American Veterans on War: Personal Stories from World War II to Afghanistan
by Elise Forbes Tripp ’60
Olive Branch Press, November 2011
American Veterans on War is a timely, oral-history collection that gathers stories of war as experienced by those involved firsthand. The words of 55 veterans—ranging in age from 20 to 90 years—raise questions about when the wars are worth fighting, what missions can and can’t be won, and the costs and benefits of the United States intervention, both around the world and domestically. Recent veterans tell stories of coping with hostile forces and of the lasting traces of combat they face once they return home.
Elise Forbes Tripp’s collection spans generations, race, class, sex, and branches of the military, providing a full and varied portrait of what it means to be an American veteran. This overview, of three-quarters of a century of American wars, grounds that history in the words of the men and women whose lives were on the line.