Sebastian Junger imbedded himself for year in Afghanistan in one of the harshest and most violent provinces. His aim had nothing to do with politics, and in fact he states this wasn't some kind of partisan mission, but instead to give a real and accurate portrayal of what it's like for the men in combat. The results are simply horrifying, and I feel should be required reading for all Americans. I had no idea how truly awful it is over there. How most times the men-or boys, because frankly some are terribly young, don't bathe for 38 days at a time. How there's so much salt in the their clothes, they can stand up by themselves, or that their bodies no longer give off the familiar body odor smell, but instead reek of ammonia because none of them have any fat left on them from the heat, and their gear. He examines the effects of fear, and the constant surging of adrenaline, as well as the platoon mentality, and how these men as a unit would do anything for each other without a second thought. I was constantly struck by the violence , not just in the skirmishes themselves, but in the moments of near normalcy that are shattered by a stray grenade or bullet.And I finished it shaken at the psychological toll this war is taking on our fellow Americans. The nightmares, the inability to re assimilate into society, and absolute horror of watching your friends die in front of you. This quote from the book kind of sums up my feelings about the whole thing: "Soldiers themselves are reluctant to evaluate the costs of the war (for some reason, the closer you are to combat the less inclined you are to question it), but someone must. That evaluation, ongoing and unadulterated by politics, may be the only thing a country absolutely owes the soldiers who defend its borders."