Evan Wright, the author of "Generation Kill," has died at 59. Wright's book detailed the experiences of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Baghdad. The influential work was adapted into an HBO television series. (X)
Evan Wright, the author of the iconic book “Generation Kill,” which captured the danger and wild camaraderie of young Marines in combat, has died. He was 59.
Wright’s story of the early days of the Iraq War, which was turned into a 2008 HBO television series, was arguably the most popular and influential book about the war from that period.
For a generation of Marines, the story of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion’s fight on the way to Baghdad in 2003 encapsulated much of the early experience of the Global War on Terrorism.
Wright died Friday by suicide, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.
He had forged a connection with many Marines that lasted until the end of his life.
“Your book was a significant reason why I decided to enlist,” a Marine wrote to Wright in May on X, formerly Twitter.
It was the way Wright described the motley mix of personalities from all walks who formed bonds under fire that made for “some of the best military reporting in the modern era,” the Marine told Wright.
Wright answered back: “I hope my book was accurate for you and others who tell me they enlisted because of it. ... I always hope the (book) buyer who saw my version of war, and then enlisted, didn’t feel cheated by it later on.”
Wright’s profile of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion initially ran as a series of stories in 2004 in Rolling Stone magazine, where he was a longtime contributor. The book was published the same year.
“We’re like America’s little pit bull. They beat it, starve it, mistreat it, and once in a while they let it out to attack somebody,” he wrote.
“Generation Kill” celebrated the irreverent banter and gallows humor of Marines and also took shots at the higher-ups, from an enlisted grunt’s point of view.
“The incompetent leading the unwilling to do the unnecessary,” Wright wrote.
“Generation Kill” was filled with wry observations about life in a war zone.
“Vigorous public ball scratching is common in the combat-arms side of the Marine Corps, even among high-level officers in the midst of briefings,” it said.
On military Reddit, there was an outpouring of appreciation for the author upon news of his death.
“He painted a picture different from what the recruiters and the media portrayed a Marine was: a gang of loveable losers who found a purpose in our little cult,” wrote one Marine.
Added another: “One of the few outsiders who was able to give the world an accurate depiction of our beloved Corps.”
“Generation Kill is, hands down, the most accurate depiction of what it was like to be part of the invasion,” wrote another Marine on Reddit. “The ups and downs and all the (expletive) in between.”
