This book allows us to hear from the men and women who speak with a different kind of authority than the sort that ordered them into Iraq. The voices of these young Americans - former soldiers who have opted out of the war - draw their power from wrenching honesty about firsthand experiences. In the process, they help to fill a routine void in political discourse and media coverage that does not admit basic human realities of the Iraq War. Going far beyond the tabloid headlines and media reports this is a deep and direct account from soldiers that turned their back on what they viewed as an immoral and illegal mission, and who refused to sacrifice themselves and their humanity in the conflict in Iraq. "Mission Rejected" is a compelling blend of oral history and tenacious journalism.