personal narratives, american

Watercolors, sketches, and personal letters help chronicle the experiences Tracy Sugarman had while serving in World War II.

The chief diver of Pearl Harbor's salvage operations tells the story of the desperate attempts to save the ships and those trapped inside after the air raid in December, 1941.

The author, a U.S. Marine, recounts his disturbing experiences in the 1991 Gulf War and reflects upon the emotional damage he suffered and the nature of both the American military and war itself.

Korean War veterans recount their memories of America in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when young men from all over the country were being shipped off to defend South Korea against the advancing Red Army in the north. Recalls the 'un-won' war that never ended, no one even wanted to call it a war: it was 'the Korean conflict' or a 'police action.' Finally, it was called the Forgotten War.

Captain Benjamin Tupper spent a year in Afghanistan in an Embedded Training Team, tasked with training, leading in combat, and mentoring the Afghan Army to victory against the brutal Taliban. Writing and recording from a remote outpost, Tupper's dispatches were posted on the blog The Sandbox and broadcast on NPR, bringing vivid snapshots of America's longest ongoing war to a wide audience back home. Here, he takes us inside the intricacies of the war, opening up a unique and multifaceted view of both Afghan culture and the daily life of an American soldier. From the rush of gunfire to surreal, euphoric moments of cross-cultural understanding, this emotional and thought-provoking narrative is rich with humor, eloquence and contradiction. Deeply personal and darkly funny, Tupper illuminates the challenges of the war, bringing to life both the mundane and the extraordinary and seeking a way forward.--From publisher description.

In this film made over ten years, filmmaker Barbara Sonneborn took a pilgrimage to the Vietnamese countryside where her husband died. She and translator (and fellow war widow) Xuan Ngoc Nguyen explore the meaning of war and loss on a human level. The film weaves interviews with Vietnamese and American widows into a vivid testament to the legacy of war.

Michael Donnelly discusses why he thinks that he contracted Lou Gehrig's Disease because of the time he spent fighting in the Gulf War and explains what he is doing to help other Gulf War veterans prove that they were exposed to chemical agents in the war.

The story of the Battle of Ramadi, as told by a Navy SEAL who ran with the legendary military unit known as the Punishers, which included Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Mike Monsoor, Ryan Job, and Marc Lee. The deadliest platoon in Iraq, they secured key locations during 2006, a pivotal year in the Iraq War.

Describes the author's experiences after landing on the beach at Peleliu in 1944 with the Marines.