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Warrior Poet: the pen remains mightier
Many of the most haunting wounds incurred during war are imperceptible.
Out of the plethora of ways to identify these hidden scars, one of the most personally valuable options is to ascribe words to the pain; those terms that express the hurtful memories and feelings, and give them their most true definition.
Justin Eggen, a USMC veteran, has taken the initiative to identify and explore these harms by scouting out their meaning on paper.
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Shortly after being treated for a shoulder injury, which followed a period of military education as a combat engineer, Eggen was placed on an Osprey headed to Marjah, Afghanistan.
Eggen soon arrived as a combat replacement and was given the job of operating a .50 Cal on the lead gun truck of his platoon.
Excelling in his duties, Eggen eventually climbed to the position of Guide, Lead Gun Truck Commander, and Platoon Navigator for Route Clearance Platoon 2 (RCP2). While in this position, Eggen’s platoon found over 79 IED’s during the span of their seven month deployment.
After leaving the battlefield, certain events were irreparably etched into Eggen’s mind. Vestigial memories of the horrors of war culminated in dreams that he knew had to be put on paper.
With this realization, Eggen went on to write and produce his first book: Outside the Wire: a U.S. Marine’s Collection of Combat Poems & Short Stories Volume 1.
After publishing his first book, Eggen graduated from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Aside from his degree, Eggen also received the Robert A. Gannon award for poetry from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for his books The Art Of Warrior Poetry (2019) and The Sun Rises In Helmand (2020).
The felt-truth of his poetry and literature, especially in the eyes of his veteran peers, led Eggen to continue with his poetry and eventually expand into the realm of historical fiction.Eggen’s first historical fiction novel, ADAHY, an epic set in the year 1773, was just released and is available on his website: jtecollection.com, and also on Amazon and similar retailers.
