Joseph is a soldier in the US Army and was deployed for a tour of duty based around Kandahar in Afghanistan. Follow Joseph and learn what it is like to serve as an American soldier in a combat zone.
The Hooligans of Kandahar is a very personal memoir and as Joseph explains at the start of his book…
All stories in this book are based on events that happened between May 2011 and May 2012 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Times, places, details and names have been altered to protect my fellow soldiers from any adverse actions due to their conduct during our deployment together.
...This book covers all aspects of Army life at the sharp end. The reader does not need to know anything about military life because everything is explained. Joseph guides you through all the jargon so you understand what all the acronyms mean and do on the ground. I learned all about EOD techs and ANFO.
I liked how this book was not glamorous but showed the US Army with all it’s faults and frustrations. I liked how Joseph ran through a long list of things that bugged him and his fellow soldiers. He moaned about management, organisation and transport. I loved how he explained the equipment and technology they were using, like biometrics, drones, night vision goggles and the Thor system.
Joseph vividly describes the smell of Kandahar with it’s ditches and sewage. He mentions in fair detail the living conditions and poverty endured by the Afghans.
I liked how Joseph told his story which enabled the reader to understand the culture within the US Army. It is not a dull story and there is a fair amount of banter and humour to enjoy, very much in the style of the popular American television series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The attitude of the squad came through, loud and clear.
I really enjoyed reading The Hooligans of Kandahar. I found it to be enlightening, informative and a joy to read. This book is very frank and pulls no punches. I am very pleased that Joseph made a great effort and kept a diary that he has put it into the public domain.
I think that this book is an OUTSTANDING read and it gets the top score of 5 stars from me. Forget where you stand on the American invasion of Afghanistan OR Iraq - this book is such a good read. Joseph paints a very powerful picture which is nicely summed up at the end when he writes…
While my body was standing there in Texas, my mind would never leave Afghanistan. The blood-soaked mountains of that country would be with me until the day I died.
Thanks to the publisher TCK Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book on the understanding that I publish a review.
The Hooligans of Kandahar was written in 2017 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.
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