Leaving the Wire

Have you ever tried to imagine what it was like to patrol down bomb-laden roads, kick down an insurgent’s door, or take casualties from an invisible enemy? In this brutally honest memoir, follow a young grunt through the year 2005 in the harsh, alien environment of the Sunni Triangle, where he experienced the essence of the Iraq War. Discover how the infantry lived, fought, and died in a war that defied understanding.

This book paints an intense, graphic portrait of the emotional and physical realities of the counter-insurgency campaign in Iraq. Gain insight into the murky characteristics that defined the war from a grunt who lived through it; the drudgery, filth, confusion, fear, and frustration. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be there, this book is for you.

David P. Ervin is a former Sergeant in the US Army infantry and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. He graduated West Virginia University with a Bachelor's of Arts in history in 2009. David self-published a memoir about his tour in Iraq, Leaving the Wire: An Infantryman's Iraq in October 2013. He has written and edited for Military Experience and the Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between military and civilian cultures through creative expression. He resides in West Virginia.