Iraq vet, author Eric Cox to debut war memoir at Asheboro library

What was it like?

That often-asked question moved Asheboro native Eric J. Cox to return to journals he kept while serving as a U.S. Marine in Iraq in 2003, and shape them into Cpl Cox, a memoir about his experiences.

Cox will talk about his book and his time in Iraq at a Friends of the Library program, 7 p.m. Thursday, February 18, at the Asheboro Public Library. The program is free and the public is invited.

The son of Jimmie and Cynthia Cox of Asheboro, Cox enlisted in the Marines after high school, and ultimately served four months in Iraq.

While Cpl Cox details Cox’s experiences in the Marine Corps and in the war, it also depicts his personal struggle to come to terms with where he was and with family and friends he left behind, especially his girlfriend, whom he met shortly before deploying. It also sheds light on the challenges faced by members of the U.S. Armed Services worldwide, and their loved ones.

Now a Realtor in Charlotte, Cox also has opened his own publishing company and has begun work on a second memoir focusing on his difficult readjustment after returning home.