Haunting 'Fighters' sees Iraq, Afghanistan wars through the eyes of six U.S. 'grunts'

[TomSea]

Haunting 'Fighters' sees Iraq, Afghanistan wars through the eyes of six U.S. 'grunts'
David Holahan, Special to USA TODAY Published 12:00 p.m. ET Aug. 14, 2018

"The Fighters" by C.J. Chivers.(Photo: Simon & Schuster)

Robert Soto’s patriotism is unquestioned. He was a middle schooler in the Bronx when the World Trade Center towers fell in 2001. After visiting the site, he vowed to join the Army when he turned 18; he made the grade a year sooner, in 2007, after persuading his father to sign the forms.

Two years later, in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, Soto and the soldiers of Second Platoon, Bravo Company, had their hands full. Their isolated outpost was set in grueling terrain, the climate was harsh, and they were battling an elusive enemy who largely decided when and where to fight. The Americans were losing men.

But they had their moments, too. On one night patrol they killed more than 10 Taliban fighters. Still, Soto began to have doubts. Why were they there, and what was their mission? Simply to skirmish with an enemy sheltered by a civilian population that didn’t want foreigners there? His war wasn’t the same one the generals and politicians were talking about, or the one he signed up for.

Read more at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2018/08/14/fighters-sees-iraq-afghanistan-wars-through-eyes-u-s-grunts-c-j-chivers-book-review/917698002/

A book some might want to read.