Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Tales of war and home

Writer's Block | April 1st, 2015

In Phil Klay’s short story “War Stories,” a former Marine muses “I’m tired of telling war stories.”

Although said in a numbly serious manner, the statement remains somewhat humorous in light of the fact that it is the very first line of “War Stories,” which also happens to be part of a short story collection comprised solely of – that’s right – war stories.

Klay, a veteran of the Marines who served in Iraq, doesn’t seem to be through with war stories just yet. Last year he released “Redeployment,” his debut collection of stories about Marines in Iraq and back at home. The book was named one of the “10 Best Books of 2014” by the New York Times and winner of the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction.

With a Marine-centric group of narrators, “Redeployment” could have easily become narrow in its focus. But within this frame, Klay’s stories present a panoramic array of experiences and a surprising range of voices – a Marine in mortuary affairs; a chaplain (“Chaps”) mired in the extremely violent Charlie Company; a restless artilleryman on the squad for Gun Six.

Some of these characters confront conflict on a dailybasis, while others drift through their deployment on the peripheries of conflict. They navigate through war and then they readjust to life at home.

In the title story Marine Sgt. Price, having just returned from Iraq, now finds it necessary to shift from “orange” – a state of constant hyper-focus, necessary for his military patrols in Fallujah – to “white” – a much more casual, relaxed behavior, appropriate for excursions to Wilmington shopping malls.

Unfortunately, even mundane life in North Carolina forces Price’s deployment back to the forefront, particularly when he must shoot his sick old dog Vicar – just as he would dispatch stray dogs in Iraq.

In the cynically comical “Money as a Weapons System,” a Foreign Service Officer tries to organize social service programs for Iraqi civilians, only to have his efforts repeatedly thwarted by his own organization. His commanding officers’ paltry ideas of “success” sweep aside his attempts to update a failing waterworks system, and instead they insist upon spreading “Americanism” through the distribution of free baseball bats and jerseys to kids in the streets.

In “Psychological Operations,” a former PsyOps specialist, who’s now working toward a degree at Amherst, discovers an insurmountable divide in his relationship with his father after the former Marine reveals some of the more unsavory aspects of his tour in Iraq.

Meanwhile, his sense of alienation on campus prevents him from developing any true friendships with other students, including Zara, an assertive, worldly student who tries to break through his manipulative “veteran mystique” cover.

Klay’s stories aren’t simply adrenalized action tales about what it is like to be “over there.” Instead, “Redeployment” deftly explores themes of loss, loneliness, death and the painful process of moving forward after tragedy, as the characters attempt to transition between the conflicting realities of war and home.

During his National Book Award acceptance speech, Klay touched upon this central conflict in “Redeployment.”

“I can’t think of a more important conversation to be having,” he said. “War is too strange to be processed alone.”

“Redeployment” is now available in hardcover and paperback.

Recently in:

By Maddie Robinson  maddierobi.mr@gmail.comIn order to get affordable child care for her son, Paulina Erbele has to drive from her work in Gackle,…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comphoto by Logan MacraeAnyone who lives in the Fargo-Moorhead area knows that its yearly weather is a sequence of…

Every day in December 2023, 12 noon to 3pmMille Lacs Lake, Garrison Township, Minn.All fish must be caught by hook and line. No spears will be allowed. All fish entered must be brought to the judges stand immediately and be alive.…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comRemember the legacy of the NPL.Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting and dinner hosted by the Dakota Resource Council in Bismarck. I came in feeling a little defeated,…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comHow Many of Napoleon’s Hats Will Save Planet Earth for Homo Sapiens?Before I get into this week’s subject of why we need to double the number of college majors in English and Humanities if we…

We are looking for 55-gallon plastic food grade barrels, do you have ideas or connections?We use these barrels to teach our resilient yard workshop series including Make Your Own Rain Barrel and Make Your Own Compost Tumbler. If…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comThe temperatures have dropped and so have the leaves in the Upper Midwest. That means it's now the holiday season. Part of the joy of this special season for me is eating. But first things first.…

Dropkick Murphys Put Music to the Words of Woody GuthrieBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Dave StaubleWith the release of 2022’s “This Machine Still Kills Fascists” and 2023’s “Okemah Rising.” The Dropkick…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com“Saltburn,” the highly anticipated follow-up to “Promising Young Woman” – which earned Oscar gold for Best Original Screenplay – doesn’t quite equal the bite and sting of…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comA trio of Burleigh County artists are making their mark in Wing, North Dakota, to promote local foods and are quite literally painting the town, or at least the newly acquired Wing City Government…

By Eric Dallmanericd@hpr1.comWe recently watched “The PROM” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and it was an experience that left a lasting impact on us. The story, a heartwarming yet familiar one, follows a group of Broadway stars…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On the first day of the month I ask people to thank a journalist they know or someone who contributes to papers in some meaningful way. When I grew up, my best friend's father was a journalist…