WAR: Review by SSG Houston

Before I write a review on War by Sebastian Junger I wanted to say that I’ve never been in a book club before, in fact, I haven’t read a ton of any kind of reading material except text books and religious materials for quite a while. This book was an awesome book to break back into reading for knowledge and the sheer enjoyment of descriptive writing.

I recall from the moment that I picked the book up that it’s content immediately captivated me. I had just taken a four-day pass with my wife to New York City before heading to Afghanistan myself. So his opening remarks seeing O’byrne in New York after his grueling tour in Afghanistan it was easy to relate within the first paragraph.

I’ve picked two quotes in the book that really struck me as I read them. They made me feel like I was a participant with Battle Company.

“A few days later we leave the hilltop after midnight and go creeping into Karingal with so little illume that even the soldiers have trouble seeing with their night vision gear. (This next sentence was my favorite, but I had to set the stage) There are puddles in the road and stars are reflected in them as if we’re walking through fragments of sky.”

To some that might not be that impressive, but where I relate very much with nature, I really appreciated that line. One more:

“The fight lasts ten or fifteen minutes and then the A-10s show up and tilt into their dives. Ninety rounds a second the size of beer cans unzipping the mountainsides with a sound like the sky ripping.”

As I wrote that last quote I realize it has somewhat deals with nature. Whatever the case, I read the book in five sittings amidst movement to Afghanistan, a time chance, and a semi-busy transition with the unit we replaced in Afghanistan. I felt like I wanted to get right back into reading it.

I highly recommend this book.