They Were Soldiers

This "uncompromisingly visceral" account (Mother Jones) of what combat does to American soldiers comes from a veteran journalist who was embedded with troops in Afghanistan and reveals the harrowing journeys of the wounded, from the battlefield to back home.

Along the way, the author of the acclaimed Kabul in Winter shows us the dead, wounded, mutilated, brain-damaged, drug-addicted, suicidal, and homicidal casualties of our distant wars, exploring the devastating toll such conflicts have taken on us as a nation.