The bodies in person : an account of civilian casualties in American wars / Nick McDonell.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-290).

The classy hotel -- Civil defense. Attempt to reach civilians trapped in West Mosul ; Correspondence (I) ; Excavation of bodies off Pepsi Road ; Correspondence (II) -- Allies. Iraqi Special Forces and the al-Jadida airstrike ; Crazy Horse ; The Afghan National Army and the security of Outpost Shamalan, Helmand ; Correspondences (III) -- Operations. The targeting and killing of a Helmandi combatant ; Correspondence (IV) -- Numbers. Revelation in Pleasantville of anticipated civilian casualties ; The U.S. Civilian Casualty Mitigation Team ; Sar Baghni and the deadliest civilian casualty incident to date ; Official spokesman ; Record keeping in the emergency room of the Baghdad Teaching Hospital ; Definition of the non-combatant casualty cutoff value ; Correspondence (V) -- Solatia. Dirt worship ; Provision of tents and staples to the bereaved ; Notes on security ; Compensation for injuries caused by U.S. forces -- Theories ; Rescue of a child from an Islamic State massacre -- Arguments for reform of the non-combatant casualty cutoff value. The morning brief ; Strikes through history ; Origins of this account ; The unavoidable question.

Presents the story of civilians who have died as a result of America's recent wars, introducing some of those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rescue workers who tried to save them, and the American soldiers coming to terms with their deaths.