“The best book I’ve ever read!” – Soto
(Which, to be fair, doesn’t mean much. Soto is both in this book and hasn’t read very many books.)
Most military books go something like this: I was a hero. I did elite things. Let me tell you about my combat experience. I wish I were that cool. Spoiler alert: no one dies. The truth is, even for most of the super cool guys, the days when bullets actually fly are rare. The real battle is surviving the sheer absurdity of military life—and that’s where things get interesting. This is the story of Chosen Company, stationed overseas during one of the strangest times in military history—the COVID era. From empty streets in Venice to the heat of Somalia, we walked through places most only see in movies. Some nights ended in laughter, others in tense silence. And while not every risk we took was smart, they made for stories we’ll never forget—or fully admit to. Travel with us through seven countries and two continents as we navigate ever-changing rules, baffling leadership decisions, and the kind of boredom that turns bad ideas into even worse decisions—including a few close encounters with the infamous German boars, who patrolled the night like they owned the place. Just a group of service members stranded in unfamiliar places, dodging not just regulations but the occasional real-world threat, questioning the logic of it all, and finding out firsthand that sometimes, the biggest dangers aren’t on the battlefield—they’re in the choices we make when we think no one is watching. The Chronicles of the Sober Few is about what really happens when a group of troops is stuck thousands of miles from home with nothing but each other—and a front-row seat to the madness of military bureaucracy. It’s about the friendships forged in shared misery, the moments of absolute stupidity that somehow become the best memories, and the relentless search for just one normal beer in a foreign country. For veterans, this will feel like swapping stories with the people who got you through. For civilians, it’s a side of the military they never show in movies—the version where survival isn’t about combat; it’s about making it to the weekend without losing your mind. If you’ve ever had friends who could make you laugh even when everything sucked, this book is for you.
