Entertainment, Books - Army Times

‘Operation Homecoming’ collects wartime works of troops, families

An Army sergeant pours out his anger, frustration and fear after a particularly gruesome month in Iraq’s Anbar province.

An Air Force captain and clinical psychologist worries about the combat-scarred service members coming to her base in Qatar for evaluation.

A former aviator struggles with his new role as a home-front spouse and parent when his reservist wife is called to active duty and deployed to Iraq.

These are among the writings in “Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families.” The book, a project of the National Endowment for the Arts, collects the letters, e-mails, poems and short stories of almost 100 service members, as well as military spouses and parents, chosen from thousands of submissions.

Many of the works were submitted after service members attended writing workshops conducted at military bases by noted authors, including Jeff Shaara, author of “Gods and Generals” and other military historical fiction best sellers; Tom Clancy, author of “The Hunt for Red October” and several other best sellers; and Mark Bowden, a journalist and author of “Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.”

Other works were submitted after service members heard about the project through friends, family or the media.

“I received an e-mail from my Aunt Ginger, who heard about the project and ... encouraged me to apply,” said Ryan Kelly, a former Army National Guard captain who served as a company commander and Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq. “And finally I did, and I was fortunate to be included.”

Kelly is also prominently featured in “Muse of Fire,” a new documentary film that describes the creative process that led to the book and includes readings and interviews with some of the contributors and writers. Also featured is Academy Award-winning actor and director Kevin Costner, who reads excerpts of some works. “Muse of Fire” premiered in March at the National Archives in Washington.

The documentary is being shown at international film festivals and is being distributed free at military bases worldwide; the National Endowment for the Arts hopes to find a broadcast partner for the film.

NEA Chairman Dana Gioia called “Operation Homecoming” “one of the most important programs in the history” of the agency.

Financial support from Boeing enabled the NEA to send more than 30 distinguished writers to conduct 50 workshops at 25 military installations in five countries, as well as on ships in the Persian Gulf. Thousands of audio books describing the program were also distributed.

The workshops were open to active-duty service members, as well as veterans and family members. “I’m talking to 18-year-olds, and I’m talking to 30-year vets and crusty old civilians who fought in World War II,” said Shaara, who conducted workshops in Alaska as well as on ships in the Persian Gulf. “And I realize every one of them has a story to tell.”

Ultimately, Gioia said, nearly 2,000 works were submitted for consideration. A panel of 19 writers, some of whom also conducted workshops, reviewed the submissions. Politics “was never an issue” in determining which pieces were chosen for publication, said Andrew Carroll, best-selling editor of “War Letters” and other anthologies. Carroll edited the book, which was published in September.

“Writing is ... cathartic,” said Army Maj. Robert Schaefer, a Special Forces officer whose poem “Clusters” explores the moments when curiosity about small ribbons in a field leads to horrifying consequences.

“When you go places and you see things that aren’t nice ... you find ways to deal with it,” Schaefer said. “When you see things that are bad ... you find some way to make it so that you can live with them. Writing helps to do that.”

Carroll said he hoped the book and documentary would “inspire other troops to put their thoughts down in writing, or to preserve” what they have already written. “There’s no greater authority on what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan than the men and women who are there on the front lines. And that’s true in any war.

“These are very creative, very intelligent men and women,” Carroll added. “I think there should be more opportunities to say, ‘We want to hear your voice.’ I think it would be better for all of us.”

Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families. Edited by Andrew Carroll. Random House. 388 pages. $26.95.

Laura S. Jeffrey is a freelance writer in northern Virginia.