Iraq War information for character backstory

[michael12489]

Hey all. A person in my story is a veteran of the Iraq war, who served with the National Guard in the years between 2008 and 2012. He's based on a friend of mine, who has since moved on from the Guard and joined the U.S. Special Forces, and cannot be reached at present (anyway I feel a bit strange bothering him about my little novel; he doubtless has more pressing concerns). On revising my story, I realized I don't know much about this fella. There is such a huge volume of information available concerning that conflict that I find myself overwhelmed. If anybody here can point me toward the right paths I should go down--whether it be through personal experience (in which case, if you're willing, let's get in touch), or relevant texts or documentaries--I would be very grateful.

Many thanks.

[DrCCat]

Try the local VFW, they are always a good source of stories and the mentality that goes into being in the military. If there's a local VA hospital, you can always try there. If you want reading material try the Army Ranger's Handbook.

[clutzattack]

I'm totally late to this post, but my husband is a Veteran of the Iraq war and served around the same time period. He was deployed in 2007 and 2008 then was in the National Guard from 2009-2012. He was in a Special Forces group and went on to get a job in the private sector for a large government defense contractor and had continued contact with many deployed military groups. I'd be happy to pick his brain if you want to send me some questions.