By Any Means Necessary

Veterans Talk Torture in the War on Terror

by John Tsukayama

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Description

If you thought the only way for you to return home safe was to embody the vilest evil, would you do it?

We’ve always viewed veterans as patriots who defended our nation and destroyed worldwide threats. As such, we would never imagine them as perpetrators of institutionalized evil. In times of war, they’re called upon to be their bravest selves. When times get desperate, they are forced to be their darkest. Few people know of the numerous abusive acts our soldiers have been compelled to take part in and how it ruined their humanity.

By Any Means Necessary dives deep into stories of how fourteen veterans went from justice-seeking liberators to unplanned abusers. Drastic hazing punishments desensitized soldiers to the extent that they soon had no problem inflicting such abuse. With implied authorization from superiors, some of them moved from replicating the hazing they experienced to committing torture and murder.

If you thought the only way for you to return home safe was to embody the vilest evil, would you do it?

We’ve always viewed veterans as patriots who defended our nation and destroyed worldwide...

Advance Praise

"""A necessary, important and wholly original book."" (Professor Philippe Sands, author East West Street and Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values.)
""John Tsukayama delves into wrenching stories of American service members who inflicted abusive violence on others. Their accounts are collected dispassionately, but their voices still ring through our ears. Tsukayama guides us through their stories as we hear military men and women disassemble what drove them to committing terrible deeds, and how it ultimately undid themselves.""
(Joshua E. S. Phillips, author of ""None of Us Were Like This Before."")"

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ISBN	9781642377644
PRICE	$9.99 (USD)

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Featured Reviews

Mandy J, Reviewer

My Recommendation

I found this a difficult and challenging book to read. It explores the experiences of 14 US veterans who became so desensitized to violence against the enemy that they easily slipped into a culture where torture, abuse and murder became the daily norm. The book examines how this culture developed and became acceptable, and how it affected the soldiers after their service. It’s a devastating exposé of how cruelty can become endemic amongst a group or organisation and it makes for some horrifying reading. Highly recommended.

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Ellie H, Reviewer

My Recommendation

I enjoyed reading this book. It is not an easy read, as it explores why people use torture as an interrogation method. However, it helps to understand why people might feel inclined to use torture, and why the practice is used so often as it is.

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