“Afghans are waving when they see the Hungarian flag”

As a police officer, you are questioning suspects every day, therefore the genre, i.e. the interview, was not an entirely new thing to you when you began your writing career. You wrote your first book about your uncle, Géza Hofi, but later you sailed to more ’dangerous’ waters.

It was shocking when Uncle Géza died in 2002. For two years, until 2004, I did not listen to or watch any recordings of him. But I felt an increasing urge to show the world what he was really like, what he was like in the eye of his family. Several books were written about him, but I still felt that none of them reflected reality. For example they said he was poor, nevertheless, the family was watching the 1960 Rome Olympics on their own television… So I wanted to save the family stories. I completed the volume in a year, and the following year was spent with contacting publishers. Then Az igazi Hofi (The real Hofi) was followed by the next book, Az igazi kommandó (The real commando) and later by Az igazi testõrök (The real bodyguards), in short, the series became my trademark. Back then I was already dealing with witnesses, suspects, with whom I basically did the same ’interviews’ as this one, I was experienced, and owing to my job, I communicate with people easily. The stories were processed in a similar way in all my books. To tell the truth I often met a kind of reservation, but this was not surprising, for there are unusual stories behind the subject – be it commandoes or soldiers. Naturally, my work was always preceded by consultation and long application processes for permits. I tried to appear personally in every volume – the commandoes for example commissioned me a honorary commando.

Does it mean that you also received a full commando training?

Not entirely. Only those can be honorary commandoes who are ’moustached’ – which means that they pressed two fingers to my moustache real hard. They were so successful that by the afternoon, my mouth was swollen! In the case of the guards, I participated in a rescue exercise, and in the course of collecting material for ’Az igazi misszió’ (The real mission), I visited the Provincial Reconstruction Team serving in Afghanistan – this adventure was perhaps the most dangerous endeavour, but also one of the most determining experiences in my life.

How did it come to mind to write a book about missions?

When ’The real commando’ was published, the copy editor simply asked what the subject of the next book would be, and I already knew that I wanted to write about bodyguards. He helped me contact the commander of the Guard Regiment. Later they suggested several themes, for example the mission. Last summer, when I came to work one morning, I turned on the radio and a major was talking about missions. I felt this was a kind of sign. I think no similar books have been written on this subject – especially not on Hungarian soldiers deployed abroad: in ’The real mission’, there is also a detailed historic overview from the 1900s to today, and on the other hand, the stories the readers meet are so interesting and personal that they cannot be found anywhere else. A few days ago I received an e-mail from one of the ’characters’ in the book, who wrote me that there were a lot of things in the book which were new to him, even though he is serving in Afghanistan

What did people around you say when you announced that you would go?

First my colleagues were joking, telling me to write my last will. But as the date of departure was approaching, there were less punchlines: when I set off, they told me absolutely seriously to take good care of myself. Those who watch the news are aware that this is a dangerous region. While I was in Afghanistan, I was in daily contact with my family, they always knew what was happening to me.

In addition to the interviews, in your book you also give an account of your six-day visit. What was the concept? What was it that you wanted to write about in the first place?

The book’s fate was taking shape in the course of work. My primary objective was to interview senior military officers on the subject of the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. At the same time, I also wanted to hear the ’simple’ soldier, and fortunately, in Afghanistan I had the opportunity to do so. By all means, I wanted to have informal conversations with those who are sitting in the combat vehicles day after day and go out to a given area. I wanted to hear their stories about danger, about family. During my visit to Afghanistan – and it was also the feedback I received – I integrated well into the daily routine, from breakfast to tattoo. Troops serving in the country accepted me and had a positive attitude, actually, many of them came to me to give an interview. But they also recommended other interviewees, for example they introduced me to the US program manager, the Afghan contractor, and the Afghan hospital director. I had a lot of programs during these six days, I managed to check 4-5,000 photos while we were on the go, of which approximately 200 can be found in the book.

It says in the book that Lt.Col. István Juhász, the secretary of the commander of the HDF Joint Forces Command gave you the instruction that in case you got engaged in any kind of armed conflict, then you should take the weapon of the weaker, and use it.

I departed on a Saturday, and before that I called the lieutenant-colonel who gave me this last piece of advice. He said: always listen to the commander, do what he says, do not step off the road, and if there is a fight, take the weapon of the weaker. Naturally, in that moment I realised that it was going to be a difficult endeavour. I did not receive any special training before departure, because I also serve in a military organisation: if we have to capture someone, we go against the perpetrator armed, in a bulletproof vest. In these cases we are not afraid. And the soldiers serving in the mission are real professionals.

I believe your work is different than a situation in which you participate as an observer.

There was not a sense of fear in me, but one of the characters in the book told me about a case that happened a few years ago: they were securing a ceremony, and around noon, the commander told them that their work was finished and the soldiers went to have lunch. But 15 minutes later, there was an explosion in the same area. 49 people died. When you think about it, you realise that anything can happen to you too. But one cannot be scared all the time. Nevertheless, everybody is prepared and they know that once they leave the camp, anything can happen. It is rarely mentioned that the primary duty of the Provincial Reconstruction Team is reconstruction – as the name indicates. The Hungarian state constructs hospitals, schools, mosques, reservoirs by giving work to Afghan entrepreneurs who employ Afghan workforce. The Hungarians organise the work, check the plans and work processes at the start of the construction and after completion. I had a chance to accompany one of the teams to a hospital to see if the wards had been equipped, then we went to see a reservoir. Before leaving the camp, troops are told about possible suicide bombers and attackers, their cars and looks, on the basis of the latest intelligence reports. Anything can happen, but soldiers have to leave the camp so often that they cannot live in constant fear. The work must be done. And most of the people trust soldiers’ luck, too.

In your book you also interviewed a lady, Anikó Simon. How different do you think she is than the average woman?

I do not think she is different. Like everybody, she also has aims, dreams, but her dream happens to be an African mission, sometime in the future. She told me that she has an 11-year-old daugher waiting for her at home, but for her the Afghanistan mission is an assigment she must complete. The family understood that for her it is important to experience dirt, poverty, the total lack of hygiene, to discover her limits, to realise she can work under such hygienic conditions. Every convoy has to have its own medic, because in the event of an attack, they have to provide first aid. But when Anikó is at home, she is just like anybody else: she plays with her daughter, she bakes and cooks. And the most important thing: she runs. This was also important in the camp, several people told me that being in contact with the family and sports are essential in the daily life of a soldier on mission.

You were there in January, when the weather is perhaps more tolerable than it is in the warm seasons.

The weather was not hot, on the contrary, sometimes it was cool. I met an Afghan child who was wearing slippers and thin trousers, he was very cold. I remember when we were distributing pencils, paper and water, big fights broke out for a bottle of water… There was a little boy who managed to get two or perhaps three bottles of water, he quickly ran away and turned his back to hide the bottles! Water is a treasure for Afghans – irrespectively of season. Soldiers told me that summers are more difficult: it is more difficult to tolerate dust, the foul smell. The fact that a bulletproof vest weighs 17 kg just adds to that. Their gear, together with the helmet and the equipment, is around 20-30 kg. In a 4-strong convoy, infantrymen are standing in the vehicles while securing the road at the front and the back, they have to concentrate, pay attention for long hours. This is also very hard work.

We can argue if six days are enough or not for a writer to see into a community, into the details of a work process, the everyday life of soldiers serving abroad. Despite the short time, you had the chance accompany the troops to a couple of places. Did you have a busy program?

In the first half of the six-month mission, the troops are given ten days of leave, I arrived in Afghanistan on a Sunday, at dawn, with one of these holiday flights, together with 80 soldiers. Not every airline has direct flights to Afghanistan – neither the Germans nor the Hungarians do –, people usually fly from Uzbekistan. But we were taken right there by a Bosnian airline. We were approaching the central parts of the country in a convoy of armoured vehicles, in bulletproof vests, helmets. Upon arrival, we were given a delicious lunch, then I was introduced to the commander and later I took a little rest. The following day the communication officer of the camp, Levente Palotás showed me around the quarters. I had a haircut and introduced myself to the soldiers. I started the interviews on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we went out to the reservoir, then visited a mosque, an elementary school and a hospital. It is important to know that the PRT-7 has implemented a nearly 90,000 dollar project: they have renovated a two-storey school. I think it is perhaps the biggest project in the history of Hungarian missions. In the afternoon I did some shopping, because you cannot leave the country without souvenirs. They have a few containers right by the camp, where you can buy presents – in bulletproof vest, of course –, they sell everything from local women’s wear to military backpacks, knives and carved chessboards. In the meantime trying to find time for the interviews, because the soliders were on duty. Between two interviews I returned to the quarters, I was listening and taking notes. I was also present at a meeting where the teams reported what they had completed – the leaders reported which regions of Afghanistan the liaison teams had been to, what they had experienced, how projects were developing, what they needed. There are eight chapters in the book, part eight – detailing my experiences – also includes eleven short interviews. Thursday ended with these conversations. On Friday, I returned to the airfield, to the camp, where I spent another day.

In your book you also interview an Afghan contractor and a hospital director. What do they think about Hungarian soldiers?

They have a positive opinion of the PRT. The contractor said once he would like to come to Hungary and invite me for a good Afghan coffee. He told me that he also spoke in the Parliament, where he said that every soldier should have the same – friendly – attitude to the Afghan people. When prayer time came, it felt very good that he told us to wait for him, he would come back and continue our conversation when he has finished his prayers. The Afghan hospital director listed in detail what the Hungarians had bought and constructed, and emphasised that Afghan citizens have a high opinion of Hungarians. Children and adults are waving in advance when they see the Hungarian flag.