War

The men of First and Second Platoons suffer enormous physical and emotional stress during their deployment in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008. They live with the constant fear of sudden death during battle, suffer painful wounds from enemy weapons fire, complete exhausting patrol operations on foot across extremely rugged mountainous areas, and live in grueling, nearly intolerable conditions. The effects of their deployment linger for years afterward.

Attacks by Taliban soldiers almost invariably come by surprise. If, occasionally, the first bullets or rocket-propelled grenades happen to land perfectly on a US Army outpost, men can die while doing chores, relaxing, or sleeping. The gnawing terror of this ever-present possibility etches away at the men’s sanity. They respond by taking psychiatric meds, pushing the fear away, immersing themselves in preparations for the next firefight, or expressing outrageous gallows humor. Most of the men suffer from nightmares.

If one is wounded or dies during a firefight, the others will feel devastated. One soldier comments, on the death of medic Juan Restrepo, “We loved him like a brother. I actually saw him as an older brother, and after he went down, there was a time I didn’t care about anything” (237). Some of the men may blame themselves for another’s death—if they’d acted differently, maybe he’d still be alive—and feel that torment for some time.

One way the soldiers deal with fear is to remember that they’re part of a group that they trust and care about, “a greater cause that, if you focused on it entirely, made your fears go away” (210). Homing in on the job at hand when under fire and on one’s commitment to the other men helps them stay calm and capable.

Adding to the stress are the constant patrols through areas guarded by the enemy. The purpose of the patrols is to engage the opponents and reduce their numbers. To do so, they must deliberately expose themselves to attack. If they’re to flush out hidden cadres of insurgents, they must hike up through draws and across ridges, carrying 80 pounds and more of weapons and ammunition, sometimes on hot days that exceed 100 degrees. The men know that if exhaustion tempts them to stop and rest, they may expose the other platoon members to lethal fire.

When a day’s work is done, the men return to jury-rigged outposts that lack running water, have little electric power, are poorly insulated against heat and cold, and contain few amenities. Sometimes they go for weeks without bathing. Boredom sets in, and the men grumble and argue.

At the end of their rotation, they return to the US, where they must deal with suppressed feelings that begin to surface. “The toughest guys in the platoon find themselves crying every day, and the more vulnerable guys skirt the edge of sanity” (265). They also confront the disorientation of returning to civilian life, where they must find jobs, build families, and live normal existences while their memories of battle and hardship echo daily in their minds. Some resort to drink or drugs; some suffer from PTSD; many have trouble relating to loved ones back home and end up divorced or otherwise alienated from others.

The costs of war go beyond death and dismemberment; they exact a lingering toll on the minds of soldiers. The stresses of battle thus accumulate over time, sometimes overwhelming a soldier’s ability to deal with them. The emotional residue of what they deal with during their deployment later spills out painfully when they get home.