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Memorial & Veterans Day

Examine the history and celebration of these two often misunderstood Federal holidays

E-Books at Monroe University Libraries

Weary Warriors

As seen in military documents, medical journals, novels, films, television shows, and memoirs, soldiers' invisible wounds are not innate cracks in individual psyches that break under the stress of war. Instead, the generation of weary warriors is caught up in wider social and political networks and institutions--families, activist groups, government bureaucracies, welfare state programs--mediated through a military hierarchy, psychiatry rooted in mind-body sciences, and various cultural constructs of masculinity. This book offers a history of military psychiatry from the American Civil War to the latest Afghanistan conflict.

The Negro in the Regular Army

When the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment stormed Fort Wagner July 18, 1863, only to be driven back with the loss of its colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, and many of its rank and file, it established for all time the fact that the colored soldier would fight and fight well.

Coalition Leadership

'United States involvement in wars and humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria since 1990 have all involved coalitions. In 2010-11, U.S. Army colonel James L. Creighton commanded a multinational North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) brigade consisting of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and civilians from nine different countries integrated into tactical formations down to the platoon level.

Claiming Union Widowhood : Race, Respectability, and Poverty in the Post-Emancipation South

In Claiming Union Widowhood, Brandi Clay Brimmer analyzes the US pension system from the perspective of poor black women during and after the Civil War. Reconstructing the grassroots pension network in New Bern, North Carolina, through a broad range of historical sources, she outlines how the mothers, wives, and widows of black Union soldiers struggled to claim pensions in the face of evidentiary obstacles and personal scrutiny.

Beyond the Bonus March and GI Bill

The period between World Wars I and II was a time of turbulent political change. One group of activists that has yet to be closely examined by historians is World War I veterans. Mining the papers of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion (AL), veterans actively organized in the years following the war to claim state benefits (such as pensions and bonuses), and strove to articulate a role for themselves as a distinct political bloc during the New Deal era. Beyond the Bonus March and GI Bill is unique in its treatment of World War I veterans as significant political actors during the interwar period. Ortiz's study reinterprets the political origins of the "Second" New Deal and Roosevelt's electoral triumph of 1936, In describing veteran politics and the competitive dynamics between the AL and the VFW, Ortiz details the rise of organized veterans as a powerful interest group in modern American politics.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

In response to growing national concern about the number of veterans who might be at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their military service, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a study on the diagnosis and assessment of, and treatment and compensation for PTSD. An existing IOM committee, the Committee on Gulf War and Health: Physiologic, Psychologic and Psychosocial Effects of Deployment-Related Stress, was asked to conduct the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment aspects of the study because its expertise was well-suited to the task. The committee was specifically tasked to review the scientific and medical literature related to the diagnosis and assessment of PTSD, and to review PTSD treatments (including psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy) and their efficacy.

Impotent Warriors : Perspectives on Gulf War Syndrome, Vulnerability and Masculinity

After the end of the Gulf War  anecdotal reports of various disorders affecting troops who fought in the Gulf began to surface. This mysterious illness was given the name "Gulf War Syndrome" (GWS). This book is an investigation into this recently emergent illness, particularly relevant given ongoing UK deployments to Iraq, describing how the illness became a potent symbol for a plethora of issues, anxieties, and concerns. Using the methods and perspective of anthropology, with its focus on nuances and subtleties, the author provides a new approach to understanding GWS, one that makes sense of the cultural circumstances, specific and general, which gave rise to the illness.

Shell Shock to PTSD

The application of psychiatry to war and terrorism is highly topical and a source of intense media interest. Shell Shock to PTSD explores the central issues involved in maintaining the mental health of the armed forces and treating those who succumb to the intense stress of combat. Drawing on historical records, recent findings and interviews with veterans and psychiatrists, Jones and Wessely present a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of military psychiatry. The psychological disorders suffered by servicemen and women from 1900 to the present are discussed and related to contemporary medical priorities and health concerns. This book provides a thought-provoking evaluation of the history and practice of military psychiatry, and places its findings in the context of advancing medical knowledge and the developing technology of warfare

The Scar That Binds

At the height of the Vietnam War, American society was so severely fragmented that it seemed that Americans may never again share common concerns. The media and other commentators represented the impact of the war through a variety of rhetorical devices, most notably the emotionally charged metaphor of "the wound that will not heal."  Today, the war is portrayed as a healed wound, the once "silenced" veteran has found a voice, and the American home has accommodated the effects of Vietnam. The scar has healed, binding Americans into a union that denies the divisions, diversities, and differences exposed by the war. In this way, America is now "over" Vietnam. The Scar That Binds opens and examines an unexplored critical space through a focus on the effects of the Vietnam War on American culture. The result is a highly original and compelling interpretation of the development of an ideology of unity in our culture.

Books at Dr. Donald Simon Memorial Library (BX)

A New Birth of Freedom : Abraham Lincoln and the coming of the Civil War

This book represents the culmination of over a half a century of study and reflection by Jaffa, and continues his piercing examination of the political thought of Abraham Lincoln.

Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier

He was found dead on the battlefield at Gettysburg, an unknown soldier with nothing to identify him but an ambrotype of his three children, clutched in his fingers. With the photograph as the single, sad clue to his identity, a publicity campaign to locate his family swept the North. Within a month, the bereaved widow and children were located in Portville, New York, and the devoted father was revealed to be Sergeant Amos Humiston of the 154th New York Volunteers. Using many previously untapped sources, this book tells the tale of 19th-century war, sentiment, and popular culture in greater detail than ever before.

World War II

In the fall of 1939, the nations of the world were embroiled in the deadliest conflict in history. Each side believed it was fighting a just and necessary war, and each side was determined to fight to the finish. In this collection of great speeches from World War II, political and military leaders persuade and exhort their listeners to the great fight.

Red Tails : An oral history of the Tuskegee Airmen

The first group of African-American pilots in the history of the U.S. military, the Tuskegee Airmen had to battle discrimination at home before they could join the fight abroad. Trained at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute, they overcame racial bias during World War II as the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the Army Air Corps. The pilots of the 332nd made their reputation escorting B-17s and B-24s on long bombing runs over Central Europe. Nicknamed "Red Tails" for the crimson tips of their P-51 Mustang fighters, the airmen were also known as the "Red-Tailed Angels" by their admiring bomber crews. Based on extensive interviews with members of the Tuskegee Airmen, this inspiring book offers insights into the prejudices the Red Tails had to overcome and recaptures the drama of wartime service.

The Golden Thirteen : recollections of the first Black naval officers

In 1944, 13 men--known as the Golden Thirteen--made history when they became the U.S. Navy's first African-American officers on active duty. Now this courageous group recalls how each fought prejudice to become pioneers in military history--and role models for all African Americans. Photographs. A New York Times Notable Book of 1993.

The African-American Soldier

- During the Revolutionary War, five thousand African Americans fought for America's freedom - During the Civil War, more than 200,000 black men rallied to preserve the Union and earn their place as free men - In the Indian Wars, four regiments of "Buffalo Soldiers" made the frontier safe for settlers - When called upon in the Spanish-American War, black soldiers battled side by side with white soldiers as they took back Cuba's San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill Chronicling the role African Americans played in the military history of the United States, The African-American Soldier portrays, war by war, the struggles of the courageous men and women who secured the right of black Americans to fight in the army, navy, marines, and air force for their country -- a country that provided them with nearly two centuries of discrimination and racism, barely acknowledging their human rights as citizens.

Soldiers of Freedom : an illustrated history of African Americans in the Armed Forces

Spanning from the American Revolution to the war in Afghanistan, this long-overdue, comprehensive history covers the full scope of African Americans' involvement in the armed forces during war and peacetime. Accompanying the informative text are 300 photographs and illustrations, most of them rare, some never before published. Highlights include accounts of: - The Rhode Island 1st Regiment, the first all-black regiment in the U.S. Army. - The New Orleans Battalion of Free Men of Color. - The Battle for Richmond, which resulted in the largest loss of black life in the Civil War. - The 1863 New York City Draft Riot. - The 1919 lynchings of black war vets. - The Navy's reluctant integration during World War II. - The dramatic story of the Tuskegee Airmen. - The war against terrorism in Afghanistan, and much more.

Life after the Military : A handbook for transitioning veterans

Life After the Military discusses the many issues that transitioning veterans are faced with such as finding employment, going back to school, managing finances, special benefits available to veterans, and a host of other issues the transitioning veteran is likely to face when making the move to civilian life.

Soldier Girls : the battles of three women at home and at war

A groundbreaking account of three women deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, and how their military service affected their friendship, their personal lives, and their families. What is uncontestable is that a sizeable percentage of American soldiers sent overseas in this era have been women. The experience in the American military is, it's safe to say, quite different from that of men. Surrounded and far outnumbered by men, imbedded in a male culture, looked upon as both alien and desirable, women have experiences of special interest. In Soldier Girls, Helen Thorpe follows the lives of three women over twelve years on their paths to the military, overseas to combat, and back home...and then overseas again for two of them.

Tough As They Come

Thousands have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five have survived quadruple amputee injuries. This is one soldier's story.    Thousands of soldiers die every year to defend their country. United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills was sure that he would become another statistic when, during his third tour of duty in Afghanistan, he was caught in an IED blast four days before his twenty-fifth birthday. Against the odds, he lived, but at a severe cost--Travis became one of only five soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to survive a quadruple amputation.   Suddenly forced to reconcile with the fact that he no longer had arms or legs, Travis was faced with a future drastically different from the one he had imagined for himself. 

Books at New Rochelle Campus Library

The Untold Civil War

National Geographic presents provocative stories shedding new light on the Civil War, American history's watershed, from Union and Confederate soldiers to Abraham Lincoln and Gettysburg. Was Gettysburg a tactical success, or was the outcome determined by a far more mundane factor- access to fresh water? How did the need to spread information about the dead and wounded give rise to the U.S. Postal Service? Did President Lincoln really age so dramatically during the course of the war, or was a rare disease to blame for the shocking difference in images of him from before and during the war? Themes both large and small will be explored and contextualized, painting a fascinating portrait of our national character and showcasing the enduring impact of the Civil War.

World War 1 : a history

The First World War has shaped the history of the twentieth century. It was the first conflict in which aeroplanes, submarines, and tanks played a significant role, the first in which casualties on the battlefield outnumbered those from disease. It precipitated the collapse of the empires of Austria-Hungary and Turkey, and it promoted revolution in that of Russia. The USA's entry into the war and the part it played in the peace settlement signalled the arrival on the world stage of a new great power. The victors at Versailles took nationalism as one of their guiding principles; they also aimed at instituting their vision of liberalism and even democracy; the political consequences are still being played out.

Men of War : the American soldier in combat

A searing, unforgettable chronicle of war through the eyes of the American soldiers who fought in three of our most iconic battles: Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima. This is not a book about how great generals won their battles, nor is it a study in grand strategy. It s instead a riveting and astonishingly original look at ordinary soldiers under fire. Drawing on an immense range of firsthand sources from the battlefield, Alexander Rose begins by re-creating the lost and alien world of eighteenth-century warfare at Bunker Hill, and reveals why the American militiamen were so lethally effective against the oncoming waves of British troops. Then, focusing on Gettysburg, Rose describes a typical Civil War infantry action, vividly explaining what soldiers experienced before, during, and after combat. Finally, he shows how in 1945 the Marine Corps hurled itself with the greatest possible violence at the island of Iwo Jima, where nearly a third of all Marines killed in World War II would die. 

The First Wave : the D-Day warriors who led the way to victory in World War II

Beginning in the pre-dawn darkness of June 6, 1944, The First Wave follows ten men attempting to carry out D-Day's most critical missions. Their actions would determine the fate of the invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe. The ten make a charismatic, unforgettable cast. They include the first American paratrooper to touch down on Normandy soil; the only British soldier that day to earn a Victoria's Cross; the Canadian brothers who led their decimated troops onto Juno Beach under withering fire; the colonel who faced the powerful 150mm guns of the Merville Battery; as well as a French commando who helped destroy German strongholds on Sword Beach.

Medal of Honor : portraits of valor beyond the call of duty

On October 25, 2010, Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta became the first living person since the Vietnam War to receive the United States' highest military decoration, and both he and Sergeant Leroy Petry (the second inductee) rightly take their place in the pages of this third edition of Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty. The book includes 144 contemporary portraits of recipients by award-winning photographer Nick Del Calzo and profiles by National Book Award nominee Peter Collier.

What It Is Like to Go to War

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.

Life in the U. S. Armed Forces : (not) just another job

Anni Baker has created a fascinating exploration of life in the armed forces, as it has been experienced by millions of men, women, and children over the past six decades. Her book examines the factors that shape military service and military culture, from grueling training exercises to sexual relations with local women, from overseas duty to the peculiar life of the military brat. Through a discussion of life in the military, Baker examines how the values, traditions and norms of the armed forces are articulated and shared, how they influence the individual and the institution, and what their role is in American society as a whole.

The Journey That Brought Me to Glory

Growing up -- Becoming a Marine --Fighting in Vietnam -- Transferred to Okinawa -- Transitioning to civilian life --Relocating to Sacramento -- Moving back East -- Family values -- Home sweet home -- End of my journey -- Finding my glory.

13 Soldiers : a personal history of Americans at war

John McCain's evocative history of Americans at war, told through the personal accounts of thirteen remarkable soldiers who fought in major military conflicts, from the Revolutionary War of 1776 to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a veteran himself, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and a long-time student of history, John McCain brings a distinctive perspective to this subject. Thirteen Soldiers tells the stories of real soldiers who personify valor, obedience, enterprise, and love. 

Retire the Colors

Behind-the-scenes stories from veterans and civilians offer a more nuanced understanding of the aftereffects of war, specifically Iraq and Afghanistan.