When I Wished I Was Here: Dispatches from Fallujah

by derek mcgee

A Marine's reflections on combat in Fallujah and the transition to civilian life. Humorous, frightening, alternately hopeful and bitterly disillusioned, this elegantly written pamphlet offers important insights into the day-to-day realities of the war in Iraq.

34 pages

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kristianne]

Incredibly painful and funny and horrific. A coworker has been reading memoirs of soldiers who have fought in Iraq. Upon my request she brought some for me to look at. This one stood out. Printed and chapbook bound by The Crumpled Press, this book is a collection of recollections of McGee's two tours in Nasiriya and Fallujah. He discusses the phenomenon of Porta-John tank bombings, latranalia (folklore term for bathroom graffiti), the life and death of Captain McKenna, the sudden and inexplicable sociopathic callousness that comes upon him and enables his survival, and the excruciatingly difficult task of returning stateside and presenting some semblance of normalcy.
It is a brief and well written little book. I just read it in an hour. I want to recommend it to everyone.