Is This Your First War? (26 page)

I
had a lot of help writing and publishing this book. I'm thankful to my agent, Samantha Haywood of the Transatlantic Literary Agency, for believing in the project and finding it a good home. I'm particularly appreciative of Allister Thompson at Dundurn Press for his deft and careful editing.

This book began with a trip undertaken for pleasure and adventure. I'm glad to have had Adam Phillips with me. Scott Anderson took a chance by sending me to a war when I was an intern at his newspaper. I won't forget it. Nor will I forget the Iranian democrats who risked so much by speaking to me in Tehran. One day Iran will be free because of men and women like them.

Donald Weber, a fine photographer and travelling companion, kindly allowed me to reprint his photographs here.

I've been lucky these past six years to work at
Maclean's
, and especially under Senior Executive Editor Peeter Kopvillem. I'm grateful for his trust and friendship.

Janyce McGregor is my partner in love and life. Thank you.

Michael Petrou

July 2012

Copyright © Michael Petrou, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Editor: Allister Thompson

Design: Jesse Hooper

Epub Design: Carmen Giraudy

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Petrou, Michael, 1974-

Is this your first war? [electronic resource] / Michael Petrou.

Includes bibliographical references.

Electronic monograph.
Issued also in print format.

ISBN 978-1-4597-0648-4

1. Petrou, Michael, 1974- --Travel--Middle East. 2. Middle East--Description and travel. 3. Islamic countries. 4. Journalists--Canada--Biography. I. Title.

We acknowledge the support of the
Canada Council for the Arts
and the
Ontario Arts Council
for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the
Government of Canada
through the
Canada Book Fund
and
Livres Canada Books
, and the
Government of Ontario
through the
Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit
and the
Ontario Media Development Corporation
.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

J. Kirk Howard, President

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Fighting Words

Canada's Best War Reporting

Mark Bourrie

978-1459706668

$29.99

Fighting Words
is a collection of the very best war journalism created by or about Canadians at war. The collection spans 1,000 years of history, from the Vikings' fight with North American Natives, through New France's struggle for survival against the Iroquois and British, to the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Rebellions of Lower and Upper Canada, the Fenian raids, the North-West Rebellion, the First World War, the Second World War, Korea, peacekeeping missions, and Afghanistan.

Each piece has an introduction describing the limits placed on the writers, their apparent biases, and, in many cases, the uses of the article as propaganda. The stories were chosen for their impact on the audience they were written for, their staying power, and, above all, the quality of their writing.

First Soldiers Down

Canada's Friendly Fire Deaths in Afghanistan

Ron Corbett

978-1459703278

$28.99

On April 18, 2002, Alpha Company, Third Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was on a training exercise at Tarnak Farms, a former Taliban artillery range in southern Afghanistan. The exercise had been underway for nearly seven hours when two American fighter pilots flew overhead. One, Major Harry Schmidt, saw the artillery fire below, and thinking he was under attack, dropped a laser-guided bomb.

Four Canadian soldiers died that night, the first Canadian combat fatalities since the Korean War. For many in Canada the tragedy signalled the true beginning of Canada's lengthy combat mission in Afghanistan. 

First Soldiers Down
recounts what happened that evening through archival material and the recollections of troops. It also tells the personal stories of the fallen — Sergeant Marc Léger, Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, Private Richard Green, and Private Nathan Smith — as well as what happened to the loved ones of each of the four in the decade since the incident.

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Dundurn.com
Definingcanada.ca
@dundurnpress
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