In 2008, CBS' Chief Foreign Correspondent, Lara Logan, candidly speculated about the human side of the war in Iraq: "Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier. What does that look like? Who in America knows what that looks like? Because I know what that looks like, and I feel responsible for the fact that no one else does..." Logan's query raised some important yet ignored questions: How did the remains of American service men and women get from the dusty roads of Fallujah to the flag-covered coffins at Dover Air Force Base? And what does the gathering of those remains tell us about the nature of modern warfare and about ourselves? These questions are the focus of Jess Goodell's story, Shade it Black: Death and After in Iraq.
Jess enlisted in the Marines immediately after graduating from high school in 2001, and in 2004 she volunteered to serve in the Marine Corps' first officially declared Mortuary Affairs unit in Iraq. Her platoon was tasked with recovering and processing the remains of fallen soldiers.
With sensitivity and insight, Jess describes her job retrieving and examining the remains of fellow soldiers lost in combat in Iraq, and the psychological intricacy of coping with their fates, as well as her own. Death assumed many forms during the war, and the challenge of maintaining one's own humanity could be difficult. Responsible for diagramming the outlines of the fallen, if a part was missing she was instructed to "shade it black." This insightful memoir also describes the difficulties faced by these Marines when they transition from a life characterized by self-sacrifice to a civilian existence marked very often by self-absorption. In sharing with us the story of her own journey, Goodell also helps us to better understand how PTSD affects female veterans. With the assistance of John Hearn, she has written one of the most unique accounts of America's current wars overseas yet seen.
Prologue 11
1 To Iraq 13
2 Mortuary Affairs 23
3 Camp TQ 29
4 Processing 35
5 Pressure 41
6 Convoys 47
7 Stigma 55
8 Pushed 61
9 Fire and Rain 69
10 Processing Iraqis 75
11 Toll 79
12 Immorality Plays 85
13 Personal Effects 89
14 Four Marines in the News 93
15 Mothers, Sisters, Daughters 97
16 Boom 103
17 Heads 107
18 The Girls' Generation 111
19 Life and Death 117
20 Anticipation 121
21 Home 127
22 Miguel 133
23 Searching 137
24 St. Louis 143
25 Seattle 149
26 A Break 157
27 Tucson 161
28 Nightmare 167
29 Chautauqua 175
30 Hope 181
Epilogue 185
Afterword 187
Postscript 189
Further Reading 191
Avianwoman
Posted June 2, 2011
I am proud and deeply moved and humbled to have been allowed to enter Jess Goodell's world...one I cannot possibly comprehend or adequately feel. Very painful and beautifully sensitive this should be a required read for anyone who has allowed war to become normal. The "each chapter beginning" short report was powerful. I pray the release involved in the creation of this book has been cleansing for one of our HEROES!! I was so moved...many tears were shed as I read.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2013
I really found this book interesting. I had no idea what it was like for a very young woman Marine over seas. Jess Goodell was subject to more difficult experiences than the average person has in a life time. I would not recommend it to a daughter of mine.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 5, 2012
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.patcatPB
Posted January 18, 2012
I heard an interview on NPR with this author, and immediately wanted to read more, but the book was difficult to find. This is not a "prettied up" story of military life in Iraq,but rather a brutally realistic story about real life as a Marine, a female Marine, and a member of the mortuary affairs detail. It shows the reader things that are really happening but that we don't really want to think about. It is written in a casual, easy to understand style - it feels like one is having a conversation with the author. This is the story of a group of courageous, dedicated Marines who volunteered to do a most necessary job in Iraq - a job that most of us couldn't perform for one day. This story should be read by everyone.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.8662238
Posted August 6, 2011
It is amazing what Jessica and her platoon had to endure....you and your platoon were a true blessing to the families involved. I also felt very much validated in my own feelings of being treated a certain way by male Marines during my four year stint.....it is good to know someone gets it....and now it has been said! Thank u!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RosaPaglini2011
Posted July 16, 2011
I heard Jess Goodell speak on a radio talk show...it immediately inspired me to download this book to my nook. I finished the book in two days....An eye opener {behind the scenes} to the reality of what truly happens in any War. Must read by female and male before you're thinking about joining the military! Especially females. Tremendously powerful book. Thank you Jess for your honesty and bravery. God Bless You.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MaryEllenNC
Posted July 10, 2011
The book is written in 30 chapters, encompassing the 190 pages. The author takes us from arrival in Iraq, through the time and experiences working as a Marine in a military establishment and environment that remains ambivalent at best in it's acceptance of soldier Marines that are of female gender, and on to the aftermath of coming back to the USA. Jess Goodell explains in terms that now make much more sense just HOW difficult re-entry into civilian life is for our veterans.
I extend my deepest thanks for her and to her for writing this truly heartwarming and heartbreaking book.
Anonymous
Posted September 24, 2011
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Posted July 22, 2011
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Posted August 1, 2011
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Posted July 18, 2011
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Posted June 22, 2011
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Posted December 31, 2012
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Posted July 25, 2011
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Overview
In 2008, CBS' Chief Foreign Correspondent, Lara Logan, candidly speculated about the human side of the war in Iraq: "Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier. What does that look like? Who in America knows what that looks like? Because I know what that looks like, and I feel responsible for the fact that no one else does..." Logan's query raised some important yet ignored questions: How did the remains of American service men and women get from the dusty roads of Fallujah to the ...