Amanda Matti: Author, Veteran

It has been six months since I completed my debut book A Foreign Affair – my memoir documenting my time serving in Iraq and falling in love with my native Iraqi husband – and I am itching to get back to writing. I probably shouldn’t put the cart before the horse here and jump into writing another book before I even have the first one published, but I try not to let too much grass grow under my feet. (I know – how many idioms can you squeeze into one sentence?) I have decided to focus on my husband for my next project (no that wasn’t a euphemism for something naughty) and will be working on HIS memoir. He has a treasure chest of interesting experiences and stories from the six years he spent working, at first, as a local translator for the "invading" American Army, and later as a U.S. Permanent Resident and D.O.D. contractor deployed alongside American forces in various locations throughout Iraq. It is, again, a unique perspective not heavily documented or presented to t...

After a seven year journey, I've FINALLY completed the manuscript for my Iraq War memoir A Foreign Affair . It's a book I primarily wrote for myself and for my daughter. Something to leave behind and pass down through the generations. My personal story of war, injustice, and an epic romance. Although my story is pretty unique, the question constantly at the back of my mind while writing it was, "Will anyone aside from my family and close friends find it interesting?" I guess this is a lingering question in every author's mind - especially when it comes to their debut work. Another question that swirled around in my mind throughout this seven-year process was, "Do I really want to share the intimate details of this book - basically two years of my diary - with complete strangers?" Living this story was nothing short of an emotional hell on earth - even writing about these events years later was still emotionally tumultuous for me. There were num...

Since the eruption of fierce clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters in July of 2006, missiles have rocked more than the concrete superstructures of Beirut and Haifa; thousands of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire have had their lives turned upside down and placed in a precarious holding pattern of uncertainty. In the weeks following the initial bombings by Israeli forces, a multitude of inhabitants were trapped for up to two weeks without food or running water. When the runways of Beirut’s international airport were targeted by Israeli air strikes, thousands of travelers desperate to leave the country as well as gain entrance to reunite with family members inside Lebanon, were stranded for days across the Middle East. Painful memories and recollections of Lebanon’s bloody civil war are resurfacing and once again demoralizing the spirit of the Lebanese people. The violent discord between Israeli troops and the guerilla warriors of Hezbollah (Party of God) is no r...

Following the outbreak of war in Iraq, the Jordanian economy slipped into an alarming yet brief recession as the steady export of goods into Iraq was impeded and the cheap flow of oil from Baghdad was cut off. Jordan managed to successfully maintain its stability with the virtually instant foreign aid it received from the United States as well as its Arab counterparts; but when a sizeable amount of Iraqi immigrants began flowing into Jordan to escape the turmoil of their country, some feared that the surplus of refugees and expatriates would place added stress on Jordan’s already fragile economy and essentially suffocate the country’s infrastructure. Predictions asserted that the excessive amount of Iraqis inundating Jordan’s capital Amman would flood the job market and consume millions of dollars worth of precious resources, specifically electricity and water, resulting in an eventual collapse of the economy. This is still a risk, but in the meantime, studies show that a variety of Jo...

The Mansour Family; (L to R) Lena, Salwan and little Luna A significant portion of Iraq’s middle and upper class citizens are fleeing the turmoil and destruction of their home country to settle in neighboring Jordan; specifically its capital city of Amman. Jordan has been rather accepting of their new Iraqi residents and is one of the few countries allowing Iraqis to enter with minimal complications. However, only those Iraqi’s with substantial financial resources are able to make the move due to Amman’s pricey cost of living, which is comparable to that of California or the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. The average monthly rent for a two bedroom apartment in Amman ranges from $1000 to $1500 U.S. dollars and everyday consumer products are similarly priced to those in the U.S. The extreme surge of wealthy Iraqis flooding into Amman has extensively boosted Jordan’s economy and reduced the unemployment rate by expanding the job market. Construction, real estate and both private ...

Many Iraqis are complaining that their new government is no more democratic or less tyrannical than Saddam Hussein’s regime ever was and the only difference in Iraq today is that there is also an active insurgency to contend with as well. Numerous Shiites and Sunnis alike are scared to death to leave their homes or allow their children to play in the streets for fear of being caught in a cross fire between insurgents and U.S. forces or victimized by the secretarian strife that is spreading rampantly across the country. A force behind much of this fear is the infamous Badr Forces, also known as Badr Brigade, which is originally an Iranian militia composed of Shiite Muslims that has found support from the new Iraqi government. Until recently, U.S. forces turned a blind eye to the militia because they were helping to combat the insurgency and resistance fighters who are predominantly Sunni Muslims, but lately, Badr forces has grown out of control and become a murderous steam roller tar...

Following the U.S Forces’ initial invasion of Baghdad and the toppling of the Saddam regime in early May 2003, many Iraqis with English language training eagerly offered their services as translators and interpreters for American troops. Many were devoted patriots who supported the American cause 150% and wanted desperately to see their country succeed under a democratic government, others were primarily motivated by financial reasons and volunteered because the Americans were paying more than any Iraqi employer could offer them at the time; but all were ultimately working towards the same goal – a free and peaceful Iraq. While working with the military, translators perform various relatively safe tasks such as assisting in interrogations of detainees at fortified locations or translating documents and other sheltered desk jobs, but they also conduct raids and participate in tactical missions, right alongside Soldiers and Marines on a daily basis. While performing these duties they are...