For thousands of years, readers have turned to Homer’s The Iliad for stories of warriors, heroes and the Trojan War. For Josh Cannon, Mt. Lebanon Boulevard, the ancient epic also offered something more personal: a way to think about his own experiences in war.
Cannon is a Marine Corps veteran, linguist, archaeologist and scholar of the ancient world whose path from the battlefields of Iraq to the study of ancient civilizations inspired his 2025 book, Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad, published by Blue Ear Books.
Cannon joined the Marine Corps shortly after his high school graduation and served for five years as an Arabic cryptologic linguist. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of the invasion and returned in 2004. His work involved listening to and reporting on Arabic communications, including radio, cellphone and other conversations.
The experience introduced him to intensive language study, something he discovered he enjoyed.
“When I got out of the military in 2005, I decided I wanted to study linguistics,” Cannon said.
He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied linguistics and later began studying archaeology and anthropology. He earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, where his work focused on the archaeology of Turkey. That brought another of his longtime interests — Homer and The Iliad — into sharper focus.
“I was working on the time period where the Trojan War would have happened, if it did happen,” Cannon said.
The combination of his military service, academic studies and longstanding interest in Homer eventually gave Cannon an idea for a book.
“I’ve really enjoyed history and classics and The Iliad, and I’ve been to war and I’ve studied archaeology and I’ve studied classics and ancient languages and linguistics,” he said. “This is starting to stack up as a pretty distinctive collection of experiences that I don’t think a lot of people have had.”
Cannon began developing a proposal that would examine The Iliad from that perspective. He sent an introductory chapter and first chapter to Blue Ear Books, which agreed to work with him on editing and publishing the book. The process began in fall 2023, and Fatal Second Helen was published in fall 2025.
Writing the book required Cannon to find a structure that would make the ancient epic approachable for readers who might never have picked it up themselves. Cannon uses the story as a framework for exploring The Iliad, and its connections — and differences — with modern warfare.
“Some people have called it a retelling of The Iliad, and I don’t think that’s exactly wrong, but it wasn’t what I intended,” he said.
Instead, he wanted to make the book accessible to someone who might be curious about The Iliad but intimidated by its reputation as an ancient classic.
“The ideal person I had in mind was someone who had not read The Iliad, but was really curious about it, but maybe intimidated by it.”
Cannon also hopes the book encourages people to take another look at the classics.
“Anybody out there that’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just watched The Odyssey movie and it was awesome. I want more of this,’ I would say, ‘Well, go read The Iliad,’” he said. “And if you’re a little bit nervous about reading The Iliad, try reading my book first.”
Since the book’s publication, Cannon has begun sharing his ideas with audiences well beyond Mt. Lebanon. He has spoken at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Vermont and has given online presentations, including one for the docents at the Getty Museum. He also has participated in numerous podcasts. Closer to home, Cannon has presented his work through the Veterans Breakfast Club, a veterans organization run by Mt. Lebanon resident Todd DePastino.
He has additional speaking opportunities developing with institutions including Case Western Reserve University and the United States Naval Academy, with conversations also underway with the University of Chicago and Dartmouth.
Cannon and his family have lived in Mt. Lebanon since 2020. He and his wife, whom he met in high school, have three children. In addition to his work at University of Pittsburgh as director of research for the Frederick Honor College and co-chair of the Veterans Affinity Group, Cannon continues his research and teaching in classics and anthropology.
For Cannon, however, the journey from Marine to scholar to author has ultimately brought him back to a story he has loved for years.
The Iliad may be thousands of years old, but Cannon believes its questions about warfare remain relevant. He also sees a renewed interest in Homer, fueled by Christopher Nolan’s recently released film, The Odyssey, as an opportunity to introduce more readers to the ancient epic.
“I want to raise awareness of the book,” he said. “And also, I think now is even more appropriate than ever.”
Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad is available through Amazon and through the book’s website, veteransiliad.com [1]