Veteran Recounts Tours in Iraq With New Book

RHINEBECK — Rhinebeck native Derek McGee went through two tours of duty in Iraq as a U.S. Marine Sergeant.

McGee, who joined the Marine Reserves in 1999 and was called into active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, tells his story in a recently released book, "When I Wished I Was Here: Dispatches from Fallujah."

"I didn’t actually write the book. I wrote a bunch of blogs. Somebody saw them and they were published by a third party," McGee explained, referring to The Crumpled Press. "This covers a topic that I think is on everybody’s mind."

McGee said he doesn’t take a stance on the war in the book, which is only 34 pages long.

"A day in the life is what it really is," he said. "It’s a different perspective on the situation. It’s not political at all. It’s a different way to look at things."

McGee described his time in the war-torn country as "bittersweet."

He recounted that, one day, a general gave a speech to his unit, saying, "When you’re in Iraq, you can have the best and worst times on the same day."

"That’s one of the most true statement’s I’ve ever heard," McGee said. "The whole thing was a tremendous roller-coaster."

McGee and his friends staved off fear with humor during their time in the Middle East. Solidarity was established among the troops, as well.

"We worked out, watched movies and basically did everything together," McGee remembered. "When we had downtime, we watched DVDs and it was really fun. But sometimes in the middle of a movie, somebody would get shot and we’d suit up and head out. But overall, it was a positive experience."

The title of McGee’s journal is derived from graffiti he saw on many a latrine wall: "I wish I was where I was when I was home."

"It’s like saying, ‘I wish I was back on my couch watching TV,’" McGee explained.

McGee has sold 200 copies of the book to date, a figure that he calls "nothing."

However, keep in mind that there’s been no advertising, the book is only sold in five stores and has sold more copies than any other book published by The Crumpled Press.

"It’s real slow taking off," McGee said.

McGee said the brevity of the book might be one of its strongest points.

"The book is interesting in the fact that it’s short, so it’ll be good for people with low attention spans. It’s very easy to read," he said.

McGee’s book is currently on sale at both the Millerton and Rhinebeck Oblong Books and Music locations.

McGee will read the book aloud at the Rhinebeck location at Montgomery Row this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.