Bill Ehrhart's experiences in the Vietnam War have defined his life--first as an enlisted member of a Marine infantry battalion, then as an author, poet and teacher who has spent fifty years explicating the war and its consequences in books, lectures and interviews.
In these essays he explores a diverse range of topics, including gun violence and the Second Amendment, American politics and the accelerating destruction of civil society, Afghanistan and other foreign policy misadventures, Israel and Palestine, the nature of patriotism, history as fact and mythology, the blessings of technology, the vast mystery of the universe, the attraction of Grand Tour bicycle racing, the much misunderstood writer Stephen Crane, poets you should know about but probably don't, and more.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Paul Fussell: A Remembrance
2. "Turning Thirty/Sixty"
3. Thank You for Your Service
4. With All My Heart, Dan
5. What We Can and Can't Afford
6. What Daddy Did in the War: "Casey" Kehs Remembers World War II
7. The Arrogance—and Emptiness—of Power
8. Remarks in Honor of the Media FBI Burglars
9. Where the Dangers Lie
10. Con Thien and Dancin' Jack
11. Me and Veterans of Foreign Wars
12. The American War in Vietnam: Lessons Learned and Not Learned, University of Tokyo, June 30, 2015
13. When the Chickens Came Home to Roost: The Vietnam War and the 60s Generation
14. Samuel Johnson Was Right
15. Remarks at the Horsham Air Guard Station
16. In Memory of Horace Coleman
17. A True Spat-Upon Soldier Story
18. God, Jesus, and the Vietnam War
19. The Tail Wagging the Dog
20. America's Modern Military: Who Serves and Who Doesn't
21. From Pennridge to Vietnam: What I Knew and Didn't Know
22. "A Band of Brothers": Senior Dinner Remarks
23. A Foolproof Solution to Gun Violence in the U.S.
24. Earth Songs II: A Review
25. Chiseled in Stone by God's Hand?
26. Veterans Day vs. Armistice Day
27. Bernie Sanders: Extreme Radical Socialist
28. Captain Crozier Deserves a Medal
29. Tom McGrath: A Political Poet
30. A Letter to My Daughter: Election 2020
31. Racism: As American as Apple Pie
32. Trump and the Military: Is Anyone Really Surprised?
33. Why I'm Not Voting for Donald Trump
34. The Democratic Party Has One Last Chance
35. Insurrection: Are We Really Surprised?
36. Is This Who We Are?
37. Will You Settle for Returning to Politics as Usual?
38. Welcome to the Shooting Gallery
39. "We Forced Them to Be Brutal to Us"
40. It's Time to Dump the Filibuster
41. Afghanistan: The Graveyard of Empires
42. Afghanistan: Vietnam Redux
43. Afghanistan: Who's Responsible?
44. Sanitizing American History
45. Re-thinking American History
46. More Fun Facts About American History
47. It's a Big Universe Out There
48. Do You Believe in Unicorns?
49. You Want to Serve Your Country?
50. A New Birth of Freedom
51. This Is Democracy?
52. Who Needs Diversity, Equity, or Inclusion?
53. Does This Mean War?
54. Propaganda 101: The Art of Creative Lying
55. What Is a Bayonet? Or, Who Wins and Who Loses?
56. Going Green, Or: Poetic Justice
57. Smedley Darlington Butler: From Consummate Imperialist to Strident Anti-Imperialist
58. In Praise of 21st Century Luddism
59. Woe Is Me!
60. A Farewell to Arms?
61. The Way Things Are
62. Let's Talk About Original Intent
63. The New Normal
64. Trumpster Nation
65. Why I Like to Watch Bike Racing
Military History of W.D. Ehrhart
About the Author
Index
Height:223
Width:147
Spine:15
Weight:340.00