From Baghdad with Love by Jay Kopelman (a court of thorns and roses ebook free .TXT) 📕

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———. “Deadly Blast Targets Iraqi Army; Gunmen Attack Iraqi Politician.” Voice of America. February 8, 2005.

———. “Suicide Bombings Kill 27 in Two Iraqi Cities.” Voice of America. February 7, 2005.

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———. “5 Iraqi Police, 8 Others Wounded in VBIED Attack.” Press release. January 5, 2005.

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———. “Contractor Employees Say Brutality Against Iraqis Led Them to Quit.” NBC News. February 15, 2005.

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———. “Truck Bomb at Iraqi Mosque Kills 13.” February 11, 2005.

———. “Iraqi Judge Assassinated in Baghdad.” January 25, 2005.

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———. “Sixteen Killed in Attacks Around Iraq.” January 17, 2005.

———. “Pre-Election Violence Continues in Iraq.” January 7, 2005.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

So where do I begin? Do I just tell you about Lava and how we came to be together, or do I thank Buck—that’s my good friend, Lieutenant Colonel Ignatius “Buck” Liberto—for extending his tour in Iraq, thereby giving me the opportunity even to meet Lava? Or do I thank Colonel J. C. Coleman, the First Marine Expeditionary Force chief of staff, who “volunteered” me for duty with the Iraqi Army during the battle of Fallujah? A lot has become a blur over the year since I’ve returned from Iraq. After all, if Buck hadn’t stayed in Iraq for six months longer than he should have, and had Colonel Coleman not recommended me as a liaison officer to the Iraqis, Lava and I would never have met. And really, that’s what this story is all about. Isn’t it?

Maybe the people I truly owe a debt of gratitude to are those who really rescued the mangy, flea-bitten mongrel. People like the members of our commanding general’s personal security detail. Among them Sergeant Matt Hammond, who, even with his severe wounds, wouldn’t let anyone near Lava if he thought they might try to harm him. Who played with Lava every day while he recovered, when he should have been in the hospital, but instead took care of the little guy. Or Anne Garrels, a brilliant journalist from National Public Radio, who more than had her hands full trying to report the war and the elections under fire,