O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! …
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter’d with the hands of war; …
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
— Billy Shakes, Julius Caesar
Wired’s August issue prominently features Lt. Neil Prakash of the U.S. Army in a story about milbloggers called ‘Blogs of War.’ The Silver Star-decorated tank platoon commander has a striking full-page photo in camouflage, glowering as hard as a 28-year-old can glower.
The story says Prakash was born just outside Bangalore, the son of two upstate New York dentists. He’s quite pyro about firing the tank’s main gun and other testosterone sports. Prakash says his favorite sound is an F-16 strafing run: it sounds like a cat in a blender or as if God were ripping up a phone book in the sky (all quotes paraphrased). He also says something like, ‘I’d rather be commanding a tank than sitting in a call center telling someone in Bumfuck, U.S.A. how to reformat their hard drive’ 🙂
His platoon has been rotated out of Iraq and is currently recuperating in Germany. Prakash used the downtime to get married in Denmark.
Check it out on the newsstands. Here’s Prakash’s blog.
Previous posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Update: The story has been posted.
By the crude light of a small bulb and the backlit screen of his Dell laptop, Neil Prakash, a first lieutenant, posted some of the best descriptions of the fighting in Fallujah and Baquba last fall:Terrorists in headwraps stood anywhere from 30 to 400 meters in front of my tank. They stopped, squared their shoulders at us just like in an old-fashioned duel, and fired RPGs at our tanks. So far there hadn’t been a single civilian in Task Force 2-2 sector. We had been free to light up the insurgents as we saw them. And because of that freedom, we were able to use the main gun with less restriction.
Prakash was awarded the Silver Star this year for saving his entire tank task force during an assault on insurgents in Iraq’s harrowing Sunni Triangle. He goes by the handle Red 6 and is author of Armor Geddon. For him, the poetry of warfare is in the sounds of exploding weapons and the chaos of battle.
“It’s mind-blowing what this stuff can do,” Prakash tells me by phone from Germany, where his unit moved after rotating out of Iraq earlier this year. One of his favorite sounds is that of an F16 fighter on a strafing run. “It’s like a cat in a blender ripping the sky open – if the sky was made out of a phone book.” He is from India, the land of Gandhi, but he loves to talk about blowing things up. “It’s just sick how badass a tank looks when it’s killing.”
Prakash is the son of two upstate New York dentists and has a degree in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins. He’s a naturalized American citizen, born near Bangalore, and he describes growing up in the US and his decision to join the military as something like Bend It Like Beckham meets The Terminator. He says he admired the Army’s discipline and loved the idea of driving a tank. He knew that if he didn’t join the Army, he might end up in medical school or some windowless office in a high tech company. With a bit of bluster, Prakash claims that for him, the latter would be more of a nightmare scenario than ending up in the line of fire of insurgents. “It was a choice between commanding the best bunch of guys in the world and being in a cubicle at Dell Computer in Bangalore right now helping people from Bum-fuck USA format their hard drives.”
It’s taken some adjustment, but Prakash says his parents basically support his Army career, although his father can’t conceal his anxiety about having a son in Iraq. Prakash says he blogs to assure the folks back home that he’s safe, to let his friends all over the world know what’s going on, and to juice up the morale in his unit. “The guys get really excited when I mention them.”
By the time Prakash left Iraq early this year, the readers of Armor Geddon extended far beyond family and friends. He still posts from his base in Germany and is slowly trying to complete a blog memoir of his and his fellow soldiers’ experiences in the battle for Fallujah…
Blackfive himself has degrees in archaeology and computer science and avidly follows the postings of fellow bloggers. He describes Neil Prakash as “borderline Einstein…”
Prakash remains in Germany, awaiting orders to jump back into his beloved tank, which he calls Ol’ Blinky. He says he has no plans to resume his study of neuroscience, although it wasn’t completely useless in Iraq. “Neuroscience actually came in handy when I had to explain to my guys exactly why doing ecstasy in a tank when it’s 140 degrees out on a road that’s blowing up every day is a really bad idea.”
I guess he never heard an A-10 bearing down on a target with its GAU-8 cannon.
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
All respect to the lieutenant’s bravery, but his last statement toes the same line as the stupid shock-jocks. Idiot.
There is a difference: Shock jocks haven’t smelled napalm, he has. Also, what if burning napalm has an interesting smell? Something so powerful, yet have a disarmingly interesting smell?
I doubt he’s smelled napalm because they haven’t used it since the 80’s, that’s just a line from ‘apocolypse now’
reading his blog i get the impression he’s in it for the thrills more than anything else, too much bravado, it’s grating
If there’s one thing I want testosterone-laden in my republic, it’s my armed forces. I doubt many of these guys sit around listening to NPR in the morning. Not that there’s anything wrong with that 😉
Ananthan,
They are still using Napalm as per this report. It quotes several generals.
But I agree with about this guy that he never smelled it because he was in an armoured tank most of the time!!!
It’s a famous movie quote.
I have seen the movie. I was trying to be sarcastic.
Aight, I re-read portions of the blog. I was mistaken, no napalm. I had it confused with the 155 WP smokescreen rounds used, for some reason it got stuck in my brain like Napalm.
I don’t think Hollywood will be interested in adapting any of the milbloggers’ stories. Looks like they are more interested in rooting for the other side.
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blockquote>They are still using Napalm as per this report. It quotes several generals.
No kidding, I thought they had signed that treaty.
I donÂ’t find it grating at all, rather I find it refreshing and interesting. Being a Desi is more than defining yourself as an Indian living in America. In order to capture the whole Desi experience, which I think this blog does really well which makes it such a fun read, itÂ’s great to learn about men and women who, though they are Indian/South Asian by descent, do not define themselves by it. In reading his blog it isnÂ’t about being a Desi in Iraq but about an American at war. There are a couple references to his being Indian but it certainly isnÂ’t what the blog is about and that is refreshing to a Desi like me.
I think it’s interesting to note how after all the talk about what to do to fight terror from duking it out in the streets to providing alternatives to Muslim youth to spreading Democracy, Desis have a tough time getting their minds around a kid who wants to serve his country in the military and actually enjoys it. Sure, you can blow him off and say he’s in it for the thrills but what are you in your job for? A paycheck? Intellectual curiosity? Making mom and dad proud of you? Are any of these rationales better than the others? Does someone have to be in Iraq for the “right reasons” in order to earn our admiration and respect? I don’t think so. Do you guys have any idea how tough Ranger school is? I assure you, don’t get through it because you are in it “just” for the thrills.
For obvious reason there arenÂ’t a lot of Sikhs in the US military. This is a shame since they are so disproportionately represented in the Indian military. Certainly there is an understanding of the sacrifice involved and there is a history there. Perhaps one of the reasons, aside from the hair etc. that Sikhs and desis donÂ’t serve the military is that our parents didnÂ’t come to the States etc for political or social freedom but rather they came to make a buck. Nothing wrong with that per se but I think it explains some Desi parentsÂ’ expectations for their children to get some high paying job as a doc or lawyer etc and not pursuing positions that serve the public interest like the military etc. (IÂ’m a military lawyer so I kind of cut the baby in half with that so I donÂ’t have too much room to talk) Frankly, I think Indians in the military make some people (Desis) uncomfortable. IÂ’m not quite sure why that is or if that is but would be curious to hear thoughts.
Punjabi Jag:
The reason is pretty simple, actually. Because of rule changes under Reagan, Keshdari male Sikhs can’t join the US military any more. They want to, and have been pushing to, but the military wont accomodate them and the Supremes have backed the military. There are a few keshdari male Sikhs from before who were grandfathered in, but that’s in. On the other hand, many more in Canada or the UK.
We did blog about one Keshdari female Sikh who is in the military.
Non-keshdari Sikhs, there might be more of. Actually, one of the earlier deaths in Iraq was of (I believe) an Indian soldier still waiting to be naturalized. He was a “clean shaven” Sikh.
i’m sorry but at the end of the day the military doesn’t give a damn about any of its members, desi or non-desi and I think that’s why I find it bothersome that this guy (or any other soldier for that matter) talk about ‘action’ and ‘thrills’ for an army that will dispose of them when they’re no longer useful. This is the same army where sikhs can’t serve under their religious beliefs, even though we supposedly live in a religion tolerant nation.
I believe the SC and the military cited problems with maintaining esprit de corps if Sikhs, Rastafarians etc were allowed into the military. Maintaining esprit de corps must be a crippling problem for the other forces that allow Sikhs to serve….
I think there were also problems with Sikhs wearing gas masks. That seems like a legitimate concern though not all positions in the armed forces have a need for gas masks so unfortunately all Sikhs are now locked out of all positions.
On a sidenote, can you imagine Joe Redneck seeing a full bearded Sikh serving the country on CNN?? His head might explode with conflicting stereotypes and my heart would well up with pride
There are Sikhs in the U.S. military in the annual Vaisakhi parade in NYC. Presumably they’re clean-shaven?
Man, talk about waste. Cutting out Sikhs is like cutting out Gurkhas.
My problem with it is his job is killing people. My guess is the thrill doesn’t come from the actual killing but all the strategy and big machinery involved, but at the end of the day he seems to be very happy he’s out and about blowing people up… watch some of the videos he made, it’s like the x-games for them.
This doesn’t have anything to do with my pro/anti war views (i think america needs to be there now, anyway) but revelling in war is tactless
and manish, we dont get npr in canada 😉
I miswrote- all Sikhs who are not clean shaven are barred. There are some Sikhs who have been grandfathered in (Go visit here)
I’d rather he be killing them than they be killing Americans.
Simple, I know, but really, someone has to win our nation’s wars and he’s seems perfect for the job. Perhaps he should feel sorrow for every life that is lost but I somehow think that would damage his effectiveness as a warrior. If seeing zeal is the price for victory I’m ready to pay up.
| someone has to win our nation’s wars.. If seeing zeal is the price for victory I’m ready to pay up.
Punjabi JAG, Hope you haven’t been buying the agitprop wholesale. This chap isn’t winning anything. He THINKS he’s winning something, and so does 50% of the nation. The reality on the ground is that this war has gone beyond the ‘winnable’ stage for America, because ultimately these things are not won by soldiers, but instead by statecraft. Both Juan Cole in Salon and Peter Galbraith in NYRB have written about this.
I’ve linked to the NYRB article because Galbraith is not a partisan like Cole. But they both tell the same sorry story. The Imam Khomeini is smiling down from the heavens.
What Manish said. The one group of people who need to be enthusiastic and not too reflective are the military. “Theirs is not to question why, theirs is but to do or die.. .” . . .or as I am in the habit of sady quoting, “We shall block the sun with our arrows!” “Why then we shall fight in the shade!” followed, of course, by “Oh you who pass by, go tell the Lakadaemonians that we lie here in obedience to their commands.”
I think Aslam on that other thread is well, wrong, but he’s got a point. It’s our (civilians with cushy day jobs and time to read the paper and blogs and call our Senators and bitch out our Reps) job to try and keep them safe and doing the morally right thing. It’s their job to be ready at a moment’s notice to defend us however we see fit.
Go rent (or buy!) Gunner Palace. I highly recommend it. Bravado and zeal is not exclusive of inner doubt and moral sadness. He has a responsibility to keep up the morale of his troops and their families, and his blog is part of that effort.
And yes, his comment abou the call center is kinda dumb.
Some books written by other soldiers on current conflicts and combat:
Jar Head
generation Kill
Jarhead is a book about the first Gulf war.
This is an interesting book. I’ve had mixed feelings about it, but one can’t deny that it is raw and factually correct.
My problem has been that people formulate opinions based upon one or two accounts. Hopefully, with the amount of coverage this war has seen, more people come out with their accounts (people already have, but there isn’t anything wrong with more accounts) putting together a better picture of this giant puzzle. From reporter viewpoints, soldiers, leadership, etc. Keep your eyes open on another book written by the LT., who was depicted in Generation Kill, to come out sooner or later.
On another note, some of the Recon Marines from that book, Rudy Reyes and Mike Saucier, are out of the Corps and are my boxing/martial arts instructors. I’ll put in a plug for them, who have started their own fitness thing.
These are some good guys and they have interesting stories, particularly on Fallujah where their Recon Batallion was actually used for what it was trained to do, not the feint/bait as accounted for in Generation Kill.
Saheli – gals who can quote Herodotus on Thermopylae are cool!
Ditto!
On that note, Gates of Fireby Steven Pressfield is an excellent book.
Funny thing. I never said the “call center” comment. I spoke with John Hockenberry and it was manufactured from our conversation. I corrected his fact-checkers when they emailed me with the story before print but they never made the corrections before it was published. WIRED was extremely apologetic but I didn’t care enough to get mad about it. Those who know me know that I would never have worked in a call center since I grew up in the States and went to college already. Those who don’t know me, I really don’t care what they think of me. Yes, I see the hypocrisy in correcting myself and then saying I don’t care about people’s opinions. Moving on.
Vinod, I’m sorry I didn’t reach you. I was in San Fran last weekend but only for a day. I was doing the PCH drive with my wife. When I have more time, I will definitely meet up with you. I’m flying back to Germany today.
Saheli, Punjab JAG, Manish, and icarus get it. I agree, there is no military solution to Iraq. Only a political one. My battalion commander said that from day 1. But if you’re gonna do a job, you might as well be passionate about it. Furthermore, it takes a certain type of mentality to separate your line of work from humanity and compassion. Sometimes those interests coincide in Iraq, sometimes they don’t. But the health, welfare, and morale of my soldiers was always #1 on my mind. And I came home with 100% of my men after major combat operations in Baqubah and Fallujah. RED BASTARDS!
-Red 6
Neil- dude, where are you? you transpo or still ar? drop me a line when you get a chance. Nikki and I got married this weekend. kaser
For anyone that thinks CPT Prakash does what he does for the bravado, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Deployments can be long, depressing, sometimes boring, and when you finally are in combat, even CPT Prakash will tell you that it can be terrifying. There are times where you enjoy it. Knowing that you have greater fire power than your enemy, successfully completing a long mission with few losses, getting a pat on the back for a brave act you didn’t realize you did, finding out that your efforts defended a once resentful and now grateful population, yes these things feel indescribably wonderful, even spectacular. Those of us who stay in combat arms after our first taste of war don’t do it for the bravado. We do it because we know we can handle it and make moral, responsible and intelligent decisions. Right now I work for CPT Prakash, and he is honestly the finest commanding officer I have ever had. He utilizes my skills to help better the inexperienced soldiers, bounces ideas off of me when we converse, and he holds his soldiers to a very high standard without ignoring the importance of morale and family.
He had the choice of becoming a neurosurgeon or staying in an often taxing and thankless job where he excels and helps to defend the society that welcomed him with open arms from India. Both are honorable professions, and require a great degree of expertise and constant learning. Maybe he decided that he would do more to help our society by taking the path he chose, but I can’t speak for him. He is a wise man who is intelligent enough to make his own decisions and respectfully, as a grown ass man, he doesn’t have to answer to those who criticize him. But my best advice, before you get into an argument with him, realize that you will be arguing with a man who could be a brain surgeon, is outgoing enough to have 160 follow him without question, and brilliant enough that he most likely qualifies for MENSA.
Other than that, his actions and bravery speak for themselves.