Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook229 pages2 hours
From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava
By Jay Kopelman
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman won the hearts of readers everywhere with his moving story of adopting an abandoned puppy named Lava from a hellish corner of Iraq. He opened the door for other soldiers to bring dogs home, and in From Baghdad to America, Kopelman once again leads the pack with his observations on the emotional repercussions of war.
Here, for the first time, Kopelman holds nothing back as he responds to the question, Why did you save a dog instead of a person?” The answer reveals much about his inner demonsand about the bigger picture of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He talks about what it’s like to return to the States and examines the shocking statistics to come out of Iraq: Depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, and broken relationships are at record highs for the men and women who serve there. Kopelman credits Lava with helping him to endure combat and the pain of war, as well as helping him deal with the surprising difficulties of returning to everyday life. Civilians have a hard time understanding what being a Marine means, and the adjustment to living among them is hard for these soldiers. This book attempts to shed light on that for all readers.
Here, for the first time, Kopelman holds nothing back as he responds to the question, Why did you save a dog instead of a person?” The answer reveals much about his inner demonsand about the bigger picture of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He talks about what it’s like to return to the States and examines the shocking statistics to come out of Iraq: Depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, and broken relationships are at record highs for the men and women who serve there. Kopelman credits Lava with helping him to endure combat and the pain of war, as well as helping him deal with the surprising difficulties of returning to everyday life. Civilians have a hard time understanding what being a Marine means, and the adjustment to living among them is hard for these soldiers. This book attempts to shed light on that for all readers.
Unavailable
Related to From Baghdad to America
Related ebooks
From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Good Man with a Dog: A Game Warden's 25 Years in the Maine Woods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Final War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dog Stars (Vintage Contemporaries): by Peter Heller | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnd of the Spear Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dog Stars: by Peter Heller | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDr. Disaster's Guide to Surviving Everything: Essential Advice for Any Situation Life Throws Your Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCare of Souls, Care of Polis: Toward a Political Pastoral Theology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVets and Pets: Wounded Warriors and the Animals That Help Them Heal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Other Side of the Bars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRaising Thunder Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFundamentals of Mantracking: The Step-by-Step Method: An Essential Primer for Search and Rescue Trackers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Final Shot: A Team’S Destiny Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wisdom of Wolves: Lessons From the Sawtooth Pack Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extreme Survival Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Loss of a Pet: A Guide to Coping with the Grieving Process When a Pet Dies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can’t Stop Walking: Every Walk Must First Begin with a Step, Purpose, and Direction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hidden Faces of Courage: Inspirational Stories About the Courage of Ordinary People Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTouching the Wild: Living with the Mule Deer of Deadman Gulch Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Deer Diary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTortured: When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Battle: Piercing Echoes, Perseverance, and Brotherhood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSearch and Rescue Dogs: Training the K-9 Hero Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat It Is Like to Go to War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dare to Survive:: Death, Heartbreak, and Triumph in the Wild Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife Pages: A Poetic Path to Self-Empowerment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWrath of The Lamb: The World Takes Sides Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRow for Freedom: Crossing an Ocean in Search of Hope Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tales of Hunting: Deer, Elk, and Antelope in the Western States Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Dogs For You
Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before and After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Nonsense Dog Training: A Complete Guide to Fully Train Any Dog Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5DOG LANGUAGE: AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CANINE BEHAVIOR Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Canine Enrichment for the Real World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Signs From Pets In The Afterlife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Service Dog Training Manual: 100 Tips for Choosing, Raising, Socializing, and Retiring Your Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dog Food Cookbook: 41 Healthy and Easy Recipes for Your Best Friend Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5BEHAVIOR ADJUSTMENT TRAINING 2.0: NEW PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR FEAR, FRUSTRATION, AND AGGRESSION Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5ON TALKING TERMS WITH DOGS: CALMING SIGNALS 2ND EDITION Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Dog Is Your Mirror: The Emotional Capacity of Our Dogs and Ourselves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cesar Millan's Short Guide to a Happy Dog: 98 Essential Tips and Techniques Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything German Shepherd Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dog Training For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Amazing Afterlife of Animals: Messages and Signs From Our Pets on the Other Side Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Puppy Training: Owner's Week-By-Week Training Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5MINE!: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Puppy Training: Train Your Puppy in Obedience, Potty Training and Leash Training in Record Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Puppies For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Talking to Animals: How You Can Understand Animals and They Can Understand You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arthur: The Dog who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for From Baghdad to America
Rating: 3.8333333333333335 out of 5 stars
4/5
6 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jay Kopelman's FROM BAGHDAD TO AMERICA is a slight book, but it packs a powerful punch. In his first book, the bestselling FROM BAGHDAD WITH LOVE, the focus was on Lava, the dog Kopelman rescued in Iraq, and the network of animal lovers who helped him have the dog shipped back to his home in California. There was, in other words, the "warm fuzzy" feeling associated with most "dog books." That first book had a co-author, Melinda Roth, who, I suspect, had a slightly civilizing influence on the "Marine side" of Kopelman.The new book, about what happened once Kopelman got Lava - and himself - back home from the war, is not nearly so warm and fuzzy. It is all about the difficulties of readjustment to peacetime America, where the other 98% of Americans just kept on shopping, largely oblivious to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the heavy physical, mental, and emotional price being paid by our all-volunteer military. Turns out both the dog and the man have serious problems with control and anger managment. One of the book's early readers, Andrew Carroll (author of WAR LETTERS), called the book "damn funny." And there is humor here, but it is of a very hard-edged sort, laced with anger - perhaps even a barely suppressed rage. The best thing Kopelman does here is to finally admit that perhaps he does indeed have some problems, that he may be a victim himself of PTSD. The chapter "Opening the Snivel Book" is perhaps the most telling - and the most important - part of the whole book. I salute LTC Kopelman for his honesty and his courage in writing "the rest of the story," for this could well be a much more important book than his first.