The book Walking Again (Colorado Springs, CO : Tactical 16, LLC ; 2019) by JP Lane is the memoir of an American Soldier severely wounded by the explosion of a mine beneath the roadway which destroyed the vehicle Lane and his fellow Soldiers were in while on a mine-clearing mission 2 July 2011 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It is a compelling story of self-discovery, of trust in family values, and ultimately of faith and belief in God.

Although not stated directly in Lane's book, but for benefit of the reader, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) commenced in October 2001 shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States by Al Qaida, an Islamic terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden. This was the beginning of American diplomatic and military policy known as the Global War on Terror. Nearly a decade later, in May 2011, bin Laden was killed by US Special Operations Forces. A month later, in June, President Obama announced a US force reduction of 10,000 personnel by year's end and an additional reduction of 20,000 by summer 2012. In July, General David Petraeus, US Army, Commander of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), some 140,000 personnel overall, transferred command to General John Allen, USMC. In August 2011, a helicopter carrying 38 US and Afghan personnel was shot down with no survivors. Also, worth mentioning in the context of what some call "the long war", Kandahar Province takes its name from Alexander the Great (356--323 BCE), who founded the city of Kandahar ('Alexander') in 330 BCE during his campaign in Persia.

JP Lane begins his memoir recounting his childhood in Ohio and Green Bay, Wisconsin. His father was in the US Air Force and his mother a teacher, but as Lane recalls, "like many of my childhood peers, my parents divorced when I was young and I was brought up in a broken home." While living with his father in Green Bay during his "8th grade year" [Lane was 13 years old] at Lombardi Middle School, Lane recalls that "day you will never forget" -- September 11, 2001 -- and the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Seven years later, in September 2008, Lane decided to enlist in the Army, and after completing basic and advanced training, was assigned the military occupation specialty 12 Bravo (Combat Engineer) and became a member of the 428th Engineer Company stationed at Wausau, Wisconsin, most likely part of the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

In August 2010, two years after his enlistment, Specialist Lane reported for duty as his unit was readied for assignment to OEF in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wilson, in Lane's words "home to thousands of troops, contractors, and Afghan military, all working together [. . .] ." After settling in to his living quarters, a general purpose tent with bunk beds and enough room for a hand-made table to hold personal gear, Lane and his teammates were itching to go into the "sand box" on their first patrol.

Lane then gives the reader a description of the types of vehicles used by the 428th Combat Engineers: (1) the Husky, a one-seater with a Ground Penetrating Radar system on its front; (2) the RG31 mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle with a V-shape chassis that deflects blasts up and away from its underbelly; (3) the Buffalo, a six-wheeled vehicle with its common remotely operated weapons system (CROWS) that integrates target acquisition and fire control for (a) the M2 50-caliber machine gun, (b) the Mk 19 grenade launcher, (c) the M 249 squad automated weapon (SAW), and (d) the M 240 B machine gun. These armored wheeled behemoths operated together in a convoy of five vehicles: the Husky out front, an RG 31 behind it second position, the Buffalo in third position, followed by two more RG 31s. The mission was to sweep the roads in and around FOB Wilson for hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs) emplaced underground by the enemy.

After six months of IED road-clearing, Lane was eligible for a two-week break, or vacation as he calls it, half way through his deployment. He took it at Acapulco, Mexico where he met his wife and also his father who, after the first week, returned home to Wisconsin. Lane then returned to FOB Wilson and his unit to continue operations in the "sand box". In March 2011, he was stunned by the loss of his friend and fellow Soldier, Specialist Justin Ross, killed by an enemy sniper while on operations. The experience turned Lane into a cold-hearted, vengeful warrior focused only on finding and killing the enemy. Not three months later, on 2 July 2011, Lane himself would incur severe life-threatening wounds from an IED as he tells his own version in Chapter 5, "What A Blast!".

What is an interesting story-telling technique applied to Walking Again is that Lane included in his memoir five other points of view of the life-changing “what a blast” incident: (1) that of Specialist Warren, the Medic who treated Lane and the other Soldiers wounded in the IED blast that destroyed their RG 31; (2) that of Lane's father who spent months with his son during his treatment and rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and also at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas; (3) that of Staff Sergeant Kienow, who was wounded in the same IED blast that injured Lane, (4) that of Captain Servi, overall mission commander who was at his tactical operations center when the IED blast injuring Lane, Kienow was reported; and (5) that of Captain (Chaplain) Alfstad, who had been in the “sand box” with Lane and other Soldiers on what are called RCPs or route clearing patrols, and who followed Lane's recovery and transformation. This multiple points of view of an incident was used by film director Akira Kurosawa in his 1950 film Roshomon. The technique was developed by Thornton Wilder in his 1927 novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

Most interesting of all for this reader is JP Lane's decision to pursue what he calls his “new normal” after his injuries and surgeries and adjustment to prosthetic lower limbs. After returning home to Wisconsin, Lane went through a period of severe depression which included thoughts of suicide, but eventually he worked himself into a more positive attitude, and by 2013 was on his way to a medical retirement from the Army and even considering a civilian position in the corporate world. Lane, however, decided to pursue his early interest in music and in his book's chapter 9, “A Car Ride With God” describes how he ended up pursuing a career in music by accidentally hitting the tuning device in his car and changing from a 'hip-hop' music channel to a 'Christian' channel. Let the music and healing begin. Lane even returned to Afghanistan in 2018 under the aegis of an organization called Operation Proper Exit / Feherty' Troops First Foundation, that takes former severely-wounded veterans back to where they were injured to help them get closure. In Lane's case, while back at a base in Kandahar, an new version of the RG 31 vehicle was available and he was offered a ride in it. And about a year after his return home he was invited to participate in the now annual Purple Heart Cruise event [personal note: the PHC is co-sponsored by my friend and neighbor, Robert 'Cruisin' Bob' Bush, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret.)] which provides a seven-day shipboard cruise to those warriors who have received the Purple Heart.

Walking Again by JP Lane is an inspirational gem. Blessings to this patriot and fellow Veteran. ( )