Tent Pegs and 2nd Lieutenants: Memoirs and Stories of the Korean War

"Tent Pegs and 2nd Lieutenants" is a seamless combination of memoir and fictionalized memoir set in the eastern mountains of Korea during the summer and fall of 1951.

The book describes with sympathy and perspective the reality of death, mutilation and hardship which Marines and civilians experienced during those so-called "quiet" months of the Korean War.

Marine 1st Lieutenant John W. Harper, recalled to active duty in 1951, saw action along what ultimately became the armistice line. He was wounded but subsequently returned to the front. His memoir reflects from a front-line perspective on the experience of junior officers, enlisted men and the homeless civilian refugees of that time.