# Robert Semrau's book "The Taliban Don't Wave"



## MikeL

http://www.amazon.ca/Taliban-Dont-Wave-Rob-Semrau/dp/1118261186/ref=sr_1_98?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336522735&sr=1-98



> Product Description
> Book Description
> Captain Robert Semrau’s military trial made international headlines—a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan arrested for allegedly killing a grievously wounded Taliban soldier in the field. The trial and its outcome are a matter of public record. What you are about to read about the tour of duty that inspired this book is not.
> 
> What you are about to read is an emotionally draining and mind-snapping firsthand account of war on the ground in Afghanistan. It’s raw and explosive. Names have been changed to protect the brave and  not so brave alike.
> 
> What you are about to read is an account of soldiers who live, fight and die in a moonscape of a country where it’s sometimes hard to tell your friend from your enemy. It’s about trying to hold it together when a mortar attack is ripping your friends and allies apart, and your world unravels before your eyes.
> 
> Rob Semrau wrote this book to tell us about the sheer hell that is the Stan, but also to recognize the incredible courage and compassion he witnessed in the heat of battle. The soldiers you are about to meet and the events that befall them will linger on in your mind long after you have closed these pages.
> 
> 
> From the Back Cover
> Captain Robert Semrau’s military trial made international headlines—a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan arrested for allegedly killing a grievously wounded Taliban soldier in the field. The trial and its outcome are a matter of public record. What you are about to read about the tour of duty that inspired this book is not.
> 
> What you are about to read is an emotionally draining and mind-snapping firsthand account of war on the ground in Afghanistan. It’s raw and explosive. Names have been changed to protect the brave and  not so brave alike.
> 
> What you are about to read is an account of soldiers who live, fight and die in a moonscape of a country where it’s sometimes hard to tell your friend from your enemy. It’s about trying to hold it together when a mortar attack is ripping your friends and allies apart, and your world unravels before your eyes.
> 
> Rob Semrau wrote this book to tell us about the sheer hell that is the Stan, but also to recognize the incredible courage and compassion he witnessed in the heat of battle. The soldiers you are about to meet and the events that befall them will linger on in your mind long after you have closed these pages.


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## dogger1936

My roto. I will be buying this book and putting aside to read one day.


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## Bernadine

I will definitely read this book. 
Thank you for the recommendation.


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## ArmyRick

I think I will snap up a copy of it too.


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## Ignatius J. Reilly

Sounds like a good read.  Thanks for the heads-up.


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## jollyjacktar

He's a good man in my opinion who got shafted, I want to see what he has to say.


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## jollyjacktar

Story and photos at link below.  I will look for his book when it comes out.



> Ex-soldier accused of murdering insurgent breaks silence
> The Canadian Press Posted: Aug 22, 2012 7:06 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 22, 2012 7:09 PM ET
> 
> The day he was alleged to have killed a wounded, unarmed Taliban fighter, Capt. Robert Semrau watched in dismay as stoned Afghan soldiers passed around "King Kong" marijuana joints and carried their rifles like baseball bats.  The former Canadian infantry officer, who was at the centre of a national debate over mercy killing in war, has broken his silence in a book that paints a stark, searing portrait of the chaos in the Afghan war.  An advance copy of the book was obtained by The Canadian Press.
> 
> Throughout his trial for second-degree murder and in the aftermath of his dismissal from the military, Semrau has been silent about what happened on Oct. 19, 2008, following a horrific firefight.  And anyone looking for a tabloid-type revelation, an explanation — or even contrition — in his book, The Taliban Don't Wave, will be disappointed.  In passages devoid of sentiment and reflection, Semrau recounts the events leading to the discovery of the wounded insurgent in an almost machine gun-like narrative.
> 
> 'Small, fist-like hole' in stomach
> 
> The dying enemy fighter had "a small, fist-like hole in his stomach, with a partially severed foot and an injured knee," he writes.  Some of the Afghan soldiers he was mentoring debated whether the man was dead.  "Captain Shafiq Ullah said the man was torn apart, had lost all of his blood in a nearby stream, and was ninety per cent dead," Semrau writes.  "And although they differed in their testimony as to the manner and what was said before the incident, two witnesses basically agreed that I had shot the insurgent two times, in what was later dubbed by the international press as a mercy killing."
> 
> His narrative sticks carefully to the public record laid down during his 2010 court martial for second-degree murder and attempted murder, charges of which he was acquitted.  He adds nothing about his motivation and defends only his silence.  "As a Canadian citizen, I had the right to remain silent during my trial. I could not be forced to testify," Semrau wrote.  "I chose to remain silent during my murder trial, and I never gave testimony on the stand, nor did I make a statement for the police. The truth of that moment will always be between me and the insurgent."
> 
> About 90 per cent of the book recounts his harrowing 2008 tour of Afghanistan as an officer helping to train often dishevelled, disorganized and diffident Afghan troops in the field.  His recollection of the day leading up to the killing was stark and terrifying.  He describes a dizzying battle, where the confusion of a uniformless guerrilla war was compounded by Afghan government intelligence agents mixing in with Taliban ahead of Semrau's unit, while insurgents planted bombs and booby traps behind them.
> 
> Canadian soldiers mentoring Afghan units had been called away from the fight in Kandahar to help the besieged British Army in Lashkar Gah, the capital of neighbouring Helmand province.  He wrote of how some Afghan troops not with his unit showed up the first morning of the battle dishevelled, barefoot with their boots slung over their shoulders and sporting long beards.  "Yep, they were totally, inexcusably high," Semrau recounted.  "They began passing around what could only be described as King Kong joints and started puffing away, their glassy eyes not really taking anything onboard (but they did like to smile a lot and giggle to themselves)."
> 
> By that point in the war, Ottawa and NATO had embraced the notion that training a competent army and police force was the only way out of Afghanistan.  Semrau's chronicle stands in sharp contrast to the picture both the Harper government and the army tried to paint of their Afghan allies throughout that time.  Instead of fearless, wily warriors, Semrau found himself saddled with ill-disciplined troops.  With a nearby unit pinned down in crushing ambush in the hours before the fateful shooting, Semrau argued with the Afghan officer whom he was mentoring.  Captain Shafiq Ullah had refused to mount a rescue mission to extract the trapped soldiers, a siege that was only broken by the rattle of a heavy machine-gun of an American AH-64 Apache.  The attack helicopter left a bloody scene of devastation behind, including the wounded Taliban.
> 
> In convicting and sentencing Semrau on the lesser charge of disgraceful conduct, the judge, Lt.-Col. Jean-Guy Perron said: "Shooting a wounded, unarmed insurgent is so fundamentally contrary to our values, doctrine and training that it is shockingly unacceptable behaviour. You made a decision that will cast a shadow on you for the rest of your life."  Only the epilogue is devoted to the charges against him and the heart-rending episodes associated with the trial and the possibility of facing jail time.  Semrau acknowledged he took issue with some of the testimony against him, but never said what he found objectionable about the accounts given to the court.  "At least in combat, I could act and react, but in court, I couldn't jump to my feet and shout 'That's a damn lie!"' he writes.
> 
> Outpouring of support
> 
> There was an outpouring of support for him in the aftermath of the charges, including a high-profile Facebook campaign and accusations in some columns that Semrau was being made a scapegoat because of the army's fear of another Somalia-type scandal.  The torture and murder of a Somali teen by soldiers of the disbanded airborne regiment in the 1990s left an indelible mark on the military.  Semrau does not complain about his fate in the book, nor criticize the institution that cast him out.
> 
> "Looking back on it all now, with hindsight and more clarity than I had at the time, I am amazed that I survived with a shred of sanity," he writes.  "But self-pity and despair were never options for me, because my wife and daughters were counting on me, and I wasn't about to fail them."  He said it "broke his heart" to be kicked out of the military.
> 
> Semrau leaves the morality of what he did for others to debate and decide.
> 
> © The Canadian Press, 2012
> 
> http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/08/22/semrau-taliban-book.html


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## The Bread Guy

On pre-order status at Amazon.ca here.


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## Journeyman

I'm very surprised at the comments following the article; an _overwhelming_ percentage of commenters supporting Rob Semrau, saying that he did the right, ethical thing given the circumstances.


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## Jarnhamar

Of course the Taliban wave- every time you pass an ANP checkpoint or vehicle the Taliban are the ones waving at you.

Not a big fan of fiction (ha) but I'll pick this book up.


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## MikeL

A thread was already started in May ref this book

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/105831.0.html


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## mariomike

-Skeletor- said:
			
		

> A thread was already started in May ref this book
> 
> http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/105831.0.html



31 pages of background:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/82558.0.html?PHPSESSID=1fbd7itu5ji17hqjenk79m7sh5


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## The Bread Guy

Merging now, out.

Edited to add:  I've just merged the book threads, so I'd appreciate it if we could keep discussion here focused on _the book_, not the incident amply covered & discussed elsewhere





			
				mariomike said:
			
		

> 31 pages of background:
> http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/82558.0.html?PHPSESSID=1fbd7itu5ji17hqjenk79m7sh5



*Milnet.ca Staff*


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## The Bread Guy

Bumped with a couple of links to what look like previews of at least bits of the new book at Scribd.com and Google Books - enjoy!


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## Canadian.Trucker

I think I'll get this book.  It looks like a fairly forthright telling of the experiences he had.  I talked with Rob just before he deployed overseas, I regret I never had the chance to talk with him when he got home.

Got a very interesting perspective though from some of the goings on from his 2IC.


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## acen

I read the preview and I think that I will pick up the book as a result. Great "readability", though it will be a little more challenging for civvies without mil-speak abilities.


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## fake penguin

I read this book, his first contact caught my attention. I know the soldier that he refers to in the tower. Two things stand out. My friend said that his platoon was on security duty at that time and he was by himself. Since he was by himself when he recieved fire, his platoon warrant came rushing down in a gator. So why was the Robert talking to the pte/cpl and not the warrant. It sounds to me from reading the book, that the pte/cpl individual was by himself the whole time.
Also


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## fake penguin

Some how my reply was sent before i finished. I guess i just didn't like how Robert protrayed my friend, so i'am a little defensive. I wasn't there just my friends version and his are different.


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## aesop081

fake penguin said:
			
		

> my friends version and his are different.



Something that is not unusual.


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## Infanteer

Welcome to the 4,000 year old world of war stories.


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## daftandbarmy

FWIW, I checked with some folks in the UK and he did actually serve in the Parachute Regiment as an OR.

Walt hunt: negative.  ;D


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## Journeyman

Infanteer said:
			
		

> Welcome to the 4,000 year old world of war stories.


Enjoy the MilPoints   :nod:


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## dogger1936

Got my copy in the mail today. Look forward to the read.


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## jollyjacktar

Reading it now.  I'll make comment on what I liked/disliked about it after I'm done.


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## jollyjacktar

I finished the book and found it to be an interesting read.  The book covers from his first arrival to the day CFNIS arrived to take him away.  Some of the dialogue is a bit much, but then again he's not an author by trade or training.  He manages to tell his story and although he does not cover those fateful 10 minutes I was OK with that as the reader.

At the end, I still have the opinion he was stabbed in the back and thrown under the PC bus by the system.  An opinion I held at the time of his trial and will always do I suspect.   :2c:


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## TN2IC

Can I borrow it?


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## jollyjacktar

Macey said:
			
		

> Can I borrow it?


Sure can.  I borrowed it from the public library.


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## observor 69

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Sure can.  I borrowed it from the public library.



And that is where I got mine also.

Regards making any comment on the book, I will let "Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie"  speak for my view point on Capt. Semrau's experience  and actions in Afghanistan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy59Wj_ObV8


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## Dissident

Just finished Chapter 5. The first paragraph hit me right in the feel. The chapter as a whole made me want to scream/kick baby seals/strangle some people.


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## FJAG

Just finished the book and am somewhat torn as to my thoughts.

The one thing that I do appreciate is a view from the inside of how an OMLT interfaced with its Afghan allies and the Canadian Battle Gp elements. I haven't seen that from too many books anywhere else and in that respect this is a good and educational read.

On the other hand I find the author's style and information delivered somewhat lacking. 

The whole book is permeated with sophomoric rhetoric and a simplified view of individuals and events. The author and his immediate intimates are generally portrayed as men of vision, bravado and pragmatism while numerous others are often described as pompous, dogmatic, incompetent or cowardly. The narrative is entirely too facile and I was left with a feeling that I was missing part of the full story.

I was particularly disappointed with his treatment of the incident for which he was court martialed. It's dismissed in a few paragraphs which in themselves were an overly simplified sparse summary of a tiny part of the evidence at trial. As to his own views all he states is that the "truth of the moment will always be between me and the insurgent". Since the case against him is complete and he is no longer in legal jeopardy it seems a cop out not to share his motivations and thoughts with others particularly after all the support he has received from the troops.

If you are looking for more information about the OMLT program beyond the author's own personal experiences then you will need to look elsewhere as there is very little here.

I have recently read a number of books, both by soldiers and officers, that bring wonderful insight into their and their comrades personal experiences in combat. In my opinion, this one not so much.


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## daftandbarmy

FJAG said:
			
		

> Just finished the book and am somewhat torn as to my thoughts.
> 
> The one thing that I do appreciate is a view from the inside of how an OMLT interfaced with its Afghan allies and the Canadian Battle Gp elements. I haven't seen that from too many books anywhere else and in that respect this is a good and educational read.
> 
> On the other hand I find the author's style and information delivered somewhat lacking.
> 
> The whole book is permeated with sophomoric rhetoric and a simplified view of individuals and events. The author and his immediate intimates are generally portrayed as men of vision, bravado and pragmatism while numerous others are often described as pompous, dogmatic, incompetent or cowardly. The narrative is entirely too facile and I was left with a feeling that I was missing part of the full story.
> 
> I was particularly disappointed with his treatment of the incident for which he was court martialed. It's dismissed in a few paragraphs which in themselves were an overly simplified sparse summary of a tiny part of the evidence at trial. As to his own views all he states is that the "truth of the moment will always be between me and the insurgent". Since the case against him is complete and he is no longer in legal jeopardy it seems a cop out not to share his motivations and thoughts with others particularly after all the support he has received from the troops.
> 
> If you are looking for more information about the OMLT program beyond the author's own personal experiences then you will need to look elsewhere as there is very little here.
> 
> I have recently read a number of books, both by soldiers and officers, that bring wonderful insight into their and their comrades personal experiences in combat. In my opinion, this one not so much.



You just don't 'get' the Infantry, do you?  ;D


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## FJAG

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> You just don't 'get' the Infantry, do you?  ;D


At the risk of  :deadhorse: I actually do get them. 

After four years in the regular artillery followed by four years in the infantry on the reserve side I've spent a considerable time with both infantry officers and soldiers in both professional and social situations and still count several infanteers amongst my friends.

What I'll freely admit is that I've never been to Afghanistan or to war and therefore I have a definite lack of personal experience in that area.

And that's exactly my point. Semrau is known to the general public, who also haven't been to war, and therefore he had a great opportunity to tell them the story of young Canadian soldiers working in difficult conditions in Afghanistan. While he does that in part, a lot of the message that he could have told is lost in the way he tells his story. I expected more from a 35 year old Captain than glib jokes, sarcasm, thinly veiled contempt and pseudonyms, and references to Klingons, Starship Troopers and other movies, TV shows and music, etc.

Quite frankly I received a better, more mature understanding about the life of young infantry soldiers from Cpl Flavelle's book _The Patrol_ which covered some of the same time frame and locales as Semrau's book. Flavelle saw very little action in those short seven days but throughout the book you could empathise with him and his comrades every step of the way. 

When Flavelle was done with his story I felt as if I'd been on that patrol with B Company. 

With Semrau's book I felt like an outsider watching a train wreck. 

While Semrau spent his time trying to tell the reader what a great soldier he is, Flavelle poured his heart out telling about the life of a barely tolerated outsider within an established brotherhood. Flavelle did this in a way without overtly denigrating the other members of the company although anyone with a whit of experience could read between the lines. Kind of an anti-hero thing. That was good storytelling. 

In the end that's why I guess I'm down on Semrau's book. It was a good opportunity wasted.

Anyway - that's my  :2c:

Cheers


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## Journeyman

Even knowing the outcome I like to think I'd act in the same way, with the same compassion, towards a fatally-suffering adversary.  

I've never met him, but I empathize with Rob Semrau.  I read it as a sincere book written by a traumatized Infantry officer -- without the benefit of a ghost-writing "co-author."  I can relate to some bits; others, less so.  

But then, I wasn't expecting Stuart McLean's _Vinyl Cafe_.


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## daftandbarmy

OK, I finally read it.

I thought it was quite good from the 'there I was on the front line' point of view. I don't think he tried to write it with any other expectations in mind. I also liked that he didn't get into a big sob story about his 'incident' and try to rewrite history in his favour. Well done.

I liked the way he portrayed battle as exciting. It is, so we should embrace that fact and go along with his crazy approach and style. He's facing death on a regular basis so why not enjoy it? I recognize his 'Parachute Regiment DNA' in that regard, and support it fully of course.

I also liked how he extended a grudging respect to his enemy and portrayed some of our own forces as more dangerous than the bad guys. This is the sad truth during any armed conflict and is rarely mentioned by frontline writers, perhaps out of a misguided sense of duty or loyalty. The 'enemy within' should be exposed as well.

My only criticism was that he seemed just a little bit too 'chuffed' with himself. He certainly has second thoughts about a few things but doesn't dwell on them, which is OK by me within the context of his story.

I'd still like to see something of the quality of an 'All's Quiet on the Western Front', 'Ghosts Have Warm Hands', 'With the Old Breed', 'Dispatches' or 'Excursion to Hell' emerge from Canada's contribution to this particular conflict. There may be one out there already but I am, as yet, unaware of it.


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## George Wallace

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> I'd still like to see something of the quality of an 'All's Quiet on the Western Front', 'Ghosts Have Warm Hands', 'With the Old Breed', 'Dispatches' or 'Excursion to Hell' emerge from Canada's contribution to this particular conflict. There may be one out there already but I am, as yet, unaware of it.



On that note, I am curious as to how Paul Gross' film "Hyena Road" will turn out.


Now back to Robert Semrau's book critiques.


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## jollyjacktar

George Wallace said:
			
		

> On that note, I am curious as to how Paul Gross' film "Hyena Road" will turn out.



Oh Jesus, better I hope than the love story...


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## bick

I bought and read Semrau's book mainly to support him. I found the story interesting, believable and familiar. Written by a soldier, not a professional writer. 

I still support him and encourage others to buy it.


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