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There Is No Future Without Memory

The great Nobel Laureate, Elias Canetti, said that man's future, his fate, was bound up not in the idealism of tomorrow, but by the reflection of one's past. Today, as we mark what should be a collective remembrance of service and sacrifice, many of us, perhaps, most of us, will rush to beaches or backyards to bolster our own happiness and sense of fulfillment. Looking back at Sebastian's post, I can only second the thought of America and Americans falling into some sort of collective… Continue

Added by Todd Neuhaus on May 31, 2010 at 10:49am — No Comments

invisible by day invidious by night

Hey man, I think your a great writer. Really enjoyed reading Fire, looking forward to reading War sometime soon. I want to ask you a question, given all the sensationalism in the news and media in general now a days, what are some your first hand accounts of the quality of life in war torn regions? Taking into account the military operations, which is part of the equation, but given that human emotions and wants and needs are not really that different....

Added by Monte Minhas on May 31, 2010 at 6:27am — No Comments

Beirut L.A.

April 17, 1993, Saturday, 2:30 a.m. I am fully clothed and laying in bed watching Sting in the science fiction movie “Dune,” eating Girl Scout peanut butter cookies and drinking coffee. I am in a hotel room at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Commerce, California along with off-duty San Jose detectives and ex-Navy Seals, all of who have been hired as freelance and assigned to me as bodyguards, and all of who are armed to the teeth. A Seal will drive our bulletproof Crown Victoria that is… Continue

Added by Dave Banks on May 30, 2010 at 10:49pm — No Comments

Restrepo trailer now on iTunes - click to watch

Watch the trailer here.





Watch the trailer here. …

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Added by Clay on May 27, 2010 at 6:00pm — 4 Comments

Lost or Fallen?

Now that the American dead related to combat in Afghanistan has risen past the 1000-troop mark, I thought it time to reflect on the true meaning of service and what Americans like me, that is, spectators to this sacrifice are willing to accept as "necessary".


Having grown up amid the clamor…
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Added by Todd Neuhaus on May 27, 2010 at 8:52am — 1 Comment

Response: Should we be in Afghanistan?

Having read Sebastian's seasoned response, I've had awhile to think of my own.

Unlike Sebastian, this war stuff is new to me. My resume reads less like a human rights campaign than it does a bookworm who happened to raise kids. Sure, I'm an Army wife now, but for 23 years I was just a regular civilian wife with absolutely no ties to the military, and any… Continue

Added by Kanani Fong on May 26, 2010 at 1:30am — 8 Comments

Memorial Day - by Sebastian Junger (from Borders.com)

This post from Sebastian is from originally from Borders.com. 





I did not grow up in a military family and when I was young, I did not

understand about soldiers coming home from wars — or failing to. I only

knew one family with a father who had fought in World War Two, and I

remember watching in fascination as he dug out his back yard and built

a hardened bunker out of concrete. This was in the late…

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Added by Clay on May 25, 2010 at 9:30am — 4 Comments

Win Sebastian's book WAR on my blog

I guess I'll go ahead and mention it here.

This is totally unofficial and hasn't been sanctioned by anyone related to the book. Okay? So if they get upset they can just come in a delete this post. What they can't do is hit me with the whammy stick because then I have to get all Army wife on them and chew their ear off. And I am just not in the mood for that, okay? Got it? Besides, when was the last time you could tell an Army wife anything?… Continue

Added by Kanani Fong on May 24, 2010 at 12:00pm — 4 Comments

"Died For Nothing?"

I have a real problem when someone asks if our soldiers haven't died in vain. They're not really asking a question. They're stating their opinion. Their deceit deserves to be hauled onto the mat and given a good pummeling. First, because as they blithely state their opinion, someone in that room might have lost a loved one to war. Second, for them, war is an intellectual exercise rife with politics mixed with… Continue

Added by Kanani Fong on May 20, 2010 at 5:00pm — 3 Comments

Should We Be in Afghanistan?

This post from Sebastian is from Powells.com as part of their author guest blogging program. The original post can be found on Powells.com here.



÷ ÷ ÷







I'm on book tour, and even though… Continue

Added by Clay on May 19, 2010 at 3:14pm — 7 Comments

what we do in life, echoes in eternity

Just finished the book. outstanding job! every subject covered in this book is in my opinion, right on! Esp about how the Korangal Valley plays with someones mind. Though I was not in Able, Battle, Chosen or Destined company's. I was in the battallions "first" Light Route Clearance Package (RCP) and went to the KOP usually twice a week and everytime, my ass was puckered from anticiaption of when an IED and the very distinct sounds of fully automatic AK series weapons were gonna ring out. The… Continue

Added by adam hay on May 18, 2010 at 12:46am — 1 Comment

Thank you

Sebastian, I just finished "War" and thank you for the experience. I served in the 5th SFG in the late 80's and have often wondered what it would be like to be one of ours in Afghanistan, or to be in war for that matter. The closest I ever came to stress was Ranger school, and that was a cake walk compared to what the men with who you were imbedded endured. You brought me closer than anyone has - thanks for a great documentary, and, of course, thanks to the men of 2nd Platoon and everyone who… Continue

Added by Jack Gocke on May 17, 2010 at 10:38pm — 2 Comments

Just an observation.............

I just finished WAR and feel compelled to comment because of the incanny ability of Mr. Junger to articulate the complexities and the simpleness of combat. I am a combat veteran of the Vietnam War (Army Infantry), and the book certainly stirred up some old feelings and even helped me understand some things after all of these years. This is pretty remarkable, and a testimony to the writing skills and acute insightfulness of Mr. Junger. Combat is a young man's game, and nothing is better or…

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Added by Jerry Sams on May 16, 2010 at 6:11pm — 1 Comment

WAR: Junger’s year of living dangerously

An excellent review from Reid Smith at The Daily Caller.



"Junger doesn’t waste time grappling with cosmic truths in this deeply profound book. Rather, he captures the futility of the newspaper

headlines and political debates surrounding Afghanistan that plainly

overlook the fact that young men on both sides of a distant valley are

getting blown to pieces every single day. Streaming this tale through

the hysterically cracked prism… Continue

Added by Clay on May 10, 2010 at 11:05am — No Comments

Miami Herald Review: 'War': Trying to hold the Korengal Valley

Great review in the Miami Herald by Fred Grimm.



"The war of Junger's title isn't the war debated in Congress or strategized in the Pentagon. Junger doesn't proffer geo-political

ramifications, historic themes or policy critiques. His book gets at

the harsh, sweaty, bloody, fearful essence of war experienced by

infantrymen far down the chain of command. He writes of boredom between

battles, physical demands, the terrifying foot… Continue

Added by Clay on May 10, 2010 at 11:02am — No Comments

Philip Caputo on WAR

"The best writing I've seen on the subject since J. Glenn Gray's 1959 classic, 'The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle.'" Read Philip Caputo's… Continue

Added by Stuart Krichevsky on May 7, 2010 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Necessary Boundaries

It is possible to live next door to someone and realize 8 years later you have been far too nice to them for too long. This happened to us last year, and I called it quits. Not that it's war, but there are times when I have to re-engage in some neighborly boundary setting. You can think of it as standing up for what's mine, or better yet, reminding myself that all of this military-wife-life stuff stands for a principle greater than myself.



Okay, so let… Continue

Added by Kanani Fong on May 7, 2010 at 10:30pm — No Comments

a story about my trip to Afghanistan, Sept.- Oct. 2009

A Tourist’s Afghanistan

Travel Stories: Cullen Thomas recounts an independent traveler's time in the war-torn country

12.10.09 | 11:09 AM ET

REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Of course, people in Kabul asked my friend Barry…

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Added by Barry Misenheimer on May 3, 2010 at 7:52pm — No Comments

Separate Realities

I'm reading Sebastian's book. I'm very appreciative that Sonya sent it to me.

I'm taking it in, marveling at the pace, the tone, and feeling that what we had was a juxtaposition of two diametrically opposite realities. His reality was combat, war, injured men and women, saving burned children, amputations, a clinic for locals, and training Afghan doctors. Mine was trying to stay present --not project, focusing on the house, the teens who led secret lives in their respective bedrooms, and… Continue

Added by Kanani Fong on May 3, 2010 at 7:30pm — No Comments

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Sebastian supports Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

Sebastian supports Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

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