“I feel no emotional connection to these outwardly human gestures. I am not there, because I never left Afghanistan.” — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as they improved these ordinary people's lives, we would win their 'hearts and minds' in the classic manifestation of a successful counter-insutgency operation. [...] Maybe our Western values world somebe instilled in these people. But in country… — Jake Wood Copy Share
“You are no longer human, with all those depths and highs and nuances of emotion that define you as a person. There is no feeling any more, because to feel any emotion would also be to beckon the overwhelming blackness from you. My mind has now locked all this down. And without any control of this self-defence mechanism my subconscious… — Jake Wood Copy Share
“I was not descending in a plane, coming Home. I was watching an alien world as it ascended towards me - and one that… — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“...my ability to trust had been shattered into splinters, its fragmented shards slicing through every darkened recess of my mind, his absolution won my… — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“my mind struggled top condense all that had led to me being here. My vocal cords fought to express the memories that leaked out;… — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“I feel no emotional connection to these outwardly human gestures. I am not there, because I never left Afghanistan.” — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“My vocal chords fought to contain the memories that leaked out; I felt the weight off it all pressing down on me.” — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“My mother describes me as 'a real hero . . . just like your grandfather'. But I do not know what to do with… — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“We were not told how Alexander the Great was the last person in history to successfully 'pacify' what would become Afghanistan, over 2,000 years ago.” — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“But as much as this is a soldier's reason d'etre, it is not often that you hear a soldier explicitly talk about 'killing'. The… — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
“My family says they are proud of me. Of course, I would rather hear this than the contrary, but I cannot say that I… — Jake Wood Copy Share Image
