Lieutenant Col. John A. Nagl was featured yesterday on NPR’s All Things Considered to discuss the recent re-publication of the U. S. Army’s Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II. Nagl—who wrote the forward to the new edition—joins host Michele Norris to discuss the valuable lessons to be found in this small advice manual issued to soldiers serving in Iraq more than 60 years ago; advice which Nagl argues is still very much relevant today. In his interview, Nagl laments the fact that the army had not heeded some of this advice before the current counterinsurgency operations began in 2003, and encourages the adoption of some of the book’s suggestions in the context of the United States’ current efforts to win Iraqi hearts and minds.
Navigate to the NPR website to listen to archived audio of the show as well as read an illustrated excerpt from the book.