Danish soldiers in combat in Afghanistan

Danish soldiers at war in Iraq and Afghanistan

 

A Danish soldier at war?

During a six month tour of active duty in Helman province Afghanistan, from February to August 2009, Soren and the platoon under his command accomplished many tasks. This lecture presents the war in Afghanistan from a personal standpoint.
Helman was indeed a world of contrasts. The soldiers could at one moment be playing around with the local children and the next find themselves in a tense shootout with the enemy.

 

Spoken from the front

Supported by recordings from the soldiers’ own helmet cams, the audience will be taken on patrol in the “Green Zone” where the Press usually does not come. They will experience the engagement with the locals, the Afghan atmosphere and, perhaps most piognantly, the intensity of being fired upon. The footage includes direct assaults on Taliban strongholds. The talk addresses issues which the Danish press has found controversial but is everyday life for the fighting men and women.
The lecture focuses on being in combat situations and the conditions under which the soldiers perform their duties. Finally Soren talks about the special bond that emerges between soldiers in such situations. There will be time at the end for dialogue with the audience and questions.It is honest talk about performing duties in a foreign country, about the use of violence or the threat of using violence. Also about firing your weapon in anger against another human being and living day to day in a situation where a projectile or an improvised explosive device can end your own or your soldiers’ lives.

The lecture will be interesting for the general public seeking a better understanding of the war in Afghanistan. However, as the speaker is Danish the focus will be on how a NATO ally experiences the war.

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