History Resources

Discovering a mass grave in Iraq, 2003

A Spotlight on a Primary Source by Mark Rickert

Mark Rickert wrote this email while serving as a journalist with the 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in Iraq. On this day, he and his group were investigating rumors of a mass grave. The letter is written to his grandfather, Merle Kilgore, who was a friend and manager of Hank Williams, Jr. An audio version of this email read by Hank Williams, Jr., from the Simon and Schuster audiobook Behind the Lines by Andrew Carroll, is part of our online exhibition Battle Lines: Letters from America’s Wars.

A full transcript is available.

Mark Rickert to Merle Kilgore, September 14, 2003. (Andrew Carroll / The Legacy

Questions for Discussion

Read the document introduction and the transcript of the email. Then apply your knowledge of American history in order to answer the questions that follow.

  1. How would you describe the emotions of the author of this email from the time the two Iraqis approached until the grim discovery?
  2. Why was it important that photographs were taken at the scene?
  3. How did the events in this email support the saying “war is hell”?
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