He managed to borrow some money from his girlfriend and convince a magazine to pay him 20 cents a word to cover the start of The First Iraq War from a hotel in Baghdad. The result of his reporting was a very successful book, Martyr's Day: The Chronicle of A Small War. In order to cover this war, he scorned the public affairs officers and minders who tried to control his access. It's ironic then that he became the first journalist to die in the Second. At the time, he was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division and was killed in a humvee accident.
A book of his writings has just been published, Things Worth Fighting For. It's on order from Amazon but while I wait for it, I thought I'd finally take a look at Michael Kelly's first book...
In Martyr's Day, Michael Kelly entered Kuwait along with elements of the Egyptian army. Once there, he roamed the city interviewing it's inhabitants. Like most people, I've heard of the atrocities committed by the Iraqis in Kuwait but this book is a real eye opener. It's difficult to imagine human beings doing these things to other human beings, but the witnesses are credible and Kelly does a great job of setting the scene.
There's a thorough description of the famous "Highway of Death" complete with looters picking through the remains of both vehicles and people. Kelly spent a great deal of time exploring the refuge camps in both Iraq and Iran. He journeyed through Kurdish territory the length of Iraq risking his life in the process, to bring us a description of a people the world seems to care little about.
Martyr's Day helped me to better understand the dynamics of present day Iraq. For me, it reinforced the righteousness of the US decision to overthrow Saddam. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading Michael Kelly's latest and, sadly, his last book in the next few weeks.
Some Additional Links:
Bio from The Atlantic Monthly
Profile of Michael Kelly and His Career
An Interview with Michael Kelly shortly before his death.
Obituary from USA Today