Journal of a 2nd Lieutenant in Iraq: With the 133rd Battalion

During President G.W. Bush’s Iraq War a unit from Maine had to deal with a suicide bomber attack. It was 11 years ago on December 21 when 22 people were killed in the attack, including two members the Jason White’s unit. This is Lt. White’s book about the attack and his deployment, as a 2nd Lieutenant in Maine’s 133rd National Guard Engineer Battalion.

“As a true leader, Jason understood the importance of telling his unit’s story. He’s built a bridge for communication that is sorely needed. …  Many would like to express themselves better about their tour of duty but might be hesitant, not willing to risk misunderstandings. After all, where do they begin the conversation? This journal could be a great start.”

-from the introduction by Former Maine Governor John E. Baldacci.

Journal of a 2nd Lieutenant in Iraq with the 133rd Battalion  was published in 2014, and the conversation has begun. Now their sacrifices, and the work they did with the people of Iraq will not be forgotten.

The 133rd was deployed to build schools, bridges and buildings to help move Iraq and her people forward. They ended up doing so much more, yet there story is seldom told. Jason’s book puts their record straight with stories from his personal journal.

Hopefully the members of our armed services, and their families are beginning to heal. We owe it to them never to forget and to honor them for their service.

“Lt. White did all of those things. He challenged incompetence, celebrated outstanding performance, and kept his eyes on the mission, even while others basked in its limelight. He understood the therapeutic value of a good cheerleader, repeatedly putting finger to keyboard to sing his company’s and platoon’s praises in one newsletter after another. All of this while accepting that rank and timing had conspired to deprive him of close friendships – one of the few real havens in a war zone. Lonely by his own candid admission, he nevertheless performed his duty well and with honor.”

–Bill Nemitz writer for the Portland Press Herald, who was embeded in Iraq with Lt. White

About Jason White

At the age of nineteen, Jason joined the US Army as an armor crewman. He served the first year of his military career in South Korea along the DMZ. After the one-year tour, he spent the next three years at Fort Carson, Colorado, and later transferred to the Maine Army National Guard (MEARNG). Jason worked at the Regional Training Institute in Augusta, Maine, as a traditional Guard soldier, where he eventually attended the Officer Candidate School and was commissioned. Shortly after commissioning, he was sent to serve as an engineer platoon leader in Iraq. Jason has served in a multitude of positions since returning from Iraq that include company commander and engineer plans officer. He retired from the MEARNG in 2014.

In civilian life, Jason is employed as the executive director of Maine Behavioral Health Organization, a nonprofit that provides mental-health and substance-abuse services throughout Maine. Jason currently resides in Rockland, Maine, with his loving and supportive wife, Jessica, and their four children.

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Polar Bear & Company; First edition (August 19, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882190149
• ISBN-13: 978-1882190140
• $12.95