Outside the Wire: A U.S. Marine's Collection of Combat Poems and Short Stories

Outside the Wire: A U.S. Marine's Collection of Combat Poems & Short Stories is a soul-searing collection of poems and stories from the front lines of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Author Justin T. Eggen experienced two combat deployments in Afghanistan, Marjah 2010 & Sangin Valley 2011, fighting the Taliban (and occasionally the weather) with his brother warriors. Back from the front, he wrote this masterful description of the realities of war. Many of the poems are haiku, a form at which he shows great adeptness. Mixed in with the poems are three slice-of-life stories dealing with the everyday life of Marines in combat. This book is not to be missed.