Summer 2009: A Journey of Self-Discovery Amidst the Afghanistan War
Summer 2009 is a memoir grounded in a journal kept during deployment to Afghanistan. It explores themes of identity, loss, friendship, the cost of war, and the search for meaning in moments that permanently alter a life.
Summer 2009 grew from a journal written during the summer of 2009 while deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Years later, Andrew revisited those pages to better understand how that period shaped him—as a Marine, a police officer, and a person. His hope is that readers will recognize elements of their own journey within these reflections on growth and experience.