An engaging collection of essays focusing on American veterans.

War and American Life is a book of essays and reflections by celebrated historian and former marine James Wright, who has been active as an advocate, teacher, and scholar. Featuring both previously published pieces and new essays, the book considers veterans in America and the ways in which our society needs better to understand who they are and what they have done on the nation’s behalf—and the responsibilities that follow this recognition.

James E. Wright is president emeritus of Dartmouth College. He is the author, most recently, of Those Who Have Borne the Battle: A History of America’s Wars and Those Who Fought Them and Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War.

Introduction: “Semper Fidelis”

Section 1: Reflections of A Veteran
“Cannons in the Park,” Excerpt from first chapter of Those Who have Borne the Battle
“The Old Corps: Boot Camp Memories”
“Visiting Vietnam,” Excerpt from Preface of Enduring Vietnam
“Remarks: Veterans Day 2009 at the Vietnam Memorial Wall”
“Walking the Hill They Died On,” Vietnam [magazine], June 2019

Section II: Advocacy
“Honoring Veterans,” The Boston Globe, October 6, 2007
“The New G I Bill: It’s a Win-Win Proposition,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 7, 2008
“The Yellow Ribbon Program and Private Colleges,” Excerpt from remarks at the annual meeting of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, February 2, 2009
“Veterans Day Is for Remembering -- And for Looking Ahead,” Huffington Post, 11/11/12
“What Does America Owe Its Veterans?” Excerpts from Lecture at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, November 14, 2012
“The Challenge of Memorializing America’s Wars,” The Atlantic, 5/29/17
“GI Bill 2017: Investing in the Future of the Republic,” Thehill.com, 7/28/17
“American Veterans and the National Obligation” Excerpt from remarks at a symposium organized by the National Institute of Corrections at the Library of Congress, May 17, 2018
“Remarks: Ivy Plus Veterans Council Meeting,” October 5, 2019

Section III: History Lessons: Reminders of the Nation’s Obligation
“We Are Always Rewriting the Past – We Must,” Valley News, 7/12/20
“War Veterans and American Democracy,” Excerpts from Jefferson Memorial Lecture, University of California, Berkeley, February 2, 2010
“Veterans Day in America: The Place of the Korean War in a National Day of Memory,” Excerpt from Shinhan Bank Lecture at Yonsei University, Underwood International College, Seoul, South Korea, November 11, 2010
“What We Learned From the Korean War,” The Atlantic, 7/23/13
“The Baby Boomer War,” New York Times, 4/11/17
“The Real Lessons of Vietnam – And Afghanistan,” DefenseOne.com, 10/13/17
“Remembering Vietnam,” Excerpt from remarks at the Wardroom Club, Boston, MA, November 15, 2017
“Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War,” Excerpts from remarks presented to the Association of the United States Army in the Lemnitzer Lecture Series, May 16, 2018
“How Modern Wars Are Changing the Definition of Heroism,” MilitaryTimes.com, 9/21/18
“As We Remember Normandy, Let’s Not Forget Hamburger Hill,” MilitaryTimes.com, 5/20/19
“The Capture of Hamburger Hill,” Vietnam [magazine], June 2019

Section IV: Responsibilities
“Bearing the Cost of War: Why the U.S. Should Raise Taxes -- Just As it Has in Previous Conflicts,” Foreign Affairs, 8/11/12
“The Forgotten 1%,” Huffington Post, 10/4/12
“War in Afghanistan: The Unseen Sacrifice,” Huffington Post, 12/13/12
“Have Americans Forgotten Afghanistan?” The Atlantic, 3/25/13
“10 Years After ‘Mission Accomplished,’ the Risks of Another Intervention,” The Atlantic, 3/25/13
“Remember: Those Who Fight Wars Die in Wars,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/3/13
“Remembering Those Who Wore the ‘Boots on the Ground,’” The Atlantic, 5/30/16
“The Human Face of War,” MilitaryTimes.com, 6/27/19
“Nixon’s Leniency After My Lai Hurt Veterans. Trump’s May, Too,” DefenseOne.com, 12/15/19
“We’ve Learned to Thank Those Who Serve, Whether It’s in War or During a Pandemic,” Los Angeles Times, 5/25/20
“The Election Without a Debate Over War,” DefenseOne.com, 11/1/20

X Epilogue: Mountains to Climb