Caleb Cage, left, signs a copy of his book, ‘Desert Mementos: Stories of Iraq and Nevada (Battle Born),’ for Mayor Ken Tedford at the Churchill Arts Council presentation April 12.
Photo by Steve Ranson.
Caleb Cage is no stranger to Churchill County and especially to Northern Nevada.
The Nevada native assisted the county and city of Fallon in 2023 with flood mitigation efforts when a record snowpack in the Sierra Nevada led to another heavy runoff to the Carson River and Lahontan Reservoir.
Yet, it’s his U.S. Army record and dedication to his county that make Cage a well-known person in the military and veterans’ community, and readers will also attest to his writing that evolves from the war zones, specifically Iraq more than 20 years ago.
Cage discussed his books April 12 at the Churchill Arts Council. He provided a short biography including his service in the military and then read passages from Desert Mementos: Stories of Iraq and Nevada (Battle Born), which was published in 2017.
In 2019, the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame presented Cage with the Silver Pen Award from for his contribution to literature in Nevada. His books are available for sale in the Arts Center bookstore
Cage knows the about the preparation for military service and helping his fellow veterans. He attended Reed High School and then received an appointment as a field artillery officer after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2002.He entered civilian life five years later.
Fifteen years ago, Cage was named director Nevada Department of Veterans Services by former Gov. Jim Gibbons and then a year later by former Gov. Brian Sandoval. Two years later, Sandoval appointed Cage director of Military and Veterans Policy, a new position to work with the governor by making Nevada the friendliest state in the nation for veterans, particularly in the areas of education, employment, and health and wellness. In 2013, Sandoval appointed Cage to serve as the chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Adviser to the Governor.
During Steve Sisolak’s term as governor from 2019-23, Cage served as the COVID-19 response director.
For those soldiers who experienced life in Iraq and Nevada, they will be able to understand Cage’s description of the two desert regions and their similarities and differences.
Cage said his collection of short stories in Desert Mementos relates to his deployment to Iraq in 2004-06. His stories are fictional war narratives based on experiences.
“There are pieces of those experiences fit into those stories,” he explained. “I write about the deserts in Iraq and the deserts in Nevada.
Cage said connections between the two exist. Others who have read Desert Mementos, though, will also find deceptive comparisons between the deserts and mountains of Nevada and Afghanistan. The reality of war also resonated with Cage.
“The explosion shook the walls of my temporary office in the Baqubah government building. I felt it in my jaw, but knew the multiple brick walls our wire perimeter kept the suicide bombers at a distance. I worried about shrapnel hitting my guys pulling guard on the roof until the radio traffic reported no injuries.”
The Nevada Appeal reviewed the book in 2017.
“Desert Mementos succeeds with the development of raw characters and an unpretentious description of deployed life during the early years of the Iraq War while connecting these characters to Nevada in creative ways. This literary accomplishment provides a collection of short stories appealing to anyone drawn to literature of both war and Nevada.”