Book
Select short stories, essays, journal entries, poems, e-mails and photographs were collected into an anthology called Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families, published by Random House.
The NEA initiative, funded by The Boeing Company, is the first book of its kind, giving a rare voice to U.S. troops and their families - unfiltered and firsthand accounts of what it's like to serve during wartime.
Through Operation Homecoming, these writers take us on convoys and patrols; to hospitals, flight decks, tarmacs and tents; into their homes as they wait for their loved ones to return. With personal details and honest language, they show us the fear and rushing of heading into combat, the humor and boredom of daily life on the front lines, their relationships with Iraqis and Afghans, happy reunions at home, and mourning those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
A panel of celebrated authors, guided by historian Andrew Carroll, chose the 89 contributors who were published in Operation Homecoming. No one's story was excluded based on point of view; the book is largely apolitical and delivers an insider's look at what it means to be at war.
Before becoming editor of Operation Homecoming, Carroll had edited several bestselling and critically acclaimed books, and founded The Legacy Project. Random House launched Operation Homecoming on September 12, 2006 at the Library of Congress. Proceeds from the anthology will bring arts and cultural programming to U.S. military communities.
Read more about this topic: Operation Homecoming (book)
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