Orange Berets: Adventures and Misadventures in the Sinai

Auteur

James "Doc" Crabtree is a veteran of the Cold War, serving as a U.S. Army Hawk Surface-to-Air Missile Crewman. He later served as a Launcher Crewman in the Patriot SAM system and was trained as a Stinger gunner. Commissioned prior to Desert Storm, he served as a Tactical Control Officer in a Hawk IIIA battery and also served as the site reconnaissance team leader. During Desert Storm he located and secured several missile sites in addition to his duties as a TCO. Leaving active duty for a time to pursue an academic career, he remained in the National Guard. He returned to active duty in 1998 and participated in Operation Desert Fox, which is largely forgotten now. Later he served in Operation Southern Watch, which served to enforce No-Fly Zones in Iraq and protect US allies in the Gulf from Iraqi air and ballistic missile attack. Crabtree returned to Iraq in 2005, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He would also serve as a peacekeeper in the Sinai and as a Public Affairs Officer at Guantanamo Bay. Throughout his military career Crabtree has written prolifically and has drawn cartoons poking fun of military life. He has published two books, On Air Defense and Guerilla Air Defense, and has had cartoons featured in several military publications.

Texte du rabat

The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) came about as a result of the Camp David accords. This peacekeeping force (NOT under the auspices of the United Nations) keeps the peace by means of three infantry battalions (one Fijian, one Colombian, one U.S. Army), a Civilian Observation Unit and military men and women from several other countries. Maj. Crabtree, the Press and Visits Officer, served there in 2007 and saw the rise Hamas in Gaza, the mysterious crash of the MFO's Twin Otter, and the lack of popularity of then-President Hosni Mubarak. He provides background information on the history of the region and insights into how things work (or don't work) in Egypt. Crabtree's writing has a biting style and it is supplemented by cartoons drawn by his "acid pen" and photos taken by the author. His take on the Army, the MFO and the absurdity of life in general makes this a must-read.