Alumnus' book offers soldier's view of Iraq war

hughes two fronts med

Col. Christopher Hughes is the author of "War on Two
Fronts: An Infantry Commander's War in Iraq and the
Pentagon." Hughes graduated from Northwest in 1983
and credits Dr. Rick Frucht with teaching him to read
history and appreciate its lessons.

While virtually all Northwest undergraduates spend time reading history during their University careers, relatively few go on to live it, make it and write it down in a book.

One who has is Col. Christopher Hughes, who graduated from Northwest in 1983 with a degree in political science at the same time he completed ROTC and was commissioned a 2^nd lieutenant in the United States Army.

Time passed, and Hughes moved steadily up the ultra-competitive career ladder of a military professional. Then, after 20 years in uniform, he found himself playing a key role in what became one of the most famous incidents of America’s 2003 invasion of Iraq.

While commanding a battalion of the legendary 101st Airborne Division, Hughes and his soldiers were advancing on the Grand Mosque of Ali in the holy city of Najaf. Having overcome Saddam Hussein’s outer defenses, Hughes began to sense growing hostility from the Najaf populace and gave his troops what probably remains one of the most unusual orders in U.S. military history.

He told them to “smile,” “take a knee” and point their weapons at the ground.

Hughes’ intuitive understanding of an increasingly volatile situation was noted by “Time” and “Newsweek” and also by President George W. Bush, who mentioned it in his weekly radio address. “This gesture of respect,” said Bush, “helped defuse a dangerous situation and made our peaceful intentions clear.”

How might Operation Iraqi Freedom have turned out if more commanders, diplomats and politicians had demonstrated similar insight? No one will ever know. But Hughes, who glowingly credits Northwest Professor Rick Frucht with introducing him to military history, attempts at least a partial answer in his new book “War on Two Fronts: An Infantry Commander’s War in Iraq and the Pentagon” (Casemate 2007).

After reading “War on Two Fronts,” Frucht, who is retiring at the end of the current academic year, eagerly returned his former student’s compliment.

“It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read,” Frucht said, showing off his autographed copy, which is inscribed to “the man who taught me to read, appreciate and love military history. I know you don’t hear it often enough, but thanks.”

After the episode in Najaf, Hughes went on to other adventures in Iraq, during which he dealt with Shiites in the south, Kurds in the north and Sunni tribal leaders in between. But after being ordered home to serve at the Pentagon, he was struck by the disconnect between the way the war was being run in Washington and the experiences of American troops on the ground.

“War on Two Fronts,” which has been studied by the blue-ribbon Baker Commission and top Middle East policymakers, is more than just a battle memoir. Critics have called it a serious and knowledgeable look at how the war is being fought and how, perhaps, it can be ended.

“At first it was kind of a way to deal with what happened,” Hughes said. “Putting it down in words helped me to get it off my mind. … But then I realized I had a story to tell about my soldiers, and also discovered that the story hadn’t really ended. This is what they teach you as an Army officer, not just to say what you did but to say what you learned and what should you do about it.”

Obviously the situation in Iraq remains “very complicated,” said Hughes, who called his book an attempt to explain “why we as a nation have gotten it so wrong.” A big part of getting it wrong, he believes, is that too many Americans fail to study and history and heed its lessons.

“The key is understanding (the region’s) past,” he said. “The Iraqis have grown into these attitudes and situations over the last couple of thousand years, and we don’t have the capacity to comprehend cultures and hatreds and religions and ethics and moral standards that go back that far.

“Before we do this again, we have to figure out that not everybody on the planet wants to have the same kind of government and standard of living that we do. We don’t have the market cornered on values.”

Hughes currently serves as division chief for the Army's House Liaison Division to the Capitol and is quick to credit his success as an officer and observer of history to lessons learned on the Northwest campus a quarter-century ago -- lessons he is passing on to a new Bearcat generation.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Hughes’ son, Patrick, is currently a political science major and ROTC cadet at Northwest.

“My years at Northwest were essential to my career,” Hughes said. “Dr. Frucht was the first guy to open my eyes to the bigger picture of the history of the United States. He gave me not just pride in but an understanding of my country.”

“War on Two Fronts: An Infantry Commander’s War in Iraq and the Pentagon” has been well received, but Hughes has no plans of trading in a soldier’s life for that of an author. He has directed that all proceeds from the book go to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides temporary lodging to families of military personnel undergoing specialized or extended medical care.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone: 660.562.1704
Fax: 660.562.1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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