Re-Read this Great Book Craig & Fred (the dog) with a New Insight into the Afghanistan War

 I just re-read the book "Craig and Fred" by Craig Grossi. It's an amazing book about a Marine who found a dog in Afghanistan during the war there when our troops were fighting for the Afghan people. This time, I got something additional out of it - that made me SO GRATEFUL the U.S. has pulled our troops out of Afghanistan. Here's what I found: 

MY SECOND READ -  First, I was moved by Craig's bonding with a scrappy pup in Afghanistan during the middle of a war, and his determination to get the dog to the U.S. safely. Second, I found this book to be eye-opening about the horrors our servicemen and women faced in Afghanistan.  

Craig lost 2 friends in the war, and he pays tribute to them at the end of the book. But he also suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Craig recounted the horrors of seeing one of his friends die from a landmine and frightening accounts of being pinned down by Taliban sniper fire. He wrote about how the Taliban would come out at night and plant landmines around the U.S. camps, and how any loud noise would be a cause for concern. 

As I read these chapters, I could breathe a big sigh of relief that the U.S. finally pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021 after 20 years of fighting. I thought about the horrors of war that Craig wrote about, and how after training the Afghan army for 20 years they quickly folded to the Taliban. Although not its initial purpose, the book opened my eyes to the horrors these servicemen and women faced. 

WHAT I WROTE THE FIRST TIME I READ IT IN 2019: 

This book is about a Marine in Afghanistan who met a special dog he named "Fred" and bonded with. The book, "Craig and Fred" is a true story written by Craig Grossi, the marine who Fred found in a war zone. Craig explains how this scrappy dog bonded with him during the Taliban war in Afghanistan, and how Craig when through hoops to get Fred to the U.S. to wait for him. The chapters take you through Craig's war-time experiences and some are heart-wrenching. Alternative chapters take place after Craig returned home and reunited with Fred, then took a cross-country journey. 

  It's a wonderful book and there are great photos in the back of the book. Craig learned what dog parents learn- there's nothing like the unconditional love of a dog. Get the book and enjoy it!  

ABOUT THE BOOK: The uplifting and unforgettable true story of a US Marine, the stray dog he met on an Afghan battlefield, and how they saved each other and now travel America together, "spreading the message of stubborn positivity."