By Jan McNutt and Ta’Shia Asanti

Before becoming a published writer, Yvonne Latty worked as a reporter and writer at the Philadelphia Daily News where she received hourly reports on the latest news from Iraq. Confronted for three years with news of bombings, deaths, I E D s (improvised explosive devices), Halliburton contracts and Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld ramblings, Latty began to wonder how the soldiers themselves felt about the war.

So Latty hit the streets to find out for herself. Six months and 25 interviews later, she has compiled a collection of intense stories from a broad cross section of veterans from the U.S. military for her new book, In Conflict: Iraq War Veterans Speak Out on Duty, Loss, and the Fight to Stay Alive.

In Conflict  is a bone-rattling anthology of never- before-told true stories about America’s soldiers in Iraq. In an effort to create an authentic picture of the soldiers’ experiences, Latty interviewed Native Americans, African Americans and Latino soldiers, as well as, amputees, soldiers suffering from PTSD, vets as young as 18 and as old as 50 and a few military professionals who work as doctors, lawyers and college professors.  In Conflict gives readers an uncensored account of the history of America’s war on terrorism with all its complexities and from the minds and hearts of those who were there.  

E very interview Latty conducted was compelling. Her own emotions surfaced as she listened to the testimonies of the soldiers. Many soldiers she spoke with were severely injured and some had lost multiple limbs in the war. Surprisingly she found a sense of gratitude among the soldiers.  Most were reconciled to the physical, medical and psychological hardships they will face for the rest of their lives as a result of their service in war-torn Iraq. 

The soldiers interviewed for In Conflict explained that, at the time of deployment to Iraq, they truly believed they were doing their patriotic duty. They had been told there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and every one knew that Osama bin Laden’s terrorists had attacked the United States during 9/11. They went to Iraq with the intention to fight the enemies of American freedom, to be good soldiers and to hopefully make a difference. But, as one of the soldiers Latty interviewed told her, “It’s next to impossible to make a difference in a country where you are despised and unwelcome.”

In Conflict tells the stories of U.S. soldiers that we won’t hear about on CNN.  “Our soldiers are returning to the United States and finding that no one knows much about the real war,” Latty writes. “In fact, few people can connect to the reality of it. What Americans see on TV is TV .”

One of the many distinguished soldiers interviewed in In Conflict is Jaquaie McAtee from Pittsburgh who served 22 years in the U.S. Marines. McAtee was a sergeant in Afghanistan and served two duties in Iraq. His job in Iraq was detonating and uncovering IED s.  IED s are the bombs that insurgents rig in trash cans and bottles  and hide along roads to kill U.S. soldiers.

When McAtee returned from Iraq, Latty interviewed him. He was misplaced. He had earned a salary of $30,000 to $40,000 while in the service. In Pittsburgh, like many African-Americans, he joined the ranks of the unemployed. His story is typical yet more promising than most. He is currently working two jobs at $7 an hour and going to school.

“Many of us still think veterans come home to a wealth of government freebies including free medical care, benefits and financial support,” Latty writes.   “Many veterans are coming home to a VA system that is overworked, overtaxed and overwhelmed. Walter Reed Hospital, one of the few VA hospitals in Philadelphia, is closing as we speak. Our soldier s’ benefits are being cut as a result .”

According to Latty’s research, over 500 Iraq War vets are homeless. One of four suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder .

“Americans are more interested in American Idol, ” Latty told the audience at her book signing at Tattered Cover b ook s tore last month. 

She went on to tell them about a soldier who fought in the Iraq W ar who is living in his car in New York .

“He is homeless, discouraged and desperate.  The city is in a frenzy to save the homeless hawks in New York. In fact, someone in the city donated $100,000 to provide safe nesting for the hawks. Yes, we’re talking birds here, ” s aid Latty.

“It’s time,” Latty proclaimed at her reading, “that we start acting like a country at war. There is a war going on and it’s real.”

Latty wants it to be made clear that she didn’t interview Iraq War vets to be tagged as an anti-war activist. She really cares about them and wants to know and understand their needs. Through her research and interviews, she found that a huge problem for the returning vet is simply trying to plow through the paper work. Many are not capable of following the complicated procedure for accessing the medical care and housing they need. On top of the bureaucratic quagmire they face, the government is cutting more veteran benefits on a regular basis.

“What we’re not hearing about is that our returning soldiers are being turned away from hospitals,” Latty said. “Unless a vet is missing a limb or (is) visibly immobile, they are told their injuries do not require long term treatment .”

Despite this, Latty is convinced that military organizations and associations are doing all they can to help the vets. The remaining challenge for the vet is to stay the course while waiting in lines and filling out long complicated paperwork.

“Americans think they don’t know what to do to help returning vets. By visiting veteran hospitals and organizations you can lend a hand to our returning soldiers.  Ask your neighbors and your co-workers if they know a soldier or the family of a soldier.  Helping them fill out paperwork, babysitting for the families and talking to patients at the VA hospital is a start to doing your part, ” she says.

Latty said there was a common thread among the soldiers she interviewed.  The large majority told her Iraq is not about a cause anymore. Each and every soldier is fighting his own war. Each one is simply trying to stay alive. Early on, it was thought when Saddam was captured, they would come home. They thought when there were no weapons of mass destruction found, they would come home. They thought after the elections and a democracy was formed, they would come home.

What they see now is the bar just keeps going higher.

Because there is no draft, soldiers are sent back two and three times. One soldier simply found his way to Canada instead of enduring another tour in Iraq.

Latty’s In Conflict attempts to make people aware that the war in Iraq is real and its aftermath is as much our problem as it is the young man or woman who has experienced first hand the horrors of this war. In her book, the soldiers remember their own fear and the devastation of living in a strange country.  They dream about the times they were forced to pull the trigger. Their daytime is difficult , but sleep is even harder for a returning Iraq War soldier.