Zinky Boys: Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 09, 2012 Jim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: military-non-fiction, afghanistan, soviet-union-russia

I remember back in the '70s having to sit through long presentations regarding the Soviet Union and the military might thereof. These briefings were given by American military personnel and the general theme was that the Soviet Union was an evil empire, armed to the teeth. It seemed that they had endless munitions and hordes of personnel under arms, all of whom wanted our stuff. They had no stuff in the Soviet Union, we were told, and they would be coveting our stuff, which we had in abundance. I remember back in the '70s having to sit through long presentations regarding the Soviet Union and the military might thereof. These briefings were given by American military personnel and the general theme was that the Soviet Union was an evil empire, armed to the teeth. It seemed that they had endless munitions and hordes of personnel under arms, all of whom wanted our stuff. They had no stuff in the Soviet Union, we were told, and they would be coveting our stuff, which we had in abundance. Some of this propaganda had a grain of truth in it: the Soviets were starved for consumer goods and they did have a lot of men under arms, but the weaponry was outdated and defective and the soldiery reluctant and usually coerced into service. And while there was a shortage of consumer goods, even the most fashion-conscious was unlikely to risk death for a pair of jeans. Somehow the people doing the briefings neglected to mention that part. In short, while the Soviet Union had enough punch to mess the world up considerably, they were extremely unlikely to start anything, military bombast notwithstanding.

After the "invasion" of Afghanistan, I recall even more anti-Soviet propaganda. One US-based military magazine sought donations to purchase ammo for the mujahidin. If I recall correctly, the slogan was "Kill a commie for Mommy" or some such blather. I have often wondered if anyone ever contributed and, if so, whether any of the contribution actually made it to Afghanistan. I guess what I'm getting at with all of this preamble is that we were pretty much brainwashed into an intense dislike of all things Soviet.

This book is the result of many personal interviews the author conducted with returned soldiers and civilians and also with the next of kin of those who were returned in zinc coffins, or zinky boys as they became known. Alexievich has managed to put a human face on the Soviet soldier for me, and I have come to realize that soldiers are soldiers the world over. Our governments start wars, and governments legislate soldiers into action whether the soldier likes it or not.

In the case of the Russians, many of them were told that their intervention in Afghanistan prevented the takeover of the country by the USA, which was on the point of invading. Many soldiers were told they were being airlifted to some other destination, only to find themselves in Afghanistan when the plane touched down. Some volunteered for the job, as the bazaars in Afghanistan had more consumer goods than the Soviet shops. Ponder that for a moment; a backwater like Afghanistan having more produce than your home country!

Life was hard for these soldiers. The Soviet army turned a blind eye to the constant hazing and abuse of recruits. New soldiers were routinely robbed and beaten by the older soldiers or "grandfathers". An excerpt from a soldier's letter home:

"Mum, buy me a puppy and call it Sergeant so I can kill it when I get home." (p.46)

Even the female civilian employees were not free from abuse. They volunteered for service; some for patriotic reasons, some for the extra pay, and yet others for the shopping opportunities. Whatever their motivation, they were universally assumed to have come hunting for men. Sadly, many of them felt a need to take on a man as protection against the predations of others. Better one devil you know than many you don't.

Alexeivich has really been able to express the anguish and heartache of those who came back to a country that was so neglectful that Afghanistan casualties, Zinky Boys, were not allowed to be buried in the same section of a cemetery, like they were a collective dirty secret. I won't even go into the sense of loss and betrayal expressed by grieving mothers who were never given adequate details regarding the death of their respective children. In spite of this, the reaction to the author's work was mixed, and I leave you with this final quote from a call she received:

"Who needs your dreadful truth? I don't want to know it!!! You want to buy your own glory at the expense of our sons' blood. They were heroes, heroes, heroes! They should have beautiful books written about them, and you're turning them into mincemeat" (p.187) ...more

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