Shant Kenderian
| Shant Kenderian | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1963 Iraq |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Nationality | United States |
| Genre | war nonfiction |
| Notable works | 1001 Nights in Iraq |
Shant Kenderian is notable as an Iraqi-born United States citizen who became an American prisoner-of-war after being forced to fight against the United States in the Persian Gulf War.
He wrote a book [1] about his adventures, and is currently an engineer in Pasadena.
Wars in Iraq
Shant Kenderian was an Iraqi-born United States permanent resident of Armenian Christian background attending Wheeling High School in Chicago.[2][3] He visited his father in Iraq in 1980, and 7 days later the Iran–Iraq War started, blocking him from leaving the country. After graduating college in 1985, he was forced into the Iraqi Navy and fought in the Iran–Iraq War.[4]
Before he could get his green card processed to leave Iraq, the Persian Gulf War started and he was forced to fight against the Americans.[5] Captured by the Americans, he was a prisoner of war until he could convince the Americans of his story. At first the Americans didn't believe his story and thought him a Saddamite spy.[1] While being held in POW camp, he became romantically involved with "Monica", one of the guards.[1] Eventually he was allowed to return to the United States where he reunited with his mother in Glendale.[6]
Book
After returning to the United States, Shant Kenderian wrote about his adventures in Iraq. After he did a reading of his book on the radio show This American Life,[7] his book was picked up by a publisher.
Current Life
Shant Kenderian became an American citizen in 2000 and he received a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2002.[1] He contributed to the Space Shuttle Columbia Investigation Team and received the American Society for Nondestructive Testing Research Award for Innovation in 2005.[8] He currently works for The Aerospace Corporation where he researches nondestructive testing.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Kenderian, Shant (2007). 1001 Nights in Iraq: The Shocking Story of an American Forced to Fight for Saddam Against the Country He Loves. Atria. ISBN 978-1-4165-4019-9.
- ↑ 1991 a Year to Remember, Daily Herald (Chicago), Dec 26, 1991
- ↑ "Reunion Sweet for U.S. Soldier, Iraqi POW", The Daily Herald (Chicago), July 4, 1991
- ↑ Sunday Book Review, New York Times, September 16, 2007
- ↑ Book Review, by Brian Palmer, Entertainment Weekly, June 15, 2007
- ↑ Iraqi POW Comes Home to America Reunion, Kathleen Hendrix; Los Angeles Times, May 8, 1991
- ↑ Episode 308, This American Life
- ↑ Awards and Honors, Materials Evaluation, September 2006
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