Biblion to mark 10th anniversary of Afghan war

The war in Afghanistan began  Oct. 7, 2001 – 10 years ago – with the war in Iraq following about two-and-a-half years later. While awareness of the wars has slipped from consciousness in most Americans' day-to-day lives, that is impossible for the families and friends of the 6,230 soldiers killed in the wars and the tens of thousands of those who have come home wounded in body and mind or who are still fighting today.

One of those families is the Cliftons: Terri and Rich and their son Ryan of Prime Hook. Their oldest son and brother, Chad, graduated from Cape Henlopen High School in 2003 and went on to join the Marines in the wake of September 11, serving in Iraq. Chad was killed by a mortar attack in Ramadi Feb. 3, 2005, just two weeks before he was due to return home. He was 19.

Before he left, Chad confessed to his mom, Terri, that he feared being forgotten, and he made her promise that, if he didn’t make it back, she would tell his story. Once the initial trauma of losing Chad had passed, Terri set to compiling and self-publishing a book titled "A Random Soldier," collecting his personal correspondence and journal entries to share a compelling and memorable picture of his experience of life and of war.

The story lacks the usual political trappings or romance of most war stories. Instead it focuses without self-pity and with an unapologetic frankness on the personal experience of Chad and his family and friends, giving those who have not known war so intimately an opportunity to see and to feel what it was like for them all.

Jen Mason, owner of Biblion: Used Books and Rare Finds, in Lewes, asked Terri to do a reading in her shop to mark the Afghan War’s 10th anniversary. When she made the request, Mason expected that the news media attention surrounding the anniversary would be akin to the anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, which precipitated the conflict. She wanted Terri’s reading to be a low-key way for people in Delaware to mark the date and remember the families touched so deeply by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since Mason began carrying Clifton’s book in her shop, she has been struck by the number of people who have reported powerful and life-altering experiences from reading it. “Terri recently told me a story about receiving an email from a mother of a wounded vet who had served with Chad,” Mason said.

“The young man’s aunt stumbled upon the book in Biblion, not even realizing that Chad was from the same unit as her nephew. When she gave it to him, he broke down and cried, finally beginning to talk to his mother about his experiences. This is just the sort of story that I’ve heard again and again, making me really grateful to have "A Random Soldier" among the books by local authors that we carry here.”

Clifton’s reading is at 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 7, at Biblion, at the corner of Second and Market streets in downtown Lewes. She will also be available on Saturday morning, Oct. 8, for signings and a meet and greet from 10 a.m. to noon. For additional information, visit www.BiblionBooks.com or call 302-644-2210.