Guardian’s Q & A with Sebastian Junger
The Korengal Valley is said to be the deadliest place in Afghanistan. What was your first impression when you arrived?
It looked like Colorado, like the American west. It was very beautiful. And I just thought what a great place to go camping or kayaking. If it wasn’t Afghanistan, it would be a haven for outdoor adventure sports.
You’ve said that you won’t be returning to war reporting.
Seeing what Tim’s death did to me and my wife and others, a light bulb went on. I didn’t want to be the cause of that pain to the people I’m closest to. I’ve done this for 20 years and there is a point you come to where you’re repeating the same stunt. I’ll continue reporting from overseas but if I find myself getting shot at – this is how I explained it to my wife – I will consider it embarrassing and a personal failure in a similar way to as if I had a car accident.
What are you currently working on?
I’m working on a film about Tim and I’m starting a medical training program for freelance journalists, a three-day training course in battlefield medicine. It will be three times a year in New York, London and Beirut. We’re hoping to make the certification an industry norm in the next few years. Tim’s wound didn’t have to be mortal. He bled out but there are things you can do about that, but no one around him was equipped to do them and so he died.
Photo: Hetherington and Junger in Afghanistan, 2008. © Tim Hetherington
