Rieckhoff chose to recount a wartime incident, in which three of his soldiers were injured. His squad was ordered to capture three enemy soldiers, but the operation did not go smoothly. "That night was what my men call totally and completely screwed up," Rieckhoff said.
Rieckhoff's company was ambushed and one of his men lost his legs. The company was miraculously saved from death when one of its soldiers twisted his ankle, slowing down the entire company. "We called [that soldier] baby. He was a total clutch," said Rieckhoff.
The company later found out that an ambush was set up not far ahead of them, and had they proceeded as planned, they would have been hit. "It made us all realize how lucky we were to be alive."
Rieckhoff discussed his attitude towards the war. "George Bush did not convince me that we should go to war," he said. "Many of my friends, especially my Amherst friends, didn't understand me and asked how I could go to fight a war I don't agree with. But I had made a commitment."
Rieckhoff volunteered to serve in the first wave of American soldiers to be transported to Iraq.
"The war wasn't my choice," Rieckhoff continued. "But it was going to affect me and I decided I was going to affect it."
He values the impact he has had on the soldiers under his command. "Being a platoon leader [can] change people's lives. It's like being a professor or coach. You live with these people every day and advise them in every aspect," he said.
Rieckhoff wished to dispel some of the myths surrounding the Iraq War. "There were not enough troops [to efficiently maintain the peace] after the fall of Baghdad," he said. "We were the closest thing to law." He condemned the tyrant regime of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, "Yes, Saddam was that bad. I met a person whose tongue was cut off because he looked at one of Saddam's palaces."
Rieckhoff also was candid about the American shortcomings during the war. "No, [the administration] didn't have a plan for Baghdad. They didn't know what to do once we took the city," he said. "It was clear that the great minds of Washington had no solution to the problems, which became [my platoon's] problems."
Due to the lengthy stay in Iraq, morale became low among the soldiers, according to Rieckhoff. "We were told we'd be home by July 4. Then they told us we're extended. We were extended three more times for a total of eight months."
During the period of time after the American occupation of Baghdad, Rieckhoff's platoon protected a school from Iraqi fundamentalist groups and assured the continued operation of a hospital.
When asked about his opinion of the future of Iraq, Rieckhoff was pessimistic. "I don't see a quick fix," he said. "Iraq needs time, support and understanding, and we have none of these right now. It's going to take generations for Iraqis to observe traditions of obeying laws and government. You can't change minds in a matter of months."
Rieckhoff also discussed the state of the U.S. Army. "The elite schools need to reconsider their attitudes towards the army, because right now the army consists of mainly one type of population," he said, "They are mainly inner-city men in their twenties. Should this country get into severe [warfare], this could tear our society apart."
Students were highly impressed with Rieckhoff's speech. "I really admired that he'd made such a choice to go to war because he could make more of a difference," said Courtney Knowlton '04. Eric Vennemeyer '04 valued Rieckhoff's candor. "He was very balanced and honest. I was sure it was going to be a Bush party-line," Vennemeyer said.
Jackie Eastman '07 took to heart Rieckhoff's comments about the socioeconomic make-up of the army. "I personally feel guilty because we as a country sent those who are poor, vulnerable and uneducated to fight for all of us," she said.