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Smithson, Ryan. Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI. HarperCollins, 2009

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The attack on the Twin Towers inspires Ryan Smithson to join the military

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Sept. 11, 2001: President George W. Bush learns about terror attacks at Sarasota school

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Ryan goes to basic training

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Start of the Iraq War

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Ryan returns from basic training and talks with his girlfriend (Heather) about getting married. on that same day Ryan receives a call asking if he's ready for deployment

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Ryan gets wrongly marked as AWOL for not following an order.
"i'm given orders, but i'm not notified. And then i'm reported AWOL for not following them" (pg. 47)

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Ryan marries Heather

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While Ryan was eating, he thought he saw a bird flying overhead but it was actually a mortar

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Ryan deploys

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Ryan arrives in Iraq, where children were begging him for food on the sides of the roads

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Ryan thinks about shooting the children and letting them bleed out.
"i'll give 'em a brain full of 5.56 ... Aim low, maybe i'll get 'em in the stomach and they'll suffer some before they bleed out" (pg. 76)

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Ryan was so stressed during the war that he was thinking about murdering children

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Sergeant Conklin dies from an IED (pg. 212)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ryan Allen Conklin (born April 1, 1985) is a former Sergeant in the United States Army, known as a cast member on the MTV reality television series, The Real World: Brooklyn, and star of The Real World Presents: Return to Duty, a 2009 documentary that chronicled his second tour of duty serving as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and author of the Iraq War memoir, An Angel From Hell.

Conklin was born on April 1, 1985, in Marshall, Michigan to Dave and Pat Conklin. He was the youngest of three children. The son of a Marshall teacher, Ryan attended the public elementary schools of Gordon, Sherman, and Madison. In 1996, he and his family moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Growing up in Gettysburg, a historic landmark for the nation, Ryan harbored a strong sense of history, and an affinity for the military, and eventually graduated from Gettysburg High School in 2003.[1][2]

In addition to his brother, Aaron, who became a military police officer in the Army Reserves, Conklin also had two cousins in the Army as well.[3]

First tour of duty

Conklin enlisted in the United States Army at age 17,[4] having been inspired to do so by the September 11 attacks.[5] He entered Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia in 2003 and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Ryan was an infantryman in the 187th Infantry Regiment (United States), 3rd Brigade of the famed 101st Airborne Division. In 2005, he deployed with the division to Iraq, guarded Saddam Hussein at his trial in Baghdad, but his company spent most of their year deployment patrolling Tikrit and experienced a number of near-death experiences from IEDs, drive-by shootings, VBIEDs, suicide bomber, and a sniper.[6] During his time on The Real World, it was also revealed that he suffered attacks of posttraumatic stress as a result of his tour of duty.[3] He was honorably discharged in 2006.[2]

Conklin's book An Angel From Hell (2010) chronicles himself and his platoon during this chaotic tour.

The Real World: Brooklyn

In 2008, after returning from his first tour in Iraq, Conklin was cast on the 21st season of the MTV reality series, The Real World in 2008. On being selected, Conklin said that it almost started as a joke. MTV was casting at a bar he was visiting, and he decided to apply. He says that he was stunned to learn he made the final cut.[7] His cast biography is as follows:

A small-town Pennsylvania boy with a laid-back personality, Ryan has had his share of action. After enlisting in the army at the age of 17, he served in Iraq and got an eyeful. Now 23, he has returned from his duty with a newfound appreciation for life and a better perspective on the world around him, despite having lived through many near-death experiences, as well as the death of a close friend. A class clown who juggles his time between amateur filmmaking, guitar playing and pranking those around him, Ryan is currently in his first-ever relationship.[6]

During his time on The Real World: Brooklyn, Conklin related his experiences in the Iraq War and became a candid and creative representative of today's veterans. As a former soldier with job skills and experiences that could still help the war effort, in 2008 President George W. Bush recalled thousands of former soldiers in the inactive ready reserve as part of a surge on both battlefields, which happened to unfold during the filming of The Real World, and Conklin was recalled to deploy to Iraq.[3]

Second tour of duty

In November 2008, while filming The Real World, Conklin found out, much to his shock, that he was being called back to active duty. On April 1, 2009, the day he was supposed to report to Fort Bragg, North Carolina before leaving, Conklin surprised his Real World castmates by appearing on the reunion show.[8] He returned to Iraq later that month, serving in the southern Saydiyah section of Baghdad as an infantryman, and was eventually promoted to the rank of Sergeant.[2]

Before deploying, MTV and the producers of the Real World pitched him the idea for a documentary following his returning to Iraq as well as his family members' reactions. Though initially reluctant, Conklin agreed.[7] The documentary, fully titled The Real World Presents: Return to Duty, aired on November 11, 2009.[1][9][10][11] Conklin says that he was "very pleased with how it all came together".[7]

In January 2010 Conklin was again honorably discharged from the Army.[2]

Conklin traveled throughout the United States and gave lectures to colleges and universities and spoke to students about his time in Iraq.[2][12][13]

Conklin's memoir about his experience during his first tour in Iraq, An Angel From Hell, was published In April 2010.[14][15]

Conklin subsequently became a firefighter with the Lancaster, Pennsylvania Fire Department, where he received an award in March 2019 for saving the life of a 10-year-old girl.[16][17]

Conklin married Annie L. Noel[18] on February 2, 2018 at Gettysburg National Military Park.[19]

1. ^ "Real World: Presents: Return to Duty". MTV. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015.

2. ^ "Ryan Conklin biography". anangelfromhell.com. Retrieved December 14, 2010

3. ^ "Saving a Private Ryan". The Real World: Brooklyn. March 18, 2009. MTV.

4. ^ "Friends and Enemies". The Real World: Brooklyn. February 4, 2009. MTV.

5. ^ "Real World: Brooklyn: Cast: Ryan". MTV. Retrieved November 25, 2013.

6. ^ Collins, Elizabeth M. "MTV documentary follows Soldier's return to Iraq", United States Army, November 10, 2009

7. ^ The Real World: Brooklyn Reunion. MTV. Retrieved December 14, 2010

8. ^ Return to Duty. Real Television. November 5, 2009

9. ^ "RYAN CONKLIN: Faces of War". Hope's Voice. Retrieved January 10, 2011.

10. ^ "'The Real World' Stars: Where Are They Now?". The Huffington Post/AOL TV. March 4, 2008.

11. ^ "7 Ryan Conklin Firefighter". American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region. March 22, 2019 - via YouTube.

12. ^ Forgotch, Andrew (March 30, 2021). "Firefighter given hero award for saving girl, monitoring her recovery". WHTM-TV ABC 27. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019.

13. ^ "Ryan A. Conklin and Annie L. Noel". The Gettysburg Times. July 25, 2011. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017.

14. ^ "Bridal Event". The Gettysburg Times. July 25, 2011. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010.

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Toggle the table of contents From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ryan Allen Conklin (born April 1, 1985) is a former Sergeant in the United States Army, known as a cast member on the MTV reality television series, The Real World: Brooklyn , and star of The Real World Presents: Return to Duty, a 2009 documentary that chronicled his second tour of duty serving as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and author of the Iraq War memoir, An Angel From Hell.

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Ryan and his squad are tasked with scavenging destroyed humvees for parts.
"Our task: scrounge for parts, armor mostly" (pg. 115)

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An elementary school in North Carolina writes Ryan and his platoon letters

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Ryan gets a 2 week leave

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Ryan returns to Kuwait

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Ryan befriends a bird and names it Jerkface.
"Jerkface is a small grayish brown bird" (pg. 192)

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Ryan hits a cow with his humvee out of anger
"I wait for her blood to spatter out of her nose and across my thick windshield. I wait to smack into her and feel my humvee spin out of control" (pg. 252)

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Ryan starts college

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Ryan Smithson UALBANY GRADUATE AND IRAQ WAR VETERAN, TO READ AND DISCUSS HIS MEMOIR, GHOSTS OF WAR: THE TRUE STORY OF A 19-YEAR OLD GI
NYS Writers Institute, Thursday, October 26, 2017
4:15 p.m. Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center

EVENT LISTING:
Ryan Smithson, UAlbany graduate and Rotterdam resident, will read from his memoir, Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year Old GI (2009), at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 26, in the Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, on the UAlbany Uptown Campus. This reading is free and open to the public.

The Griffin Theatre Company of Chicago will perform an adaptation of Ghosts of War at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 1, in the Main Theatre, Performing Arts Center, on the UAlbany Uptown Campus.

Advance tickets: $15 general public/$10 students, seniors and UAlbany faculty/staff. Day of show tickets, $20 general public/$15 students, seniors and UAlbany faculty/staff. Contact the box office at (518) 442-3997.

Presented by the New York State Writers Institute in collaboration with the Performing Arts Center and UAlbany's English Department. Funding support provided by University Auxiliary Services, The University at Albany Foundation, the UAlbany Alumni Foundation and the Hampton Inn.

PROFILE:
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 changed Ryan Smithson's life. After graduation from Columbia High School in East Greenbush, he enlisted in the Army Reserves. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and what he saw during his tour of duty haunted him.
When Smithson returned home, writing was his therapy. His unflinchingly honest portrayal of the war in Iraq, Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year Old GI, was published in 2009. School Library Journal described Ghosts of War as "a thorough but powerful look at one man's experiences," and Publishers Weekly wrote, "Smithson avoids writing either pro-war
propaganda or an antimilitary polemic, providing instead a fascinating, often humorous - and occasionally devastating - account of the motivations and life of a contemporary soldier."

Smithson will speak about his life, his book and his time in Iraq at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 26, in the Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center on the UAlbany Uptown Campus. A book signing will follow the talk. The event is free and open to the public.

A stage performance of Ghosts of War by Chicago's Griffin Theatre Company will be held 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 1, in the Main Theatre, Performing Arts Center, on the UAlbany Uptown Campus. Smithson will attend the performance and participate in a post-show discussion. Advance tickets for the Ghosts of War stage performance are $15 for the general public and $10 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. Tickets purchased on the day of the show are $20 for the general public and $15 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. A 20% discount for veterans is available for this show. For reservations and further information, contact the box office at (518) 442-3997.

Smithson received his master's in English from the University at Albany. He has traveled the country making public appearances at colleges, high schools, libraries and education conferences and he continues to benefit from the therapeutic aspects of writing and storytelling.

Smithson's reading and the Ghosts of War stage performance are presented by the NYS Writers Institute, the UAlbany Performing Arts Center and UAlbany's English Department. Funding support provided by University Auxiliary Services, the University at Albany Foundation, the UAlbany Alumni Association, and the Hampton Inn.

For additional information, contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or online at https://www.albany.edu/writers-inst

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Ryan Smithson New York State Writers Institute

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Ryan Smithson UALBANY GRADUATE AND IRAQ WAR VETERAN, TO READ AND DISCUSS HIS MEMOIR, GHOSTS OF WAR: THE TRUE STORY OF A 19-YEAR OLD GI NYS Writers Institute, Thursday, October 26, 2017 4:15 p.m.

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Ryan leaves Kuwait to go back home

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Ryan Smithson publishes the book titled, "Ghosts of War"