Arnon Grunberg wrote about his visit to the Dutch army in Afghanistan in the summer of 2006. These articles were also collected in Among the Soldiers. The book was a new year gift (2006/2007) for friends of the publishing house Nijgh & Van Ditmar. The Dutch Ministry of Defence gave a special edition as a Christmas gift to the Dutch soldiers.
In October 2007 Grunberg visited the soldiers for the second time and wrote a daily column during his stay.