American Veterans on War: Personal Stories from WWII to Afghanistan

This collection of American war stories from the past 70 years features oral histories of veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, allowing vets the chance to share their experiences.%C2%A0While individual accounts differ, elements of their experiences surface as universals: war is dehumanizing and tragic, American military involvement since WWII has been of questionable political motivation, and civilians should not conflate a lack of support for a military action with blaming the troops who are following orders. Tripp (Surviving Iraq) has done a remarkable job curating these stories, and it is the interviews with individuals from lesser-known demographics%E2%80%94veterans of the Korean War (often known as The Forgotten War) and women involved in Vietnam%E2%80%94that make this collection unique. The candor with which veterans speak of segregation, racism, drug use, combat atrocities, politics, and their attempts to do right by local populations are compelling and resonant. (Nov.)