A Story About 2 Hinsdale South Grads In Afghanistan

HINSDALE, IL – Brad Drake and Bob Allen were aware of each other while attending Hinsdale South High School more than two decades ago.

But they weren't friends. They never interacted.

That changed in the years after they graduated — in 2000 for Drake and 1999 for Allen. They went on two tours in Afghanistan as U.S. Army military police.

They were Army reservists out of Arlington Heights who got to know each other while training.

"We became fast friends," Drake, a Hinsdale resident, said in an interview. "We learned we had a lot in common."

Drake wrote a book titled, "Bob, Afghanistan and Me: A War Story About Friendship, Love and Tragedy." It was published last month and is available on Amazon.

The two men went on their first Afghanistan tour from 2003 to 2004. They volunteered for a second tour in 2005 and 2006.

"It was a very unique time in American history," said Drake, who is the building and grounds director at Lyons Township High School. "I don't think the post-9-11 world has been touched on too much about what reservists have experienced. We got activated for the Iraq War and ended up getting sent to Afghanistan."

Their job was handling enemy prisoners.

"It was not an easy job, but I certainly feel it was not as dangerous as what MPs in convoys in Iraq had to deal with," he said.

After the first tour, Drake worked as a union pipe fitter, but he and Allen felt they were out of touch with their friends.

"There was a disconnect," Drake said. "We didn't feel like we fit in anymore. We felt 20 years older than we were."

So they got back to a job they felt comfortable doing — handling prisoners in Afghanistan. They also spent time training others to do the same thing.

Drake left the Army in 2007, while Allen stayed and was sent to Iraq.

"I loved the Army," Drake said. "I felt I did really well at what I did. It bothered me that I wasn't part of it anymore. You feel you should be with them. I saw the headlines of people being killed there. Why am I not over there doing my job?"

Allen died in 2018, having spent the rest of his life in the Army. His last assignment was Hawaii.

Drake said Allen was the inspiration for his book.

"Bob was such a unique person and an important part of my life," Drake said. "I wanted his story to be told."