This collection consists of two 452-page biographies of Jack H. McCall Sr. entitled Pogiebait's War: The Life of a Tennessee Marine in World War II written by his son, Jack H. Nick McCall Jr. They are the same work, but different drafts. The second manuscript is heavily footnoted and includes a glossary and suggestions for further reading. It also includes direct quotes from Jack McCall Sr. and other men who served in his unit and transcriptions of V-mail that McCall Sr. wrote home.

The bulk of the manuscript is devoted to chronicling Jack McCall Sr.'s time with the U. S. Marine Corps during the Second World War. This portrayal begins with his time in basic training, including its associated chants, songs, slang, and hazing. The account of the unit's time in active service consists primarily of descriptions of various landscapes and battles, including kamikaze pilots, friendly fire incidents, self-inflicted wounds, and suicides. Interestingly, the manuscript also portrays Marine attitudes toward women, German POWs, enemy soldiers (both German and Japanese), and homosexuality. McCall Sr. also shares his thoughts on the atomic bomb, mentioning that he was positive that he would have been killed if the invasion of Japan had taken place.