ABOUT THE BOOK
In February 2009, a Danish battalion
was stationed in Afghanistan, with approximately 600 of the
soldiers in the infamous Helmand province.
The 22-year-old Jacob Christensen, who
is the central figure in this account, is one of the soldiers who
volunteers to take part in the war. In 2010 he is sent to the
forward base of Budwan in Helmand province. He is filled with
dreams of testing his military training in the war against the
Taliban.
In the desert and in the Green Zone
(which was the subject of a British TV documentary), he confronts
death, terrible wounds, and extremely rugged conditions. The author
interviewed Jacob and his fellow soldiers as she followed him both
during and after his tour of duty. We see his transformation from a
young man into a war veteran, and are given a glimpse into the
personal battles he wages along the way - both as a soldier and a
private individual.
Regarding the purpose of the war, he
says: "Danes prefer not to think too much about the fact that we're
at war. But we are. That's okay with me if they don't dare
acknowledge it. I just think that they should have access to the
facts. There's so much misinformation going around. People think
that we're helping a lot of people, but we're really only helping
about the same number as the troops we have stationed there. Danes
should know that. We can't defeat the Taliban. We can only hold
them off until the Afghans get strong enough to take over."
The book is richly illustrated with
photographs of the camp and battle areas in Helmand province, of
the funeral of Jacob's friend and group leader Jonas Pløger
in August 2010, and of his family.
THE AUTHOR
Rikke Hyldgaard is a journalist for Fyens Stiftstidende.
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