WAR by Sebastian Junger

8.7/10 dropps

From 2007 to 2008, journalist Sebastian Junger (renowned author of The Perfect Storm) embedded himself in the Second Platoon of Battle Company with the objective of discovering what war was really like as soldiers really live it. With his latest book, the reader accompanies Junger as he spends time in the Korengal Valley, where soldiers regularly see combat more intense than any experienced by American soldiers since Vietnam and World War II.

Junger opts to split his experiences with Second Platoon into three sections entitled “Fear,” “Killing” and “Love.” In these segments, he recounts his experiences in Afghanistan while also providing the reader with information on everything from the history of the valley, the soldiers’ lives prior to their tour of duty, and the psychology of warfare. Junger is sincere in his efforts to provide the most complete picture of the war effort possible, though he frequently remarks upon the impossibility of such a task. Many soldiers and journalists report that there can be long stretches of boredom between firefights. The Korengal is located right on the Pakistani border, and at OP Restrepo, Junger finds himself reporting from the “tip of the spear.” In the book, it is not unusual for Junger to experience more than three firefights in a single day. In one chapter, he experiences and somehow survives a battle as intense as the Battle of Mogadishu so famously depicted in the film Black Hawk Down.

The book is not political, and early on, Junger points out the soldiers’ seeming disregard for the politics behind the war. The author instead chooses to focus on the experience of intense warfare and how it impacts the body and the mind. He muses about the bond that soldiers form, about the rivalry between squads and soldiers, and how anything and everything can be morphed into an attempt at levity that would likely be considered obnoxious and unacceptable in other parts of the war. Still, the book retains a serious air. One day, a cook decides he wants to get his combat badge and hikes out to OP Restrepo for the day. Acquiring the experience to attain said badge takes less than an hour.

WAR really has the ability to incite dialogue between non-military people about how their military counterparts actually live, and is among the best nonfiction books of the past few years. It is a truly fascinating read, and a fairly quick one. Junger writes in a style that is both fluid and accessible. If you have a day or two of down time, pick up WAR and you won’t be disappointed.

-John Jamieson