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According to the Associated Press, when they’re off duty many U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan are finding comfort in reading.
Staff. Sgt. Daniel Clemons of Lexington, Alabama, tries to read a couple of chapters a day of “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis, the British thinker and author of the “Narnia” fantasies.
“It talks about morality first, and then it talks about the virtues of Christ, like faith and hope and love … you’ve got to have a strong faith. My faith has gotten stronger. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life,” said Clemons, 27.
He described his old self as a “very selfish, self-centered person” whose moral character has changed since deployments in Iraq and Kosovo.
“My wife, she bought me a book for Christmas. It’s called ‘Tender Warrior,’ by Stu Weber. Even though I’m a soldier, it’s about opening up and showing my feelings toward my family and my friends instead of holding it all in. … I’ve always held it in and she wanted me to show my emotions a bit more, instead of holding it all in until I can’t anymore and then I explode.”
Clemons was in Iraq in 2004-2005, and during that time, four roadside bombs exploded near his vehicle. He was unhurt.
“I believe I have a guardian angel,” he said. “I believe that.” But he wants to be a state trooper when he gets home, figuring that giving out speeding tickets is a lot safer than what he’s doing now.
He is staying in a compound that was earlier occupied by another Alpha platoon, and when he moved in, he found “The Screwtape Letters,” another C. S. Lewis book, on a shelf. He’ll read that next.
You can read the full story here.