This is a book of nine short stories. Each story reveals a different viewpoint of the American military continuing to have a presence in Europe long after the Cold War has ended. Some Europeans resent America's involvement in their country while others seem to value America's contribution. I've often felt that America continually finds itself in a lose-lose situation. Countries worldwide want America to stay out of their country. Yet, when they are in trouble and need our support, if we don't help immediately, we get blasted for not caring. It must be terribly difficult for our leaders to make these decisions. As they say, hindsight is 20/20.
These stories are very well-written. We get a glimpse of Americans stationed in different countries and training with/co-existing with Croatians, Germans, Ukrainians, Greeks, Romans, Slovenians, Italians, Bavarians and the French. Some of our military personnel are in Europe to support NATO, showing the world that these countries can work together for the greater good. They train with mixed leadership. These stories are open-ended, meaning we really don't know what happens after the story ends. These soldiers/photographers/military personnel are all deeply affected by their stay in Europe. The author describes each character in a way that we understand how they are feeling and why they often feel conflicted about their purpose in Europe.
Each story is very different from the others. I was deeply affected by The Schnitzel and the Shark, which underscores how strong one has to be when in any branch of the military. You can't let your fellow soldiers, or certainly your superior, see any type of weakness or you will pay dearly for that weakness/mistake. Another powerful story was Forest of Dry Bones, set in France, which demonstrates how difficult it was for private citizens during wartime. So much loss that is completely out of one's control - and the aftermath of living with those traumatic experiences.
Wendy's Rating: *****
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