Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War

Tobias Wolff is the author of the memoir. He was born in 1945 and is a prolific writer and educator, most well-known for his memoirs, including this one.

By his account in this book, Wolff was something of a troublemaker in his youth, managing to get his prestigious prep-school scholarship revoked in his final year, leading to his dropping out of school. Wolff’s decision to join the military is a complex one that is portrayed as both inevitable and desirable. Wolff writes that he knew he wanted to be a writer, and that all of his idols had served in the military, so he figured he would eventually do so as well. Coupled with this was his desire for respect and honor, which he associated with the military despite his anti-authoritarian impulses. At the same time, Wolff joins because he has nowhere else to go—he had deserted his job on his ship and has no other job prospects, and thus must join the military.

Wolff portrays himself through these years as a young, strong-headed man who is equal parts insecure and arrogant. He finds quickly that military life suits him well; paradoxically, the military itself does not, as he does not have a head for the things that make soldiers truly successful.