World War II-era tips for Iraq duty

We found this historical gem in an old trunk which was crammed with my mother’s World War II keepsakes. As a US Marine lieutenant, Grace Finley taught recruits at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and Quantico, Virginia. Tucked away with her brass-buttoned dress white uniforms was a slim booklet that outlined in 1943 what to expect in Iraq.

A nearly identical WWII booklet for Army personnel was published by the University of Chicago Press in June 2007 as a nostalgic blast from the past.
For today's fighters, there's no need to shell out $10 for this edition, even though it is essential reading, originally paid for by American tax dollars. In memory of Grace Finley, we have scanned the original pages of her booklet and posted them online for everybody who cares about the future of Iraq and the fate of the American servicemen and women serving there.

(Please click on images to enlarge to full-size.)







60 years before the current war started, when British troops guarding strategic Iranian oil resources from the German advance
requested the help of American allies, this GI guide for grunts had timely tips about guerrilla fighters, religious factions, and cultural taboos. Like the familiar place names, they seem just as relevant today. The guide anticipated virtually every problem encountered by troops in the past five years.