The Deserter's Tale by Joshua Key

The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away From the War in Iraq by Joshua Key (with Lawrence Hill)

"I never thought I would lose my country, and I never dreamed it would lose me. I was raised as a patriotic American, taught to respect my country and to believe my president. " So begins this memorable, heart-felt account of Joshua Key's enlistment in the army as a way to lift his growing family out of the poverty of rural Oklahoma. In the book, he tells of his betrayal by a recruiter who guaranteed that he wouldn't see combat, his training that taught him to see Muslims of all ages as non-human terrorists...and his disillusionment when ordered to participate in raids on homes of ordinary citizens or when fellow soldiers used dead Iraqi bodies for sport. He found he could not give voice to any of his questions because anyone who questioned or disobeyed orders was severely ridiculed, punished, locked up, etc. After seven months in Iraq, Key was granted a 2-week home leave. When his return was unexpectedly delayed, he decided to follow his conscience, and he disappeared underground for 14 months with his wife and children before crossing the border into Canada in March 2005. He applied for refugee status.

I ordered this book from Paperback Swap for my mother -- it's the January selection for her book club. When it arrived, I couldn't put it down. Joshua Key provides a unique perspective on experiences in Iraq -- I pray that the war ends soon.

An Internet search revealed that Canada's Immigration & Refugee Board denied Joshua Key's initial request for refugee status; however, on July 4, 2008, Federal Court ordered the board to hold a new hearing for Key's refugee claim. This is considered a landmark decision by Justice Barnes; no further updates at this time.