A vivid account of how the war in Iraq is being waged, through the eyes of an ordinary soldier
In 2002 Joshua Key enlisted in the United States Army to get training as a welder and lift his young Oklahoman family out of poverty. A year later, President George W. Bush invaded Iraq.
Key spent seven months in Iraq and in that time saw civilians being beaten, shot and killed for little or no provocation. Nearly every other night, he participated in raids on homes he was told were harbouring terrorists, ransacking the homes after arresting all of the men inside, with frightened women and children standing by. Not once did they find evidence of terrorist activity.
After seven months in Iraq, Key went home on leave, and knew he could not return, knew he could no longer, in conscience, serve his country. He took his family and went underground in the US, finally seeking asylum in Canada after fourteen months in hiding.
The Deserter's Tale is a blistering indictment of what armed forces are doing in Iraq and how the war is being waged.
