory

---

"There are plenty of books about war, usually featuring the trigger-pullers who directly engage the enemy. Mass Casualties looks at war from a different angle, that of those who try to save the wounded and dying. Make no mistake: Their war is just as difficult. Michael Anthony has captured the intensity of the OR, the crushing fatigue of shift duty, and the inevitable clash of personalities that are part of any military unit. It's a great read for anyone who wants to see the horror of war from a new perspective."
--Tom Neven, Marine Corps veteran
Author of: On the Frontline

---

"Mass Casualties is a raw, vivid look at the realities behind the daily news about American soldiers overseas. Michael Anthony's voice has the rough-edged honesty of the best reporting on combat. You will think differently about news from Iraq and Afghanistan after reading this book."
--James Fallows
Author: Blind into Baghdad: America's War in Iraq

---

"A scathing, satirical and often shocking trip through "the other war" in Iraq--the war within the U.S. Army, and within a soldier's soul. Michael Anthony's memoir is the perfect antidote for anyone who would glorify war or its impact on warriors. He has penned his generation's MASH, with echoes of Catch 22 and Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing sagas."
--Charles Jones, journalist in the Iraq war
Author of: Red, White or Yellow? The Media & The Military at War in Iraq

---

"Compelling. Frank. Funny. Disturbing. Michael Anthony loses his innocence in a slow motion train wreck you can't help but watch. Mass Casualties opens up a brand new conversation on the War in Iraq."
--Damon DiMarco
Author of: Heart of War: Soldiers' Voices from the Front Lines of Iraq

---

"Dulce et Decorum Est, Pro Patria Mori. It seems we must relearn the lessons, again and again--the Old Lie. Mass Casualties finds the truth behind the most recent propaganda; the small stories, the base commonality of human nature revealed in war. SPC Michael Anthony unbuttons and tells us everything in a remarkable readable and eventually fascinating 'grunts-eye-view' of a Medical Unit in Iraq. He pulls no punches, and succeeds, through an easy colloquialism and sincerity, of putting you there. A purely personal and timely story, moving from black comedy to a sun-baked depression, anchored with unsparing honesty."
--Samuel Sheridan
Author of: A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting

---

"If you are afraid of the TRUTH don't read this book. SPC Michael Anthony's personal experience of WAR has no censor. Reading his book is a journey into the battlefields of death, sex, and the loss of his innocence."
--Lawrence Winters, Vietnam Veteran
Author of: The Making and Un-making of a Marine

---

"Michael Anthony writes in the tradition of Joseph Heller and Richard Hooker, demystifying the theater of war and revealing our soldiers to be all-too-human figures--comic and petty, but sometimes heroic and tragic."
--Marc Falkoff
Author of: Poems From Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak

---

"Michael Anthony's book Mass Casualties is unique and important. It is unique because it is written from the perspective of an army medic and provides insights about courage, suffering, resilience, and death that could come from no other source. It is important because it provides a deeper understanding of PTSD, suicide, divorce, and other consequences of the Iraq War than they can gain from newspaper headlines and television interviews. Readers of this incredible book will never look at war or its aftermath in quite the same way again."
--Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.
Co-author: Haunted by Combat: Understanding PTSD in War Veterans

---

"Michael Anthony's candid journal of his tour in Iraq offers a vivid sense of day-to-day life in a war zone medical unit. He enriches our understanding of the variety of ways--sanctioned and unsanctioned, honorable and sordid--our occupying army deals with boredom, fear, frustration, and loneliness."
--Christian G. Appy, Ph.D.
Author of: Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered From All Sides

---

"There's something of the aburdity of Richard Hooker's M.A.S.H. and the realism of Lynda Van Devanter's Home Before Morning in this concise narrative of life in a field hospital.
Michael Anthony calls it like he saw it, refusing platitudes of the virtuous American soldier. This isn't a portrait of the typical army experience in Iraq; this is one young man's perspective on what happens when poor leadership fails the challenge of command. Some of the complaints are the usual petty procedural issues and gossip all organizations endure. But rumors of a male colonel offering a blow job to an enlisted soldier, with the two later performing back to back numbers at a unit varsity show--Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" and Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Baby"? If only Vonnegut or Heller had material like this."
--Alex Vernon, Ph.D.
Author of: Arms And The Self: War, The Military, and Autobiographical Writing

---

"Soldiers are witnesses to chaos and carnage, and there is a false belief that they should recover from what they have seen and done, and have had done to them. A dark secret about war is that it seldom builds character. Michael Anthony has written an honest book that is both sobering and relevant."
--Donald Anderson, editor of War, Literature & the Arts: an international journal of the humanities. Author of: When War Becomes Personal: Soldiers' Accounts from the Civil War to Iraq

---

"Spc Michael Anthony channels Baghdad E.R., Catch-22, M*A*S*H and Lord of the Flies as he narrates his dark, entertaining and tragic journey through war. A thoughtful, candid and mesmerizing glimpse into the engimatic world of a U.S. Army combat support hospital."
--David J Danelo, Veteran
Author of: Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View Of The War In Iraq

---

"The human cost of war is excessive, as this harsh but thoroughly absorbing book by Michael Anthony reveals. It's a riveting account of life within the pitch of battle, giving us--his grateful readers--the feel of this war, its dreadful tensions, its horror, its absurdity. Mass Casualties is an important book, and it deserves wide attention."
--Jay Parini
Author of: Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America

---

"The full story of the Iraq War remains to be written, but the firsthand accounts of young people who were there can help us begin to try and make sense of what is often taken as a senseless conflict. Amidst the politics and economics of warfare there are individuals struggling to survive, both physically and emotionally. The least we can do is listen to their stories with genuine empathy and an open mind, as we seek pathways from war toward peace."
--Randall Amster, J.D., Ph.D.
Executive Director of: Peace & Justice Studies Association

---

"Mass Casualties by Michael Anthony is a true to life exposé of the absurdity of the war in Iraq. Anthony lays bare the hyper-reality of American knowinglessness about Iraq, and captures the day-to-day insanity of the war. Mass Casualties is a must read for patriot Americans concerned with the US global empire and the undisclosed truths of the Iraq occupation."
--Peter Phillips, Professor Sociology and Director Project Censored Sonoma State University

---

"Glossy recruitment brochures tell one story. This book tells another. Beyond the slick fantasies promoted by the Pentagon and the euphemisms reported by the news media, Mass Casualties offers readers an account of war that cuts against the mythical grain."
--Norman Solomon
Author: War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death

---

"Mass Casualties is a raw and humorous account of Army medics dodging harm from mortars and the military bureaucracy. Michael Anthony gives us a gripping memoir of a young soldier trapped in a world of incompetence and hypocrisy that results from a total failure of leadership. This insider's view of what really happens in an operating room full of combat casualties and the effect it has on the caregivers is eye opening. Our wounded warriors and those who care for them deserve far better."
--Colonel Steven O'Hern
Author of: The Intelligence Wars: Lessons from Baghdad

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"Mass Casualties is a terrific story of war, emergency medicine, and the men and women who suffer to treat wounded soldiers and civilians. On top of this, he tells the story beautifully, managing to convey both the chaos and the boredom of life in a combat zone."
--John Merson, Vietnam Veteran
Author of: War Lessons

---

"SPC Anthony's authentic journal opens our eyes to the corrosive effect of the military mindset on human sensibilities. This is the unadulterated grit of history, in the here-and-now."
--Ray Raphael, historian
Author of: Founders: The People Who Brought You a Nation

---

"An unsettling, hyper-subjective account of a young Army medic discovering himself, his values, and what it means to be a self-directed, conscious man in the world...sobering...vulnerable...spanning the full range of the human experience."
--Bryan Bayer, CEO Authentic Man Program

---

"Anthony doesn't pull any punches. A gritty story about saving lives and medical soldiers' battle to save their sanity after they're done saving lives."
--Vivian Gembara, Iraq Veteran, Bronze star recipient. Initiated the first major investigation into detainee abuse in Iraq and gathered the evidence used in the trial against Iraq's former president Saddam Hussein.
Author: Drowning In The Desert: A JAG's Search For Justice in Iraq

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"A moving account of a young soldier's story. This deeply personal memoir gives voice to the countless soldiers we have yet to hear from and never will. --Yvonne Latty,

Author of: In Conflict Iraq War Veterans Speak Out On Duty Loss and the Fight to Stay Alive

---

"Michael Anthony's candid narrative of his service in Iraq is far removed from the glamorized picture of military life that has become a staple of our mass media. Instead, we are confronted with the raw reality of death, deception and dishonor; a world of men and women psychologically strained to the breaking point that is rife with corruption, infidelity and the abuse of power. In one of his crises of conscience, Anthony finds himself wishing that he could "forget everything and go back to thinking that everyone in the military is an American hero". You will share his sense of disillusionment after reading this eye-opening memoir."
--David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D.
Author of: The Most Dangerous Animal: Human Nature and the Origins of War


Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death Deception and Dishonor in Iraq
By: Michael Anthony

A while ago, a friend took some photos for a project he was doing on Veterans after the war.  Here are my photos and here is his website:  http://www.jeffsistophotography.com/

Michael Anthony, local and veteran author of "Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq," will be introducing his new memoir about his experience in the Iraq war.

**All Profits from the evening's book sales will be donated to the Boston Vet Center, which provides readjustment counseling, PTSD counseling, and outreach services to all veterans.

Join us for a FREE wine tasting and book signing catered by Chef on the Run, Thursday, November 12, 5:30-7:30pm.

Stay tuned for more details about raffles!!!


www.masscasualties.com

www.vetcenter.va.gov

Date:
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Time:
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Location:
The Wine Palace
Street:
793 West Center Street
City/Town:
West Bridgewater, MA



Michael Anthony

Author of: Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq

My Thoughts On Fort Hood:

There's a creed spoken throughout the military that's called "Leave no man behind." 

What the military fails to realize is that "leave no man behind," not only applies to the physical body, but also the mind.

What good is it to bring a soldier home alive, if two months later they kill themselves?

What good is it to bring a soldier home alive, if they spend the next thirty years of their life, homeless and alone on the streets?

What good is it to bring a soldier home alive, if when they come home they become addicted to drugs, and their only options are suicide, or homelessness?

There is a creed spoken throughout the military, and it's called "Leave no man behind" what people need to remember is it applies to the body, and the mind.

Michael Anthony

Author of: Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq

"An unsettling, hyper-subjective account of a young Army medic discovering himself, his values, and what it means to be a self-directed, conscious man in the world...sobering...vulnerable...spanning the full range of the human experience."

--Bryan Bayer, CEO Authentic Man Program

"SPC Anthony's authentic journal opens our eyes to the corrosive effect of the military mindset on human sensibilities. This is the unadulterated grit of history, in the here-and-now." 

--Ray Raphael, historian
Author of: Founders: The People Who Brought You a Nation



Michael Anthony

Author of: Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq

I randomly found this review of Mass Casualties online.  It's a great one though, so I thought I'd share.

Mass Casualties by SPC Michael Anthony reviewed by Jon Land

I spend that night operating on someone only to have them die a few hours later in the ICU.  I read stories of friends going to concerts and frat parties. I should be there with them.  This isn't how a twenty year old should be spending his glory years.  Much will be written about the Iraq War in years to come, but it's difficult to envision any of it ever topping Michael Anthony's Mass Casualties.  The book is subtitled A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception and Dishonor in Iraq, but even that does little justice to Anthony's raw, unfiltered look at the heartache and misery he found himself surrounded by.  Anthony's one-year tour was spent alternately dodging mortar fire and spending long, sleep-deprived hours in operating rooms where medical teams struggled frantically to stitch similarly young lives back together.  All the staples of war from classics like The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien or A Rumor of War by Phillip Caputo are here, from the disillusionment to the mind-numbing detachment to the utterly pointless political infighting.  The difference is those books were at least mostly fiction, while Anthony's real-life tale is presented in riveting diary form. Slight, short and to the point, Mass Casualties is destined to become a classic of its kind.  Anthony's prose is draped in caution, a warning sign flashed before the eyes of the jingoistic sensibilities of those who strut their patriotism before a curtain of deferments. http://www.authormagazine.org/reviews.htm

Michael Anthony

Author of: Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq