CHAPTER ONE
Dirty-K
Fwapp, fwapp, fwapp, fwapp, fwapp. The sound you are
hearing is that of my neighbor, the 3-man of my four-member fireteam,
masturbating. You see, the walls here in dirty-K are pop-star thin and your
neighbors are millimeters away. I am currently trying to go back to sleep but
will have to wait thirty seconds or so until things quiet down. I cannot
explain to you how important sleep is when you are in a combat zone. Your head
must always be on a swivel, as bullets, bombs, and mortar rounds can literally
fly right next to your brainbox at any moment. If you are not mentally alert
here, you are dead. Anyway, I don’t know why the hell I’m telling you these
things. I need to get back to sleep. I have an awfully long day of bullshit
tomorrow— much like every day here in the dirty-K.
Welcome to Kandahar, Afghanistan, known to us as dirty-K.
Everything in Kandahar, including the soldiers, is dirty, broken, or so old
that ninety percent of it is held together with good old duct tape. We recently
got plumbing, but before that we were using a hole in the ground or a
port-a-potty. I don’t want to complain about the hole in the ground too much
because it is normal operations for Middle Eastern individuals, but it still
sucked for me. You have to try to hover over a hole with your pants half down,
aim your asshole, and then not shit on your feet—freaking difficult. No thank
you, I prefer a normal American–style toilet. I feel like you need to
understand just how great we have it now with fresh plumbing. When everything
constantly smells like shit, it starts to wear on unit morale. That’s how our
life was. Our building smelled like shit, our rooms smelled like shit, our
uniforms smelled like shit, and we smelled like shit. People would move two or
more tables away from us in the chow hall because of how we smelled—though that
might be a perk. We recently got the showers fixed as well, but before that,
you just held a water bottle over your head. If you had a really good friend,
they may have dumped water on you so you could use both hands to wash faster.
If you were a loner, you had to master the art of scrubbing and pouring water
on yourself at the same time—a serious challenge for some. There were plenty of
people who opted out of taking showers for days at a time due to the pain in
the ass it was to accomplish such a trivial task. Staying clean is nearly
impossible with all the sand and people crammed into such a small space. After
all, thousands of soldiers live within just a couple city blocks. There is mud
everywhere. I generally have no clue how there is mud everywhere because it
never rains, but I digress. Sand is also everywhere … but then a sandstorm hits
and sand really is EVERYWHERE. I have never been to an environment so harsh, to
be honest, and this is my tenth deployment. The bottom line is that living in
the dirty-K is, well, filthy, and trying to maintain some level of sanitation
is a constant struggle.
Absolutely riveting story of a unit’s military deployment in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Weight of the Kiss by Derek W. Whaley is the compelling tale of a man’s military service during a deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. While the story is fictional, it is based on actual events and real individuals. It is tough, raw, and eye-opening at times, and I experienced so many emotions while reading. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time to come.
The story unfolds from the viewpoint of the unnamed Reaper and Bang units’ team leader. He describes daily life for his soldiers and the other service members deployed to a base outside of Kandahar, Afghanistan, in vivid and evocative detail. I got a much clearer image of the actual conditions, routines, and duties military personnel endure than ever before, and it is told with candor, humor, and seriousness. You can’t help but laugh with these young men at some of their antics and ways they pass the time, but in the back of your mind, you realize it’s not all fun and games; they are teetering on the edge of life and death supporting the mission. The bonds these men forge are unlike anything found outside the service, and many will face greater struggles with their mental health once out of the combat zone. I enjoyed their humor and was gutted when their mission went sideways.
The author is a storyteller, and the unique voice of his main
character drew me into his mesmerizing tale. I recommend WEIGHT OF THE KISS to
readers of military fiction or non-fiction and stories of bravery, ultimate
sacrifice, dedication to service, and love for your brothers.
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