The Grunts of Wrath

Combat diaries from elite operators and commanding officers dominate the space. But what happens when regulars face the fire?

Ronny Bruce is a renaissance man: philosopher, drifter, Gen X rock 'n' roller, and gentleman. At thirty-two, divorced and burnt-out with the burbs, Ronny bails on his teaching career and seeks army infantry. It's no joke when boot camp is mandatory since his marine corps' service ended ten years beforehand. Assigned to Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Ronny's platoon hunts an Afghan foe who's never surrendered. Half collapse from wounds.

Ronny's decade-long postwar journey examines victory and failure. Six men expire before thirty-five as a result of four suicides, one unexplained death, and murder. Labels for the living include felon, vagrant, drunk, addict, depressed, and suicidal. Ronny checks some boxes. Graduate, businessman, engineer, teacher, accountant, and rich describes other paths. Ronny checks some of those too.

War through the eyes of this offbeat ATLien provides explosive payoffs that get smothered by each page—answering an age-old question: what drives warriors over the edge?