Pogiebait's War: A Tennessee Marine's Experiences in the South and Central Pacific, 1942-44

Join us for Jack H. McCall, Jr.'s reflection on his new book, Pogiebait's War, which explores the World War II experiences of his father, Jack “Pogiebait" McCall of Franklin, Tennessee, and what life was like for the average World War II Marine. Extensively researched, "Pogiebait's War " provides an eye-opening account of the tedium, terror, anger, pride and humor that comprised the life of a young Marine enlisted man and his buddies in the Pacific.  From Japanese air raids and naval bombardments to "friendly-fire" casualties and the invasion of Guam, the combat record of McCall's Marine Corps unit, the 9th Defense Battalion, in the South and Central Pacific was extensive, and McCall was lucky to survive. Pogiebait's War conveys a sense of  why the surviving veterans of America's last "good war" could rightly say, like Pogiebait McCall, that they had "lived a lifetime in four years."

About the author:

Jack H. (“Nick”) McCall, Jr. is an attorney, writer and teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee. A former Regular Army officer, he retired in 2021 as a Senior Attorney and Deputy Designated Agency Ethics Official after over 14 ½ years with Tennessee Valley Authority.  He received his B.A. cum laude from Vanderbilt University and his J.D. with honors from the University of Tennessee. He is the author of various articles on legal, foreign policy and historical topics and several books, most recently co-authoring with John Romeiser, The East Tennessee Veterans Memorial (University of Tennessee Press, 2020).  McCall served on the Board of Directors, and for several years as Vice President of, of the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association. He also has served on the Boards of Governors of the Tennessee and Knoxville Bar Associations and Legal Aid of East Tennessee, among other honors, activities and community service roles. Before joining TVA in 2006, he formerly was of counsel with Hunton & Williams’ Knoxville office from 1994-2003, and he served as General Counsel and Secretary of CTI Molecular Imaging, Inc. from 2003-2005.