Brett Allen | Looking for an Adventure, Finding Kilroy

Return to Base | A VeteranLife Podcast

After a short break, we’re back with another episode of Return to Base! This time, we’re talking to former Army Cav Officer and novelist Brett Allen.

After graduating college and being commissioned through ROTC, Brett went on to serve in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. Luckily, having grown up in Michigan he was used to the ridiculously cold winters and snow. Then the army saw fit to send him to another ridiculously cold location half-way around the world - the mountains of Southern Afghanistan.

There’s something about the military; soldiers are plucked from their lives and inserted into a delegation of characters from every corner of the country and world. What better to do than take note and turn them into characters in your satirical novel? That’s exactly what Brett did in his novel Kilroy Was Here, a semi-autobiographical take on his time in Afghanistan.

We talk about how 9/11 played a part in his decision to serve, how being plucked from the Army’s best job, Platoon Leader, is like being “sodomized,” and how if you shove 20-something peeps into your mouth you will be laughed at, and may me yelled at.
You can pick up a copy of Kilroy Was Here at Amazon and wherever you buy your books.

This episode was made possible in part by the good AMERICANS at Black Rifle Coffee Company.