From the cliffs of Gallipoli, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq, Australia's short history has been punctuated by war. We define ourselves through our relationship to the battlefield - mateship, courage under fire, larrikinism - but few of us have been firsthand witnesses to these scenes. Soldiers writing from the front and journalists on the ground have shaped the way we think about war, and thereby the way we think about ourselves. In this remarkable collection from author and journalist Mark Dapin, the crackling immediacy of this war writing will command your attention and open your eyes.