Sebastian Junger: War

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FIRST AND FOREMOST I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY wife, Daniela, for accepting my long absences and giving me such a wonderful home to come back to. Her editorial help was amazing and essential to the writing of this book. My parents, Ellen and Miguel, and my sister, Carlotta, provided much encouragement and heartfelt advice. Among my close friends Rob Leaver put a lot of thought into my manuscript and helped me with numerous conversations about men, war, and violence; and Austin Merrill gave me great advice about the overall narrative structure.

In the fall of 2007 I took a long walk in the woods with my dear friend Joanna Settle, and I told her about my experiences in the Korengal. Our conversation that bright, beautiful October day guided me in ways that are difficult to articulate but utterly essential to the nature of this book. Joanna passed away before she could read the results of our conversation, but her friendship and that of her husband, Ellis, are woven into almost everything I have ever written.

Many thanks must go to Graydon Carter of Vanity Fair , who had enough faith in me to underwrite multiple trips to Afghanistan when the story was not particularly hot and magazines were already tightening their belts. I would also like to thank my editor, Doug Stumpf, and his assistant, Christopher Bateman, for their ongoing help and enthusiasm in what became a three-year project. I am also deeply indebted to those at ABC Nightline for their hard work on the project: David Scott, Steven Baker, Maddy Sauer, Karen Brenner, James Goldston, Rhonda Schwartz, and Brian Ross. Kerry Smith, head of editorial content for ABC, was incomparable in her support and enthusiasm. My agent, Stuart Krichevsky, and his staff — Shana Cohen, Danielle Rollins, and Kathryne Wick — were critical in helping me with the book. Stuart’s advice on everything from editing to jacket design was almost always spot-on and I am very grateful to him. Cathy Saypol was also a source of editorial advice, publicity wisdom, and general encouragement. At Twelve, my editor, Jonathan Karp, gave me feedback early on that set the book in the right direction even though I couldn’t quite see it yet; thank you, Jon. Cary Goldstein did an amazing job generating interest in this book among booksellers. Mari Okuda allowed me many more last-minute changes than most authors are allowed, but she still got the book finished in time — I don’t know how. And Colin Shepherd was of great help in coordinating all the moving parts.

Throughout the writing of this book I was also making a documentary film on Second Platoon, and I must acknowledge the important roles of editor Michael Levine and associate editor Maya Mumma in the overall project. My researcher and fact-checker, Andrea Minarcek, did an incredible job excavating old studies on the behavior of men in combat, as well as current-day neurological research and psychological studies. Her hard work saved me from numerous errors. Within the U.S. military, I must point out the efforts of the Army public affairs office at Bagram and Jalalabad in getting me in and out of the Korengal Valley so many times — particularly Major Nick Sternberg, Captain Peter Katzfey, Sergeant First Class Jacob Caldwell, and Sergeant First Class Eric Hendrix. And of course none of this would have been possible without the support of the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Ostlund, as well as Captain Dan Kearney and First Sergeant LaMonta Caldwell of Battle Company. Lieutenants Matt Piosa and Steve Gillespie of Second Platoon, as well as Sergeant First Class Mark Patterson and Staff Sergeant Dave Roels were also great sources of information and support while I was out there. Safa Sediqi, my driver in Kabul, always got me everywhere safely and on time. I remember turning down a ride in a raging snowstorm because he promised that he was coming to get me… and indeed he did.

I must point out that without the friendship and acceptance of the men of Second Platoon this would have been a very different book and possibly not worth writing. My experience with them was one of the most gratifying of my life and changed me in profound ways. I think I finally understand the idea of brotherhood and how — without that — almost nothing else is possible. Thank you, guys, for the humor, the encouragement, the bad food, the good company, and for not making me pull guard duty like you threatened.

Finally there is my friend, partner, and comrade through all of this, photographer Tim Hetherington. It’s hard for me to even begin describing his contribution to this work. The images he captured — both stills and video — have become almost iconic of the war in Afghanistan. But more than that, his humor, courage, and companionship during our trips helped make this project psychologically possible for me. It was difficult out there, and Tim’s attitude about those difficulties was crucial. I was once asked about our collaboration, and my answer was something to the effect that working with Tim was like climbing into a little sports car and driving around really, really fast. He saw this story in startling new ways, and I learned a tremendous amount from just talking to him. Thanks, Tim. I hope we get to do many more like this.

SEBASTIAN JUNGER is the New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and A Death in Belmont . He is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair , and has been awarded a National Magazine Award and an SAIS Novartis Prize for journalism. With Tim Hetherington he directed the documentary Restrepo , which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. He lives in New York City. For more information, you can visit www.sebastianjunger.com.

“An extraordinary, shattering depiction of war.”

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