The soldiers from the Platon Light Investigation have just returned from Afghanistan. For a period of six months, every minute of every day, they put themselves in the kind of danger that could have cost them their lives. What are their thoughts on a question as big as this?
“Of course I would write a farewell letter to my parents, my sister, and my dearest friends. It has to say how much they mean to me, and how they have influenced my life. I will also tell them that they should not be sorry. It was my own choice, and I wish them the best in the future.”
- JIMMI, 21 years, Private
“Nobody thinks it’s cool that one’s husband or wife is sent into something that could potentially end in death. In spite of that, my wife is always supporting me. She is the most understanding person in the world, and she stands behind me even though it’s really tough to miss someone you love for such a long time. I pay her all my respect."
- TEM, 29 years, Sergeant
“I have nothing against taking another man’s life. The Taliban chooses to take weapons into their hands and pull the trigger. In some situations you either kill them or they kill you.”
- PETER, 27, Private
“My girlfriend doesn’t like the idea of me falling. But then I tell her that nothing bad is going to happen. The media is only focusing on the negative stories. Unfortunately, she’s not satisfied with that explanation, so the arguing ends pretty fast. It’s not like we aren’t friends after that, but she gets tense.”
- ANDERS, 19, Private
“I don’t think so much about the risk of getting shot. There’s also a risk of breaking one’s neck if you get out of bed the wrong way in the morning. As a young person, you don’t think about that you are going to die when you get old, either. We have to go to Afghanistan with the attitude that all of us will return.”
- MICHAEL, 22, Private
