
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 For 15 months Sebastian Junger accompanied a single platoon of thirty men from the celebrated 2nd battalion of the US 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 could count men he knew were killed or wounded & he himself was almost killed His relationship with these soldiers grew so close that they considered him part of the platoon & he enjoyed an access & a candidness that few if any journalists ever attain But this is more than just 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 is elusive but profound & goes to the heart of what it means not just to be a soldier but to be human War' is a narrative about combat the fear of dying the trauma of killing & the love between platoon-mates who would rather die than let each other down Gripping honest intense it explores the neurological psychological & social elements of combat & the incredible bonds that form between these small groups of men