"The chick was in the way."

--The Forever War by Dexter Filkins

One of my favorite writers. All time. When I was manic, and not all together sane, imagine this? I decided I would pull a Dexter and go to Afghanistan too! Only as a Marine. WRite a book. Because this, surely would make the military happy. Filkins wrote mostly about Iraq, not Afghanistan in the Forever WAr. Dying there? Who cares. It's all about the writing. Only an idiot would do this. One guy did it.

I use to carry my copy of the book around in the car, and show people. SEe? Isn't this cool? Gave it to the Advisor. REad it. You have to. You can't write about trauma unless you've been traumatized. That's the problem. Unless you've been there. with them. Or you're one of them. I took it to class. Showed it to professors.