Deveraux, Brennan S. Exterminating ISIS

Behind the Curtain of a Technological War

Brennan Deveraux was deployed to Iraq from January 2016 to August 2016, serving in the Strike Cell as a missile artillery liaison officer as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, firing over 500 missiles and killing over 600 enemy combatants. His report describes a personal journey about how US soldiers deal with slaughtering a technologically inferior enemy. It includes detailed and honest accounts of numerous artillery missions. He openly admits that he wanted to rack up statistics and speaks candidly about some decisions he is not proud of. He recounts the dark humour of war that he and his comrades resorted to when faced with death, which helped them escape their actions. Nevertheless, they sometimes found that they had lost their humanity, and the reality of war came back to them. When Brennan returned home, he had to come to terms with what he had done overseas in a life-changing moment surrounded by his family, and he experienced an anxiety attack that he could not explain. Brennan's story is important because it paints a very different picture of what it means to be a soldier in a 21st-century military and highlights the impact of distant warfare on soldiers. It is a reflection on war and the role of the soldier in it, highlighting the importance of empathy even for the bad guys and appreciation for the families affected by violence.