The Samurai and the Mujahideen - Paperback

by Ben Dowling (Author)

Set in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan, three men from different backgrounds come together for their own individual purposes: to gain fortune, honor and freedom In 1979, the communist government of Afghanistan asked the Soviet Union for help in putting down an insurgency made up of poorly equipped civilians. In December of that year, the Red Army invaded the country, using Kabul as their headquarters. Almost immediately, many countries around the world began to send aid to the beleaguered nation, military or humanitarian, financial or logistical. By 1983, the anti-communist rebels had begun using less conventional means to finance the war with their militarily superior occupiers.

Author Biography

Ben Dowling was born in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1971. He went to Dixie Hollins High School, graduating in 1989. He started taking classes at St. Petersburg Junior College (now St. Petersburg College), and later transferred to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion where he received two Bachelors Degrees, English 1996, Physics & Mathematics (double major) 2002, and a Masters Degree in Mathematics 2004. Dowling was diagnosed with Friedrichs ataxia when he was 11 years old, and after living independently for 17 years, was forced to return to Florida. He now lives with his parents in St. Petersburg. He writes with Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software. The inspiration for the Soviet-Afghan war story came from his teenage years spent reading Soldier of Fortune magazine and from America's more recent involvement in the country.