Benedict's portrayal of the Iraq war is striking to say the least. Some of my mates in the Marine Corps were deployed to Iraq. Some of the stories in Sand Queen remind me of stories they have told me. My friend Josh talked about the disconnect between American troops and Iraqis. One sort of comical story revolves around the Iraqi police members' picky diet. The Marines on guard duty were itching to get a nice big slab of pork for lunch, but the Colonel wouldn't allow it for fear of offending the Iraqis. But on Josh's last day, he figured he'd give his fellow troops a good day and ordered the pork entry from the chow hall and delivered it to the guards (one of his duties), both American and Iraqi. Religiously biased against eating pork, the Iraqis complained. But the Americans were ecstatic. And since he left for home the next day, he never got in trouble about it with the Colonel.
He also told darker stories, which are explained poetically in the works of Turner. Friends who didn't come back from patrols, or came back messed up in a stretcher. An odd mix of humor and horror.
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