In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War

In Pharoah's Army is not your typical Vietnam kill pulp. Wolff's memoir as an Army Special Forces officer explores the nooks and crannies of the wartime experience not related to combat. The kinetic stuff is saved for brief, violent moments. It's a remarkable book, the first war memoir I read before knowing the genre. Wolff's other works, like The Barracks Thief and This Boy's Life, show his ability to use self-deprecation. In Pharoah's Army, the narrator lacks the courage to admit incompetence and is willing to be killed or get others killed to avoid humiliation. He takes us on a hapless, malingering, and tragic journey. He's the antithesis of today's Special Forces stereotype and the polar opposite of a war lit hero archetype. Unlike Catch-22's Yossarian, he's accessible. The memoir is essayistic, with chapters that can stand alone. It's divided into three sections: pre-, during-, and post-Tet Offensive. The prose is deft, the narration restrained, and the narrative arcs controlled. It's Wolff in the tradition of This Boy's Life, but now the boy has gone to war. The time elapsed between Wolff's deployment in 1968 and publication in 1994 is significant. In the past decade, war writers of my generation produce memoirs within five years. I don't know the reason, but it's worth noting. Some stories need more time to marinate, while others need less. This one is just right after a quarter-century of ripening.

*Note: this review also appears on my website*

The life story of Tobias Wolff, from the time he joined the army, his presence in the Vietnam War, and finally until he seriously started writing in the form of short stories.

If this book can be classified as anti-war literature, in my opinion, the difference it has with most books of this genre is that it doesn't come in a poetic way to say that war is a very, very bad thing.

Wolff speaks his own words, describes his story, along with the bitter irony and the sincerity he has, and finally leaves the conclusion to you.

In addition to the simplicity and directness of the book's text, the endings of most of the stories are finished in a shocking and memorable way that stays in your mind a lot.

My reviews for this and This Boy's Life are the same.

Together, This Boy’s Life and In Pharaoh’s Army form Wolff’s autobiography of his early years. He starts by recounting life on the road with his mother in the mid-1950s and later ends up attending high school in the tiny town of Concrete, Oregon (with a population of less than a thousand). In Pharaoh’s Army continues through his discharge from the U.S. Army after serving in Vietnam. These works culminate with his matriculation at Oxford in the early 1970s, when he begins his scholarly career in earnest.

Wolff writes compellingly and with an ethical sensibility that is latent yet always present, informed by the New Testament. The climax of each book is a moment of self-recognition. In This Boy's Life, it's a failure to apologize for a prank on poor neighbors and then having to endure the consequences when the moment for apology passes. In Pharaoh’s Army climaxes with another prank that has equally devastating results. The cruelty of war isn't limited to the Viet Cong and their enemies. Wolff's real nemesis is Captain Kale, who single-handedly tries to win the war in Vietnam. Wolff doesn't dwell on military campaigns as much as on his relief in surviving daily ordeals. He always knows the odds of being shot down in a helicopter or blown up in a convoy.

As a fan of the Bildungsroman genre, I'm disappointed that Wolff doesn't go into more detail about his success at Oxford. It's its own battleground, even if not usually deadly. He hints that his four-month preparation for the entrance exams after Vietnam was as grueling as basic training. If the U.S. Army is a large target in his writing, Oxford could surely provide him with material too. Thomas Hardy wrote Jude the Obscure from the perspective of a character who never achieves insider status there. Wolff could update Hardy and scrutinize the scholarly-industrial-political complex that no doubt rivals its American counterparts.

In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War is Tobias Wolff's second memoir.

This particular work delves into his experiences during the Vietnam War, which is aptly reflected in the title. It was penned approximately 30 years after he voluntarily enlisted in the army, in part, with the intention of giving his writing a purpose similar to that of Hemingway.

Wolff's chapters have the remarkable quality of being able to stand alone as individual short stories. They are not filled with non-stop action but rather are deeply moving, crafted by a now highly experienced writer who has had the luxury of time to reflect on his past. The writing is truly wonderful, and the subject matter, as seen through his eyes, is utterly fascinating. It offers a unique and intimate perspective on a war that had a profound impact on countless lives.

Readers are sure to be captivated by Wolff's vivid descriptions and his ability to bring to life the emotions and experiences of that tumultuous era.

This is an account of a tour of duty in Vietnam that stands out in an unusual way. The tour itself was rather ordinary, with not much of significance happening. However, its value lies in the author's astute observations and his vivid account of his feelings about the place.

It was not the kind of tour that is frequently written about, yet it was probably one of the most common experiences. In fact, it was very similar to my own.

The more intense experience of combat came later for me when I returned to Cambodia, another Southeast Asian country. At that time, my own country no longer seemed habitable, and the people there were unbearable. So many others had the same experience. The only difference in my case was that upon returning to a war zone, the more adrenalin-fueled responses became paramount for me.

I found a great deal in this story with which I could identify, and it was all related by a wonderful writer. Added to his first book, which describes his childhood, and which, in a felt sense if not in detail, was also an experience similar to my own, we seem to have a lot in common.

In Pharaoh’s Army is the sequel to Tobias Wolff’s outstanding memoir A Boy’s Life, which chronicles his upbringing in Concrete, Washington during the 1960s. Essentially, as a teenager, he managed to deceive his way into an elite boarding school. However, he later flunked out and enlisted in the army to acquire life experiences for his aspired writing career. This skillfully written memoir mainly focuses on his experiences as an officer in Vietnam.

The book is divided into several vignettes instead of being presented in a straightforward chronological order, and this approach proves to be effective. The sections are as follows: Thanksgiving Special, Command Presence, White Man, Close Calls, Duty, A Federal Offense, The Lesson, Old China, I Right a Wrong, Souvenir, The Rough Humor of Soldiers. The details and epiphanies make it almost seem like a collection of short stories. Nevertheless, the details of his family’s life and his relationship with his estranged father salvage it and bring it back into the realm of memoir. It also showcases how he matured and disciplined himself sufficiently to gain admission to Oxford, which would ultimately lead him to his career as a writer.

Overall, In Pharaoh’s Army offers a captivating and insightful look into Wolff’s life and his journey towards becoming a writer.

Wolff's Vietnam memoir stands out as an unexpected departure from other personal accounts of America's war in Southeast Asia.

He carefully selects and arranges specific moments that tell his story in an indirect or thought-provoking way, delving into the complexities of relationships, fear, family, race, duty, and self-discovery.

What makes this memoir truly delightful is that it presents a more human perspective rather than a strictly military one. Wolff manages to strike a good balance, similar to the honest fictions of Tim O'Brien, the dark dispatches of Michael Herr, and the brave accounts of Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway.

This memoir is a fine follow-up to his previous work, This Boy's Life. It offers readers a unique and engaging look into the experiences and emotions of a soldier during the Vietnam War, from a perspective that is both personal and universal.

Overall, Wolff's Vietnam memoir is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the human side of war and the lasting impact it can have on an individual's life.

Tobias' writing is deeply humanizing.

His words have the power to touch the hearts and souls of readers, making them feel a profound connection to the characters and the stories he tells.

With his unique writing style, Tobias is able to bring to life the joys, sorrows, hopes, and dreams of ordinary people, making them seem extraordinary.

His characters are not just two-dimensional figures on a page, but real, flesh-and-blood individuals with their own flaws, virtues, and complex emotions.

Through his writing, Tobias shows us that every person has a story worth telling, and that by listening to these stories, we can gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the human experience.

Whether it is a heartwarming tale of love and friendship or a tragic story of loss and redemption, Tobias' writing always manages to leave a lasting impression on the reader, making them think, feel, and ultimately, grow as individuals.