New Book: War by Sebastian Junger
Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 8:18 pm
Have started reading this new book by Sebastian Junger (The Perfect Storm). Only about halfway through and it's outstanding!
The book covers a platoon's 15 month tour-of-duty in Afghanistan's Kornegal valley. The focus is on their combat operations, the enemy they face, their state of mind, and how it changes over the course of the deployment.
I know some here have dismissed the enemies our troops face in Iraq and Afghanistan as pushovers. This book will certainly dispel any such notions.
Yes, as the book describes, there are troops derisively called "Fobbits" by those in the field who never leave the Forward Operating Bases and never see combat. But the deployment described in the book is very different.
For example, early in the book Junger describes how death and mutilation can be so random while serving in the Korengal. One man is shot while taking a nap. A cook has his arm ripped off by an RPG just as he's joking that the men should come and eat before he gets killed. And those things happen INSIDE the "safety" of the wire! He also provides details as to the cat-and-mouse tactics employed by BOTH sides and how the "human terrain" influences combat ops.
I do all of my modern wargaming on a huge, fictional island which I call Afraqistan set in the Indian Ocean. I've written its history, described the many factions present, and mapped its terrain. Whether gaming actual current events or something fictional like Afraqistan you'll find this book very informative as you design modern, near future, and even sci-fi scenarios.
Highly recommended!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/War/Se ... 248/?itm=1
The book covers a platoon's 15 month tour-of-duty in Afghanistan's Kornegal valley. The focus is on their combat operations, the enemy they face, their state of mind, and how it changes over the course of the deployment.
I know some here have dismissed the enemies our troops face in Iraq and Afghanistan as pushovers. This book will certainly dispel any such notions.
Yes, as the book describes, there are troops derisively called "Fobbits" by those in the field who never leave the Forward Operating Bases and never see combat. But the deployment described in the book is very different.
For example, early in the book Junger describes how death and mutilation can be so random while serving in the Korengal. One man is shot while taking a nap. A cook has his arm ripped off by an RPG just as he's joking that the men should come and eat before he gets killed. And those things happen INSIDE the "safety" of the wire! He also provides details as to the cat-and-mouse tactics employed by BOTH sides and how the "human terrain" influences combat ops.
I do all of my modern wargaming on a huge, fictional island which I call Afraqistan set in the Indian Ocean. I've written its history, described the many factions present, and mapped its terrain. Whether gaming actual current events or something fictional like Afraqistan you'll find this book very informative as you design modern, near future, and even sci-fi scenarios.
Highly recommended!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/War/Se ... 248/?itm=1