Gaming

"1001 nights in Iraq" by Shant Kenderian

There is a popular saying that “truth is stranger than fiction.” In Shant Kenderian’s case, the saying certainly applies. In his non-fiction book (once the best-selling book on BookSurge before being picked up by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster), Kenderian recounts his own story of being recruited to fight a war against his own country.

Born in Iraq as an Armenian Christian (already an outsider in a country populated by Muslims), when his parents divorced, Kenderian went to live with his mother and brothers in Chicago. Like many children of divorcees, he felt divided between his parents, and after two years of living in the United States, he decided to go to Iraq for a brief visit in 1980. His goal was to see his father and reconcile their bitter relationship (due upon divorce from his parents) before returning (after his two-week visit) to the United States to complete his studies. Days before his return to the United States, Saddam Hussein closed all Iraqi borders and ordered all men of draft age (between 17 and 55 years old) to enlist to fight for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war. Under threat of execution for refusing to serve, Kenderian served his time in the Iraqi Navy and returned to Baghdad, where he continued his engineering studies while awaiting the issuance of his green card from the U.S. Embassy that would allow him to return home.

Two days before his scheduled departure from Iraq, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, thus dragging the Kenderian into another war (Desert Storm) before he could leave. Thus begins the saga that is narrated in 1001 nights in Iraq. As an Iraqi-born American resident, Shant Kenderian was forced to fight the country he loved and considered his own: America.

Kenderian recounts in depressing detail his time as an engineer aboard an Iraqi Navy ship off the coast of Kuwait. Forced to repair the ship with just a wrench and screwdriver, Kenderian recounts the depravity faced by most soldiers on the Iraqi side of the conflict. Of his crew, only 2 Iraqis out of 15 had weapons of some kind; The Kenderian himself had none. Food was scarce, as was any other kind of supplies. Every day was a nightmare in which Iraqi soldiers expected the death of the Americans at any moment.

Clearly, the Kenderian had to do something to change his destiny, so he devised a plan: surrender to the Americans as soon as possible. Therefore, Kenderian hoped to defend his case as a US resident forced to participate in a war that was not of his choosing on a side that he would not have chosen. Kenderian was eventually captured by the Americans, but not before his ship hit a mine, killing several of his Iraqi crewmates. However, even his capture by US forces posed extreme hardship. As a prisoner of war (prisoner of war), time and again, he was interrogated, forced to live in difficult conditions and plead his desperate case, to return to his family in the United States.

Despite this incredible story, Kenderian never lost his sense of humor, his humanity for others (Iraqis or not), or his faith in God that he would eventually be returned to the country he considered his home. Only a man of true courage and compassion could have survived this ordeal to tell this story of resilience and hope. Through his book, Kenderian has opened the door to a world that few Americans understand or have experienced. Your story has been featured on public radio This American life and it truly is unique.

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