Ich hatte ein Leben

Since Sandro Strack returned home from his deployment in Afghanistan, nothing in his life feels right. Roasted chestnuts at the Christmas market smell to him like burnt human flesh, and New Year's fireworks signify life-threatening danger. When he washes, the warm water reminds him of blood running down his face. Cars that drive too closely make him anxious because he suspects there might be a bomb inside. During the day, he is too exhausted to handle work, and at night he finds no sleep. Everything has changed since Afghanistan. Like a quarter of all soldiers returning from combat, Sandro suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. In his book, he recounts his deployment in Afghanistan, how the illness now overshadows his life, and how he has been abandoned by the state for which he went to war.