Crowley County Combined Library

Bacevich takes stock of the separation between Americans and their military, tracing its origins to the Vietnam era and exploring its pernicious implications: a nation with an abiding appetite for war waged at enormous expense by a standing army demonstrably unable to achieve victory. Rather than something for "other people" to do, Bacevich argues that national defense should become the business of "we the people."

"The United States, as reflected in the news media, has a long history of either requiring or requesting citizens to be participants in the military. From the Civil War, through two world wars and the Vietnam War, to the conflicts in Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism, perspectives on military service, the draft, and citizen soldiers has changed. How has military service been portrayed through the news and perceived by the public throughout the...