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Soldier's story revealed in newly-released book
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| By: Kathy Pierce, Ogden Reporter staff writer |
October 13, 2010 |
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U.S. Army SFC Christopher Henning and Cpt. Matt Gallagher during a meeting with a rural village leader in February of 2008.
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"When Lieutenant Matt Gallagher first arrived in Iraq in 2007 he encountered a world where nothing was as it appeared. Friends were enemies, reconciliation was war, roads were bombs and silence was deadly." This taken from the jacket of a newly-released book featuring a local soldier.
During his tour of duty Gallagher started a blog that quickly became popular with thousands of soldiers who were sharing his same experiences.
"Kaboom, Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War" is a book based on Gallagher's blog that provides an insight of the conflict of which many Americans seemed to be growing immune.
Gallagher joined the U.S. Army in 2005 and received a commission in the armored cavalry. Following a 15-month deployment in Iraq, he left the army in 2009 and now lives in New York City (more precisely, Brooklyn).
Reading the book you will find that Gallagher not only draws you into his war, but you see it through his eyes, read his thoughts and feel his emotions - sometimes frightening, other times light-hearted, a necessity for emotional survival.
"This book would have never come into being were it not for the men and women of the United States military," Gallagher states in the book's acknowledgements. "Without a doubt they are the best, our brightest, and our nation's greatest hope in the future. In particular, the cavalry scouts and infantrymen of the Gravediggers (code name for Gallagher's platoon) made my time in the service worthwhile and memorable."
Among these scouts was Sergeant First Class Christopher Henning "SFC Big Country", a 1994 OHS graduate who served as platoon sergeant of the Gravediggers. He is the son of Barb and Kris Henning of Ogden.
In his book, Gallagher speaks highly of the Ogden native: "He (Henning) stressed cavalry scout skills for all of his men and enforced discipline when necessary. He also advised me on mission planning, and his insights were always both perceptive and precise."
More feelings of admiration were expressed in a recent e-mail to The Ogden Reporter: "Chris was the most professional, capable leader I knew in the military. Having him as a platoon sergeant was a dream come true as he taught me a lot about the Army, myself and what it means to be a man. I respect him immensely and treasure his friendship."
The respect is mutual.
"It was a great opportunity to work with (now) Captain Matt Gallagher," says Henning. "He was a very competent scout platoon leader and a good listener. I feel that we worked very well together in leading 2nd Platoon during train-up as well as during the deployment. Cpt. Gallagher was very focused on keeping our soldiers safe and completing our missions. He was the primary mediator during all of our meetings with local Iraqi leaders and worked very hard to help them. It was noticeable that the local leaders respected him and our efforts to help improve their lives."
Gallagher and Henning were members of Task Force 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry (TF 2-14) during the winter of 2007. Their group was instrumental in restoring the Iraqi city of Sab' al Bor. Sab' al Bor went from a thriving urban area to a ghost town within three months after extremist groups targeted the civilian populace, murdering hundreds and terrorizing thousands. TF 2-14 inherited the city and used the principles of isolate, clear, hold and build in its plans in an effort to reestablish order and a government within the community.
Coalition forces joined in an operation that helped isolate the city from extremist groups, clear remaining extremists from the city, then focused on sustaining security gains by increasing local security forces' capacity to conduct operations and local government's capacity to govern. The task force then provided an infusion of micro-grants and other economic stimuli to supplement restoration of essential services such as electricity and water availability.
The operation was such a success that a case study on Sab' al Bor was ordered to understand why it worked and what lessons learned can be applied elsewhere.
When Gallagher transferred to another unit Henning and the rest of the platoon took it hard.
"We were a family and wanted to finish the mission that way," commented Henning."
Henning has returned from the Middle East and teaches classes in the military science department of the ROTC program at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.
Gallagher continues to write and is currently drafting a novel about Iraq and Afghanistan veterans returning home to America.
"Fiction is a totally different animal," he says, "and while I'm enjoying it, it's going to take me a while."
In addition to writing he is attending grad school at Columbia University for Islamic Studies. A bartending job on the side helps pay the bills.
The former Army Captain says staying in touch with fellow soldiers is his lifeline.
"Going to war is such an intimate thing, and only the people that were there with you, in a certain time and place, can ever really connect with you on that level. So I stay in touch with Chris and the other members of the platoon as much as possible. I need to talk to them sometimes and I think sometimes, they need to talk to me."
Gallagher continues to keep a journal and you can follow it on his blog at http://kerplunkjournal.blogspot.com |
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©The Ogden Reporter 2013
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