Les Carroll is the author of This Troubled Ground. He shares his experience in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard on the podcast while also highlighting his book. This Troubled Ground is a novel but is based on many experiences from his own military career with fictional characters added to the story. It is a great book that highlights unique experiences military members experience while also highlighting the stories of Gold Star family members who must continue on after their loved died overseas. I’m excited to share part of Les’s story and talk about his amazing book this week on the Women of the Military podcast.
This Troubled Ground
Les decided to join the Air Force because he was looking for a career. He was initially interested in being a pilot but quickly realized that wasn’t an option when he failed the color blind test. So, he decided to serve in Public Affairs. With his degree in Journalism and the fact that he had already been working at a newspaper. it was an easy choice. He joined the Air Force in 1985. After serving on active duty for 4.5 year, he transitioned to the National Guard.
Three weeks after transferring he dealt with the biggest hurricane the region had ever seen. He thought that his career would continue to be focused on responding to natural disasters in the region. But when Desert Storm happened in 1991 it changed the focus for the military and the deployments overseas began. Then September 11th added additional requirements of the National Guard. He ended up deploying to Afghanistan and also worked on the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base leading dignified transfers (service members who come home from a deployment in a casket). He was on the tarmac for 100 dignified transfers and writes about that experience in his book This Troubled Ground.
Writing a novel about his experience
He wrote this novel from his experiences along with added fictional characters or events from other peoples own experiences. It was written prior to the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 and was meant to help give Gold Star Families hope. Their loved one had sacrificed their life and he wanted them to have hope. After 2021, he added the epilog sharing how he felt the withdrawal went and some mistakes that were made.
His book gets you, the reader, thinking. Either about your own experience at war or what those who deployed and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice experienced. I think it is important to highlight and share the stories of those who have served. So we don’t forget the lives sacrificed and the opportunities given to those America tried to help.
