Christine Dumaine Leche

Christine Leche had the courage to fly into Afghanistan while working as a professor for University of Maryland - University College, armed only with a passion for teaching and writing. These are the stories compiled from the Soldiers, people, she encountered in her time and the insights from them are well-earned. When a soldier writes about a blackout, a mortar attack, Leche was no doubt experiencing it, too and she writes briefly about such an experience in a compelling forward, before she hands over the stage to the heroes of the book, the Soldiers who tell their unfiltered stories.

The stories she collected do a far greater service to the Soldiers in Afghanistan than any op-ed written from the safety of a person's computer desk. And the stories relayed by these Soldiers give a more vivid account than some who claim to be polished writers.

One story begins "Today is just another day on Bagram . . . " a storytelling device that prepares the reader for the reality that there are no normal days on Bagram or in any theater of war. The author then takes the reader through the mortar attack from the sounds and other senses to the bodies unloaded in the aftermath.

Other stories deal with the troubling home life that Soldiers bring into their duties overseas, abuse, broken relationships, some good relationships and the stress of staying in touch.

What makes the scope of these stories stand out is the fact that every specialty is affected. There seems to be a hunger for war stories from the public, which in many ways shows public support.

But it also shows a negative trend, a fetish for a certain type of war story, wanting to hear the firefight, the roadside bomb, the ones that confirm the public's preconceptions.

Leche does not give into that. Not only are the stories by infantry and drivers but by cooks, by communications specialists, by medics -- all are affected and all have a story to tell. The tale of guilt, depression and avoidance by a food service worker who serves a Soldier a meal then sees the same person when called in for morgue detail shows the psychological toll cuts across all walks.

Many more powerfully written stories. Leche deserves our gratitude for inspiring these Soldiers to tell their stories and for sharing them.… (plus d'informations)