South of Heaven

My Year in Afghanistan

By: Daniel Flores, Sandra Parisi Kilisz

Narrated by: Nathan Lipscomb

In late 2005, casualties in Afghanistan remained just above one hundred, while media coverage largely focused on the thousands of American soldiers killed in Iraq. Reports on the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan were infrequent. Within a year, Daniel Flores would witness the resurgence of the Taliban and experience personal loss among his fellow service members. He faced sustained combat against a determined adversary in one of the most volatile and contested regions of the Hindu Kush, operating his Apache helicopter under challenging conditions.

South of Heaven presents a detailed account of Flores's year-long deployment in Afghanistan. One of his missions was highlighted in a segment on the Military Channel's My War Diary, featuring the rescue of an American convoy in the Tagab Valley. Footage captured by Flores during the actual engagement was utilized in the program. His final week in-country tested both his faith and that of his daughter as she awaited his safe return home.

This memoir was later adapted into the award-winning film “Above the Best.”

©2011 Daniel Flores (P)2025 Daniel Flores