Lessons From Iraq: Memoir of a Marine

Mike Kubista is a war writer from Minnesota. In 2003 and 2004, he was a Marine Corps machine gunner and prison guard in Iraq. His experiences range from the initial invasion in ’03 to gunfights, brushes with prisoners of war, IED explosions, and mortar attacks in Al Anbar province when the whole world seemed like it was on fire. Lessons from Iraq is a collection of those experiences along with historical context for people who want to know more than just the narratives they heard on TV. 

–Ian–

For the veteran who was there, this memoir helps you remember and share with loved ones. For those who weren’t there but want to know what happened, Mike has been able to put to words the horrors that many thousands of Veterans witnessed and participated in.

While reading Mike’s book, I found myself laughing, crying, throwing shit, and being overall grateful for the brave people who serve and have served in our armed forces.

As a veteran of this same time, I have struggled to understand my “service”. Mike does a great job of capturing the history leading up to the war and explaining who the main characters were and why they were significant. It helps me realize that my service and that of my brothers was important.

I don’t know if Mike intended this to be funny and it certainly isn’t a funny subject, but the stories he tells about day-to-day life with his fellow Marines remind me of the camaraderie I felt while serving. No matter how tough things were, there was always an element of comedy.
Thanks for writing this, Mike!

 

–Jess–

I loved it. I laughed, I cried, I was disgusted, I got angry. Most importantly, I learned new things and became reflective. This book does an exceptional job of putting you in situations, causing you to think about how you would respond if you were there. Not to mention it’s a total page turner! I’m a civilian with zero military expertise; I’ve read war stories before, but I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced such concentrated potency as I did with this war book. It was like reading about war in its own language instead of being translated/diluted. A talented storyteller with a story to tell is a lethal combination. 10/10 would recommend.