War by Sebastian Junger

War

by Sebastian Junger

From the author of The Perfect Storm, a gripping book about Sebastian Junger's almost-fatal year with the 2nd battalion of the American Army. They were known as "The Rock." For one year, in 2007-2008, Sebastian Junger accompanied a single platoon of thirty men from the storied 2nd battalion of the U.S. Army, as they fought their way through a remote valley in Eastern Afghanistan. Over the course of five trips, Junger was in more firefights than he can count, men he knew were killed or wounded, and he himself was almost killed. His relationship with these soldiers grew so close that they considered him part of the platoon, and he enjoyed an access and a candidness that few, if any, journalists ever attain. War is a narrative about combat: the fear of dying, the trauma of killing and the love between platoon-mates who would rather die than let each other down. Gripping, honest, intense, War explores the neurological, psychological and social elements of combat, and the incredible bonds that form between these small groups of men. This is not a book about Afghanistan or the 'War on Terror'; it is a book about the universal truth of all men, in all wars.
Junger set out to answer what he thought of as the 'hand grenade question': why would a man throw himself on a hand grenade to save other men he has probably known for only a few months? The answer elusive but profound, and goes to the heart of what it means not just to be a soldier, but to be human.

Reviewed by remo on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Un periodista (autor de La tormenta perfecta, por cierto) pasa unos meses "empotrado" en una unidad de infantería destacada en un remoto puesto del valle de Korengal, cerca de la frontera afgana con Pakistán. Desde allí, mientras cuenta las actividades diarias de la tropa, reflexiona largo y tendido sobre la guerra y la condición humana. Podía haberles dedicado más tiempo a las reflexiones de los soldados y menos a las suyas propias, pero es un libro muy interesante. La unidad con la que vive está formada por 150 de los más de 70.000 hombres que hay en el país, y a pesar de ello reportó el 20% de los combates en los que hubo implicadas tropas estadounidenses. El puesto donde están, pequeño y aislado, abastecido por helicóptero y rodeado de enemigos que querían arrasarlo, se llama Restrepo, en honor a un médico militar previamente destinado en él, y cuya historia se nos cuenta.
Todo el libro es interesante, y el estilo es rápido, conciso y agradable. Lectura recomendada.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 April, 2010: Finished reading
  • 1 April, 2010: Reviewed