personal narratives, american

How buried WWII memories brought a boy and his grandfather together.

Recounts the experiences of American military nurses serving overseas during World War II.

Profiles the lives of five women who served in Iraq between 2003 and 2006, describing their childhoods, enlistment into the Army, training and war experiences, and how they faced the challenges of war, post-traumatic stress disorder, and gender discrimination.

On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history--From publisher description.

In What It Is Like to Go to War, Marlantes takes a deeply personal and candid look at the experience and ordeal of combat, critically examining how we might better prepare our young soldiers for war. War is as old as humankind, but in the past, warriors were prepared for battle by ritual, religion, and literature?which also helped bring them home. In a compelling narrative, Marlantes weaves riveting accounts of his combat experiences with thoughtful analysis, self-examination, and his readings?from Homer to the Mahabharata to Jung. He makes it clear just how poorly prepared our nineteen-year-old warriors?mainly men but increasingly women?are for the psychological and spiritual aspects of their journey.

A memoir of the author's time as a platoon sergeant during the Vietnam War after enlisting to avoid the draft, and covers his experiences upon returning to the U.S. and trying to acclimate to civilian life.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Lewis B. Puller, Jr.'s memoir is a moving story of a man born into a proud military legacy who struggles to rebuild his world after the Vietnam War has shattered his body and his ideals. Raised in the shadow of his father, Marine General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, a hero of five wars, young Lewis went to Southeast Asia at the height of the Vietnam War and served with distinction as an officer in his father's beloved Corps. But when he tripped a booby-trapped howitzer round, triggering an explosion that would cost him his legs, his career as a soldier ended, and the battle to reclaim his life began.

Chronicles the experiences of American prisoners of war who, in late 1944, were sent to the brutal slave-labor camp at Berga-an-der-Elster in Germany.

Relates the life of Navy SEAL Captain Robert A. Gormly, discussing his career in the Navy, his two tours of duty in Vietnam, and his missions in the Persian Gulf.