The first book of its kind, Operation Homecoming is the result of a major initiative launched by the National Endowment for the Arts to bring distinguished writers to military bases and inspire U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen and their families to record their wartime experiences. Encouraged by such authors as Tom Clancy, Mark Bowden, Bobbie Ann Mason, Tobias Wolff, Jeff Shaara, and Marilyn Nelson, American military personnel and their loved ones wrote candidly about what they saw, heard, and felt while in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as on the home front. Taken together, these almost one hundred never-before-published eyewitness accounts, private journals, short stories, letters, and other personal writings become a dramatic narrative that shows the human side of warfare.

Includes index. "National Endowment for the Arts", ahead of main-entry on title page.

Preface by Dana Gioia -- Introduction by Andrew Carroll -- And now it begins -- Heading into combat -- Hearts and minds -- Interactions with Afghans and Iraqis -- Stuck in this sandbox -- Gripes, humor, boredom, and the daily grind -- Worlds apart -- Life on the home front -- This is not a game -- The physical and emotional toll of war -- Home -- Returning to the United States -- Acknowldegments.