Sebastian Junger Profile Banner
Sebastian Junger Profile
Sebastian Junger

@sebastianjunger

38,434
Followers
687
Following
288
Media
2,558
Statuses

New book In My Time of Dying - 5/21 Author of The Perfect Storm, War, Tribe, Freedom Co-Director of the Oscar-nominated @RestrepoMovie Founder of @risctraining

Joined January 2010
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Pinned Tweet
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 months
How I came face to face with the idea of an afterlife. "In My Time of Dying" will be available May 21
9
24
116
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
All Ukranian men have been ordered by their government to stay and fight the Russian Army. Women are allowed to leave, but many are staying to fight as well. Makes our national hissy fit over mask and vaccine mandates look pretty silly, no?
Tweet media one
34
148
880
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Offered a rescue by the US, Ukrainian President Zelensky chose to stay in Kyiv and face the same dangers as his people. How many US politicians would pass that test - Ted Cruz? Hilary Clinton? Donald Trump? I don't think so. Vote!
Tweet media one
33
70
858
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Ten years ago today, my friend and colleague, the incomparable British photographer Tim Hetherington, was killed covering the civil war in Libya. Tim and I had spent a year together shooting video for our documentary, Restrepo, about an American platoon in combat.
Tweet media one
17
125
739
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
8 years
My new book TRIBE: On Homecoming and Belonging is available now. More info. here:
Tweet media one
121
183
595
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
5 years
Please watch CNN's beautiful piece on Tim Hetherington, who was killed in Libya eight years ago. Tim and I collaborated to make Restrepo, and after Tim's death I started Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues to train journalists in combat medicine.
11
161
512
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
7 years
A bold move by Trump would be to establish refugee program for any country we are conducting military operations in
39
174
472
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
In an era when the phrase, “Journalists are the enemy of the people,” has become a rallying cry for many in America, it's worth noting which leaders and groups take this to heart: Vladimir Putin, Saudi Arabia, ISIS. Criminals hate the truth, which is why journalism is necessary.
Tweet media one
18
141
450
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
This is my piece on stunningly unfair takedown of Jihad Rehab (now, The Unredacted) that humanized men tortured at Gitmo. Weirdly, critics were left-wing, not right-wing. The National Review was only publication that would touch it. See what you think.
18
89
342
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
If you study successful uprisings, women are a crucial component in defeating a great power. They impart moral legitimacy and, like small men in a fistfight, are underestimated in ways that can be endlessly exploited. That makes them a "force multiplier," in military terminology.
Tweet media one
10
69
326
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
For most of history freedom had to be suffered for if not died for and that raised its value to something sacred. But today, many believe that any sacrifice at all - rationing water during a drought - is government tyranny. That is literally infantile. Only children owe nothing.
Tweet media one
4
86
307
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
“Dictators always look good until the last five minutes.” -Tomas Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia, 1936
Tweet media one
5
86
293
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
The temptation to ignore reality while believing in a divine being that will protect you from harm has gotten a lot of people killed over the ages. What truly is benevolent, though - what will save you over and over, or die trying - are other people. Citizen soldiers in Ukraine:
Tweet media one
4
52
278
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Women are more likely than men to display something called "moral courage" such as hiding Jewish families from the Nazis. Whereas men are quicker to counter physical threats, women are quicker to defend moral standards. It's the kind of thing that helps outgunned armies win wars.
Tweet media one
6
52
258
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 months
Journalism is important because reality is important, and reality is something that many generals and politicians have a complicated relationship with. The powerful do not willingly embarrass themselves, so the press must do it for them.
10
94
245
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
For most of history freedom had to be suffered for, if not died for, and that raised its value to something almost sacred. The word is derived from the medieval German for "beloved." The fact that we will die to protect those we love may be our most noble human trait.
Tweet media one
5
59
232
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
A lesson for Putin from a city official at the 1912 mill strikes in Lawrence, MA: "One policeman can handle ten men, while it takes ten policemen to handle one woman." When women get involved a rebellion, it's often just a matter of time before they win.
Tweet media one
6
63
225
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
5 years
In case you ever wondered where your political beliefs come from...check out this incredible research by author Avi Tuschman: sebastian junger
33
48
197
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
6 years
sebastian junger What does it mean to be a man in modern society? Why are men the way they are? I try to answer both questions here:
24
62
190
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
The Ottoman invasion of Montenegro in 1604 is a classic example of how a large army can be routed by local militias. Outnumbered 12 to 1, the Montenegrins attacked at dawn and decimated the enemy. Freedom is due, in part, to the fact that powerful nations do not always win wars.
Tweet media one
5
30
181
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
The definition of tribe: "What happens to you happens to me." The more people you feel that way about, the more meaningful your life is going to be. After 9/11, much of the country felt that way. Maybe we can find out way back to that without having planes fly into towers.
Tweet media one
7
35
169
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
The problem with guns is that they allow cowards to feel like heroes. And the problem with gun laws is that they often can't tell the difference. It's time for the American people to get rid of politicians who use such issues to divide the nation and benefit themselves.
Tweet media one
3
20
173
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 months
"In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife" will be available May 21, 2024. It is my most personal book. More information is available here: Thank you, Sebastian
Tweet media one
7
21
160
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Unconscious submission is devastating to a person's chances of winning a fight. In pre-match publicity, boxers who smile briefly are statistically less likely to win than fighters who just frown. Such signals are known as "leakage." Thus far, Ukraine hasn't shown much leakage...
Tweet media one
3
30
130
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
6 years
Please consider making a donation to my charity, Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues, so we can continue training journalists in battlefield medicine. link:
3
57
118
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
8 years
Veterans need to feel as necessary and productive back home as they did on the battlefield. #TribeBook
Tweet media one
5
46
117
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Leaders who aren't willing to make sacrifices aren't leaders, they're just opportunists - but they're easy to spot. Opportunists lie reflexively, blame others for failure and cower under fire. True leaders are willing to die for their people. Think about that next time you vote.
11
28
122
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
For people raised in safety, freedom can seem like a luxury, like money or good health, but first and foremost, it's the absence of threat. A person who can be killed without consequences for the killers is not free in the most important sense of the word.
Tweet media one
2
17
108
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
My dear friend bled out in the back of a rebel pickup truck racing for the Misrata hospital. There are a lot of brave people in the world, and Tim was one of them. I am profoundly lucky to have known Tim and to be able to call him a brother.
2
7
102
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
His work, his wisdom and his deep compassion will live on if we choose it to. For more information about Tim, please check out the foundation that his family has established in his name. I miss him terribly.
3
11
100
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Women are a crucial component in defeating a dominant power. They give moral legitimacy to causes and often prevent governments from using deadly force. "One cop can handle ten men," one official complained during a 1912 labor strike, "but it takes ten cops to handle one woman!"
Tweet media one
3
22
98
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Thrilled to announce FREEDOM, which explains how people across the ages maintain autonomy in the face of more powerful foes. Humans are unique in that ability, and were that not true, the powerful would always dominate. Thankfully, they don’t. Avail 5/18:
Tweet media one
9
25
99
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
6 months
Join me at the @NationalVMM in Columbus, OH on November 10th. A portion of proceeds will go to @vetstownhall .
@NationalVMM
National Veterans Memorial and Museum
6 months
We’re kicking off #VeteransDay Weekend with @nytimes bestselling author and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, @sebastianjunger . Join us on November 10 and get your copy of "Tribe" signed by the author. Reserve your 🎟️:
Tweet media one
0
4
11
4
13
99
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
As Daruis's great army prepared to attack the Scythians, these wild tribesmen began hunting rabbits in the underbrush. Darius easily could have won but was was so unnerved that he withdrew. Empires never do well fighting people who are utterly unconcerned about death. See below.
Tweet media one
6
17
90
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
God's great oversight is that dogs don't live as long as men. And that men can't move as fast as dogs.
Tweet media one
4
11
89
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
In a deeply free society, leaders step down after losing elections because they value having no power in a fair system rather than all the power in an unfair one. Disagreements are resolved by courts and leaders are chosen by elections. All political violence is fascism.
Tweet media one
1
20
81
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 months
The same can be said about the border crisis, the national debt, climate change, election denial, and anything else that threatens this great nation. Some are conservative issues, some are liberal ones, but all deserve a fair and unbiased accounting.
5
18
84
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Ignorance isn't bliss, it's mostly just convenient.
Tweet media one
2
20
84
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
8 years
The U.S. is so powerful that the only country capable of destroying her might be the U.S. herself. #TribeBook
Tweet media one
9
47
78
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Emerging from the underbrush after hiding from a passing train west of Bolivar, PA. Pouring rain, nowhere to sleep and dark coming on. Oh well - might as well keep walking.
Tweet media one
6
5
75
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
4 years
hey everyone, this is a pretty incredible book by an amazing young writer about her search for a relative who was shot down in Vietnam and never found. I highly recommend it...
8
14
78
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
7 years
The smallest part of war is launching missiles; much of the rest involves protecting civilians in the crossfire.
7
29
74
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
6 years
Looking for something to do on April 11 in NYC? Check out this symposium that I'm lucky enough to be part of:
1
14
72
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 months
One can tell the relative objectivity of a news organization (“integrity” may be a better word) by its willingness to report stories that are unflattering — or even devastating — to its preferred candidate.
2
22
76
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
7 years
Trump mocked a Gold Star family on TV. A man who acted that way at my dinner table would get thrown out of my house.
5
19
70
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
8 years
A particularly apt selection from #TribeBook about "contempt," especially with the current political atmosphere.
Tweet media one
4
66
68
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Problem with Democrats is they assume we live in world where nice guys will eventually win. Problem with Republicans is that they assume we live in a world where nice guys will eventually get stomped to death in a gutter. In some places we are all just Americans. Unite!
Tweet media one
2
9
70
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Dominant men have higher testosterone than non-dominant men, which is associated with both wide facial features and leadership. T is so closely tied to aggression that you can predict how much time a hockey player will spend in the penalty box by measuring the width of his face
8
4
69
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
If democracy is a form of freedom, accepting an election loss may be the ultimate proof of how free you want yo be. History is littered with fascists who have subverted elections and jailed critics, but their power tends to be brief. Most wind up dead or in prison. Mussolini:
Tweet media one
3
13
67
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
At the heart of most stable governments is the willingness to share power with people you disagree with - and may even hate. That is true for tribal societies like the Apache and for democracies like the United States. Thugs like this invariably destabilize their own country:
Tweet media one
3
7
67
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
In 1604, the Ottoman Empire invaded the tiny principality of Montenegro - home to a warlike people who supposedly feared nothing but dying quietly in bed. Though outnumbered 12-to-1, the Montenegrins attacked first and killed one third of the enemy. So much for might makes right.
Tweet media one
3
7
66
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Necessity is necessary.
Tweet media one
3
13
67
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Hiding in the underbrush as another freight train hammers by, somewhere in Pennsylvania.
Tweet media one
1
0
63
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
7 years
check out my most recent article: How Donald Trump Could Stop Being A Coward
2
15
64
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Large armies--or people--are stronger than small ones but slower and less efficient. This is true at every scale from open warfare to streetcorner fistfights. Because the outcome of conflict cannot be predicted, the powerful often end up having to grant freedom to the weak.
Tweet media one
1
8
62
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
6 months
I'm thrilled to release our new video about @vetstownhall . As you know, VTH is a nonprofit that I started to help bridge the military-civilian divide. Check out my (very) short doc about the sheer power of bearing witness to the experiences of others:
3
16
68
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Moving north towards Wilmington, Delaware under an October rain after a long day dodging Amtrak police.
Tweet media one
3
1
58
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Getting ready to cook some flank steak over a fire along the Juniata River using a hunk of railroad steel called a "tie plate" as a griddle.
Tweet media one
4
3
63
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Recovering after walking through 110 degree heat index in western Pennsylvania outside Johnstown.
Tweet media one
5
1
61
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
In a free society leaders would not only be barred from exploiting their position for personal gain they would be expected to make the same sacrifices and accept the same punishments as those they led. In that sense America tried to replicate the equality of many tribal societies
Tweet media one
4
13
60
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
7 years
Most bad behavior has an origin, and Trump’s chronic bullying may be evidence of real neglect or abuse as a child
11
22
57
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
We both had many close calls out there but always came out unscathed. And then Tim took a boat to the besieged city of Misrata, in Libya, to document a ferocious onslaught by Qaddafi’s military. A mortar landed near him and shrapnel severed the femoral artery in his groin.
1
7
61
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
18 days
I'm looking forward to discussing "In My Time of Dying" with @howtoacademy in London on June 5. Event info: More event dates will be announced very soon.
@howtoacademy
How To Academy
19 days
The award-winning war reporter and bestselling author of #Tribe and #ThePerfectStorm @sebastianjunger shares his near death experience and the profound existential reckoning that followed. Wed, 5 June | 7:00pm | London Tickets:
Tweet media one
0
0
6
5
0
62
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
For anyone heading over to their local bookstore to pick up a copy of FREEDOM today, thank you.
Tweet media one
3
7
59
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
War is supposed to be bad because a lot of bad things happen in it, but for a 19 year old at the working end of a .50 cal during a firefight that everyone comes out of okay, war is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of.
Tweet media one
2
4
54
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
The great virtue of hunter-gatherer society is that - though leaders understandably have more prestige than others - they don't have more rights. Unlike European monarchs, they could not leverage their power to gain access to wealth or skirt the laws that govern everyone else.
Tweet media one
2
14
54
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
8 years
Watch the feature interview I did with @WillieGeist on the @TodayShow here: #SundayToday
5
30
55
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
What does protecting our vets actually mean?
Tweet media one
1
10
50
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
9 years
Memorial Day: #GoSilent at 12:01 PM ET for 1 minute to honor the fallen with @IAVA . Pledge here: http://t.co/PAregJzEB3
1
22
53
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
We blew it.
Tweet media one
2
8
51
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
8 years
Humans don’t mind duress, in fact they thrive on it. What they mind is not feeling necessary. #tribebook
Tweet media one
1
22
52
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
One more week until you can hold yours too. My new book FREEDOM is out May 18th. Pre-order your copy now:
Tweet media one
4
3
52
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Cooking dinner at the end of a long day along the rail lines that follow the Juniata River in central Pennsylvania. Photo credit: Guillermo Cervera.
Tweet media one
1
4
50
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Daisy and me at the end of a long day on the railroad tracks of the Juniata River.
Tweet media one
2
0
49
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Staying out of sight as a train blows by along the Juniata River.
Tweet media one
0
3
51
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
We walked 400 miles, and most nights we were the only people who knew where we were. There are many definitions of freedom, but surely that’s one of them.
3
12
49
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
1 year
Delaware crossing the Washington
Tweet media one
1
6
50
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
We walked out of the Lewiston Narrows and the terrain laid down as it ran west until the Alleghenies were just a distant presence. It was flat open country with plenty of firewood and drinking water and plenty of places to sleep even if you just lay down where you were.
Tweet media one
1
3
49
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Now more than ever.
Tweet media one
2
10
48
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
Though democracy may not survive as a broad form of freedom, its core virtue of holding leaders accountable and insisting that they make sacrifices along with everyone else is crucial to group survival. Wealthy nations might survive poor leadership but no one else will.
Tweet media one
2
9
44
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
9 years
Tomorrow at 12:01 PM, ET, #GoSilent for PFC Juan Restrepo, 2/503 Battle Company, 173rd ABN @IAVA http://t.co/4pMpS5Cimq
Tweet media one
2
32
45
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
The trains were so heavy and fast that they seemed to set the whole world in motion, vibrating the air and raising a strange pitch from the rail that fell at the edge of human hearing. We'd step into the underbrush and sit on our packs and wait for the beast to come through.
Tweet media one
0
1
46
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Man is nothing if not predictable.
Tweet media one
3
6
46
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
2 years
The men marching for better pay were easily stopped by machine guns, but women were a different matter. Their social networks ran laterally through squalid city neighborhoods and were almost impossible to penetrate. These women were effective precisely because they were marginal.
Tweet media one
0
5
45
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
That which is rare is valuable.
Tweet media one
0
10
44
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
9 years
Nine years after sustaining a horrific brain injury in Afghanistan, Cdn soldier #TrevorGreene took his first steps: http://t.co/7iWzTQkcBq
1
36
39
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Was the war in Afghanistan worth it?
Tweet media one
10
5
43
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 months
When journalists cite biology to refute the idea that gender difference is merely a social construct, they are not standing up for cisgendered Americans but for the idea that objective truth matters and will come after us if we ignore it for too long.
3
7
45
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 years
Heading south along a small freightline towards Connellsville, PA.
Tweet media one
2
2
42
@sebastianjunger
Sebastian Junger
3 months
Journalists investigate things not because they are for or against them but because they are against dishonesty and abuse of the public trust.
2
13
45