Those Who Have Borne the Battle: A History of America's Wars and Those Who Fought Them - Tapa dura

Dr. John Nagl, Minerva Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and retired Army officer "Former Marine and Dartmouth President Jim Wright has written a concise military history of the United States with a focus on the veterans of our wars. It is empathetic, informed by his personal knowledge of the sacrifices and joys of military service, and deeply compelling. I know of no more ambitious work on how our nation cares for those who have borne the burden of her battles, nor one that achieves its goals so well. In this time of too many wars, it should be read by every American." Richard H. Kohn, Professor Emeritus of History and Peace, War, and Defense, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Chief of Air Force History for the USAF, 1981-1991 "In this unflinchingly honest portrait of the American military experience, James Wright explains how our recent wars have differed from those of earlier times. Informed by a tour in the Marines, a lifetime devoted to educating the country's youth, and more recently, repeated visits to wounded vets, this important book talks sense to the American people about our wars and their consequences. Engaging, wise, and filled with keen insights for all Americans, their military and political leaders in particular." Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America "Finally - a comprehensive book chronicling the journey of the American veteran. From the camps of Valley Forge to the beachfronts of Normandy to the sands of Iraq, James Wright weaves together a full history that is both engaging and alive. Some were citizen soldiers. Some were draftees. Some were volunteers. But they all served their country when called upon. Wright's book is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the wars and warriors of our past - and perhaps the wars and warriors of our future." "Kirkus Reviews ""A thoughtful account of how America treats its soldiers...An astute view of America's enthusiastic but often-u

This is an incisive history of America's complicated relationship with its armed forces. America has long celebrated its "citizen soldiers," true patriots who fought for their nation in Bunker Hill at Charleston, Pointe Du Hoc in Normandy, and beyond. But for all the monuments commemorating America's war dead and programmes created to support the living, the fact is that regular Americans have become increasingly alienated from the armed forces protecting them. Veterans struggle to return and fit in to a society that does not understand what they've gone through. In "Those Who Have Borne the Battle", history professor and former marine James Wright narrates the history of America's wars and warriors since the Revolution. He closely examines how Americans have mobilized and demobilized, tracking the changing definitions of heroism and sacrifice attached to those who serve. As Wright demonstrates, since World War II American military objectives have grown imprecise, poorly communicated to the civilian populace. Simultaneously the US army, once a body of volunteers, has become a band of professional warriors. Fewer citizens join in the sacrifice that war demands. Therefore, not only are martial aims opaque, but the military itself is less and less representative of American society at large. Spanning the nation's origins to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, "Those Who Have Borne the Battle" confronts the question of how Americans go to war, and what it means for those who fight. At a time when more and more veterans are returning home, it empathetically assesses the burdens carried by those fighting today's war in Iraq and Afghanistan, challenging Americans to do better for them.