While Jewish-Americans have been in the forefront of our history since the inception of our Republic, little is known about Jews in the military. Dozens of stories of Jewish GI?

Presents case studies of defense reform initiatives in more than twenty countries Written by the top experts in the field, including government officials, think tank analysts, academics, and military officers Beginning with the landslide political changes in Europe in the early 1990s, politicians and military planners started to contemplate the possible effects on military postures. Most countries, however, did not enforce plans for post-Cold War reform because they lacked political will and money, their conservative militaries resisted, and they felt no real pressure from any clear and present threat. September 11 was seen in many cases as a loud wake-up call, but nonetheless it did not elicit a clear response. Even in the United States, where calls for defense reform were the strongest, real defense reform seems to be another casualty of the terrorist attacks. Fortunately, debates have begun about the future of military forces, the "revolution in military affairs, " and the plans for NATO and European security and defense cooperation. Whether these initial discussions will lead to real strategic thinking, to threat analysis, and finally to a meaningful strategic review is uncertain. This publication serves as a timely contribution to the debate on determining which lessons have, and have not, been learned--while suggesting possible courses for the way ahead.

For more than one hundred twenty-five years virtually every history book in print has contended that no white man survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where Custer made his famous "last stand." This book provides compelling proof that at least one member of the Seventh Cavalry, a man named William Heath, did indeed escape. In this intriguing analysis of hitherto neglected historical documents, Vincent J. Genovese provides verifiable evidence that dispels the long-held myth that none of Custer's soldiers survived the massacre that took place in Montana on June 25, 1876.
Genovese chronicles the life of this "Lazarus of the Little Bighorn," who joined the army at age 27 after fleeing from Pennsylvania under threats on his life. Documents show that Billy Heath lived in a small coal-mining town in Pennsylvania and that he enlisted in the Seventh Cavalry in 1875, not long before the fateful battle. Further, U.S. Army records verify that he was one of the soldiers at the Little Bighorn. His name also appears on a list of those killed in action and is inscribed on the official monument that stands at the battle site.
What makes Genovese's contribution to the history of this famous event so interesting are public records that he here introduces, which show indisputably that William Heath lived on for fourteen more years after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Birth records from his hometown in Schuylkill County, PA, indicate that he fathered seven children before dying in obscurity. His gravestone still exists in the local cemetery.
This is a unique and fascinating re-evaluation of a storied event in American history, which will surely provoke controversy.

Shedding light on an understudied form of opposition to the Vietnam War, Michael Foley tells the story of draft resistance, the cutting edge of the antiwar movement at the height of the war's escalation. Unlike so-called draft dodgers, who evaded the draft by leaving the country or by securing a draft deferment by fraudulent means, draft resisters openly defied draft laws by burning or turning in their draft cards. Like civil rights activists before them, draft resisters invited prosecution and imprisonment.

Focusing on Boston, one of the movement's most prominent centers, Foley reveals the crucial role of draft resisters in shifting antiwar sentiment from the margins of society to the center of American politics. Their actions inspired other draft-age men opposed to the war--especially college students--to reconsider their place of privilege in a draft system that offered them protections and sent disproportionate numbers of working-class and minority men to Vietnam. This recognition sparked the change of tactics from legal protest to mass civil disobedience, drawing the Johnson administration into a confrontation with activists who were largely suburban, liberal, young, and middle class--the core of Johnson's Democratic constituency.

Examining the day-to-day struggle of antiwar organizing carried out by ordinary Americans at the local level, Foley argues for a more complex view of citizenship and patriotism during a time of war.

The relationship between democracy and foreign policy has always been controversial. Whether good or bad, the influence of public opinion --a central factor in all democracies--on political decision making is more important than ever. This book examines what we know about nature, content, and influence of public opinion on matters of war and peace. By thorough analysis of survey data from European countries and the United States, it discusses how the end of the Cold War affected popular attitude.

What will the post-Taliban government of Afghanistan look like? How will the war in Afghanistan affect the already unstable politics of Central Asia? In "War at the Top of the World," veteran foreign correspondent Eric Margolis presents a revelatory history of the complicated and volatile conflicts that have entangled Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States, the Soviet Union, and many others.
By 1999, Pakistan had proven they have medium-range nuclear weapons, and now the threat that their government could be taken over by a radical Islamic fundamentalist faction is stronger than ever. In fact, Osama bin Laden has already claimed to have a nuclear weapon. How could this have happened? Margolis plays witness to the escalating conflicts of the past decade, tracing disputes over Afghanistan, as well as those ever neighboring Kashmir and Tibet, back to their Cold War roots, exploring clashes that continue to threaten to destabilize the region today.
Combining vivid first-hand accounts of a war correspondent with a historical and strategic overview of the region, Margolis guides the reader through the geopolitical complexities of the area and its key players. He offers a clear, concise analysis of a complicated and little-understood part of the world that is home to a quarter of the world's population. Fascinating and now more timely than ever, "War at the Top of the World" is an extraordinary read for anyone interested in the current global balance of power.

This fascinating and powerful collection of first-hand accounts--prepared with the assistance of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association--brings to vivid life one of the most fateful days in American history.
Here, in their own words, survivors of the attack--from all branches of the service--recall what it was like to witness this momentous event as it happened. Dramatic and compelling, these living memories offer a rare look inside the hearts and minds of American heroes--and an invaluable record of American history.

Women have long played important roles in war, humanitarian crises and post-war reconstruction. Not only have they been targets of conflict and assistance, but also survivors and key problem-solvers. Julie Mertus contends that attempts by humanitarian groups to provide assistance and protection will fall short unless they enlist women themselves as major actors in such efforts. Case studies from Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan describe experiences in tackling gender issues in humanitarian organizations and in situations of conflict. Mertus goes on to show how international human rights law has begun to address gender-based violence and how agencies can make use of these developments. This book will be of interest to students, academics, policy makers, humanitarian and human rights practitioners. The Humanitarianism & War Project located at the Feinstein International Famine Center at Tufts University is an independent policy research initiative underwritten by some 50 UN agencies, governments, NGOs and foundations. Since its inception in 1991, the project has conducted thousands of interviews on complex world emergencies.

This is an account of the turbulent saga of the only Arab state that has a nominal Christian majority. Packed with rival religious sects, feudal chieftains, war lords, squabbling political leaders, and in-house and foreign militias, Lebanon has suffered not only periods of civil war and internal infighting, but also invasions by Palestinians, Syrians and Israelis. It has survived as a republican entity, although shattered, exhausted and bankrupt. The 16-year long civil war in which Christian militias fought to eject Palestinian armed forces began in 1975. Western intervention was repelled by suicide-bombing attacks, and Lebanese Christians and Muslims sub-divided to fight each other. This book tells the story of a civil war was notable for massacres, treachery, atrocities, kidnapping, assassination, changing alliances of convenience, and invasions.

This work discusses the 16-year civil war in Lebanon which was caused by dissatisfaction over the distribution of political power. The system favoured Christians who fought to eject Palestinian armed forces, which sought to use the country as a spring board for attacks into adjacent Israel. Western intervention was repelled by suicide bombing attacks. Lebanese Christians and Muslims sub-divided to fight each other. Dominated by competing war lords, this civil war was notable for massacres, treachery, atrocities, kidnapping, assassination, changing alliances of convenience, and invasions.

A vivid, first-hand account of the tension and excitement of flying missions over Nazi Germany The British and American bomber crews of the Second World War often had to endure the most terrifying conditions. Not for them the glorious, all-or-nothing exhilaration of the Battle of Britain pilots - rather, the slow dwindling of courage as mission followed mission, the long, freezing, ear-shattering journey to the target, the bursting flak, the prowling night fighters. Then, if they were lucky, the long haul home, sometimes nursing a battered, barely flyable machine, often perilously short of fuel. Bruce Lewis flew in thirty-six such raids. In this book he records, in his own words and those of his fellow survivors, the events that made operational flying such a fearful experience. This is a blisteringly honest account of life for the Second World War bombers.

From the 1500s up until the dawn of World War I, horses played an imperative role in modern warfare, contributing their share to the rise and fall of nations. The enduring quote from Shakespeare's Richard III (1593), "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!" speaks to the abiding image of cavalry embedded in the cultural memory of the West. Riding to Arms: A History of Horsemanship and Mounted Warfare is Charles Caramello's thorough examination of the evolution of horsemanship and cavalry over the centuries. He follows how the debate between 'art and utility' in horsemanship caused a shift from the formal - equitation and manege dressage face=Calibri>- to the practical - namely mounted warfare. He also addresses the advent of mechanized warfare that led to the end of horse cavalry. In addition to practical history, Caramello engages with selected primary and secondary texts on horsemanship, from early works like Thomas Blundeville's The Arte of Ryding and Breakinge Greate Horses (1660) to Louis A. DiMarco's War Horse: A History of the Military Horse and Rider (2008), discussing the ways these works shaped horsemanship and calvary practices both in in their own time and throughout history. Melding together history and historiography, Riding to Arms: A History of Horsemanship and Mounted Warfare is a captivating work celebrating one of man's most constant companions in both war and peace.

The dilemmas precipitated by the unintentional killing of civilians in war, or 'collateral damage', shape many aspects of military conduct, yet noticeable by its absence has been a methodical examination of the place and role of this phenomenon in modern warfare. This book offers a fresh perspective on a distressing consequence of conflict. Rosen explains how collateral damage is linked to ideas of authority, thereby anchoring it to the existential riddles of our individual and collective lives, and that this peculiar form of death constitutes an image of what it means to be human. His investigation of collateral damage is notable too for how the death of non-combatants sheds light on some of today's critical challenges to war and global governance, such as the growing role of non-state actors, mercenary contractors and the impact of military privatisation. In the ethical realm those who successfully prove that collateral damage has occurred also enter the debate about which institutions may exert authority and thus how a truly decentralised world might be organised.This is why the in many ways underrepresented victims of collateral damage appear on closer inspection to have experienced a most significant form of death.

Current global estimates of children engaged in warfare range from 200,000 to 300,000. Children's roles in conflict range from armed and active participants to spies, cooks, messengers, and sex slaves. "Child Soldiers in the Age of Fractured States" examines the factors that contribute to the use of children in war, the effects of war upon children, and the perpetual cycle of warfare that engulfs many of the world's poorest nations.
The contributors seek to eliminate myths of historic or culture-based violence, and instead look to common traits of chronic poverty and vulnerable populations. Individual essays examine topics such as: the legal and ethical aspects of child soldiering; internal UN debates over enforcement of child protection policies; economic factors; increased access to small arms; displaced populations; resource endowments; forced government conscription; rebel-enforced quota systems; motivational techniques employed in recruiting children; and the role of girls in conflict.
The contributors also offer viable policies to reduce the recruitment of child soldiers such as the protection of refugee camps by outside forces, "naming and shaming," and criminal prosecution by international tribunals. Finally, they focus on ways to reintegrate former child soldiers into civil society in the aftermath of war.

Irishman John-Paul Jordan, still only in his thirties, has led an extraordinary life from the Foreign Legion and security in Iraq to serving his country in Afghanistan for which he was decorated for his leadership and bravery and on to herding' journalists on the front line in Libya and hunting for gold in Afghanistan However, once back in Civvy Street, the camaraderie was gone; he found himself a prisoner of war to PTSD. Dehumanised by those professionals who he had turned to for help, this Special Forces veteran and former Legionnaire was brought to his knees. His marriage was over; his home was lost. In isolation, his world unravelled, and the seeds of destruction had been well and truly sown. Knowing he would never see military action again and faced with the realisation of the war raging within him in the spiral of PTSD, John-Paul felt condemned as a man. But, on 1 April 2016, he surrendered - life, too, it would seem, has a sense of humour. He asked for help and found the answers within. In war, John-Paul was the first to batter down the door, whether he was facing bullets or bombs. His story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit: to get back up and to lead from the front. He did not go through all that' just to go through all that'. This is his story of his return to freedom and joy. Buckle up, because this veteran doesn't do anything by halves

This book will captivate readers interested in the legacy of the Civil War, the role of military veterans after they return to civilian life, and the fight against racism in America. Steven A. Goldman looks at the contentious post-Civil War era from the perspective of that special breed, Union soldiers who lived by the bayonet and survived to carry on the fight for equality in the decades to come. He explores the root causes of this historic contest, the changing attitudes of northern servicemen with respect to the Civil War’s purpose, and the psychological effect of involvement in what, from hindsight, was an unfinished work in the cause of freedom and equality for all Americans. Relying on unpublished letters and other primary sources, Goldman uses the veterans’ words and actions to depict their steadfast struggle to preserve the memory and understanding of why the war was fought, and to confront the implications of remembrance, commemoration and reconciliation for America's future.

An ALA Notable Book
A New York Times Notable Book
In Blood Rites, Barbara Ehrenreich confronts the mystery of the human attraction to violence: What draws our species to war and even makes us see it as a kind of sacred undertaking? Blood Rites takes us on an original journey from the elaborate human sacrifices of the ancient world to the carnage and holocaust of twentieth-century "total war." Sifting through the fragile records of prehistory, Ehrenreich discovers the wellspring of war in an unexpected place--not in a "killer instinct" unique to the males of our species but in the blood rites early humans performed to reenact their terrifying experience of predation by stronger carnivores. Brilliant in conception, rich in scope, Blood Rites is a monumental work that will transform our understanding of the greatest single threat to human life.

Synonymous with conflict and humanitarian aid, the mandate of the International Red Cross (ICRC) is to protect the wounded victims of war, civilians, prisoners and refugees alike. In Memoirs of a Red Cross Doctor, Frank Ryding recounts the missions he undertook with the Red Cross during a career spanning 35 years. Having worked as a doctor in many of the world s war zones and natural disasters from the 'killing field' era of Cambodia, to Afghanistan, Chechnya, Somalia, Pakistan and Sudan his is an account of observation and also personal experience, contrasting the serious, the terrifying, the heart-rending and the heart-warming. It is also the story of the victims who suffer the consequences of war and disaster. It shows both their courage and that of the aid agencies sent to help them. As Frank recalls from some Somali graffiti: "It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness'.

This book is an examination of American war and military operations casualty lists and statistics. It provides tables, compiled by sources at the Department of Defense (DOD), indicating the number of fatalities and numbers of wounded among American military personnel serving in principal wars and combat actions from the Revolutionary War to the current Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as operations in Afghanistan and related conflicts.

The Institute of Medicine carried out a study mandated by Congress and sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide an assessment of several issues related to noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus associated with service in the Armed Forces since World War II. The resulting book, Noise and Military Service: Implications for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, presents findings on the presence of hazardous noise in military settings, levels of noise exposure necessary to cause hearing loss or tinnitus, risk factors for noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus, the timing of the effects of noise exposure on hearing, and the adequacy of military hearing conservation programs and audiometric testing. The book stresses the importance of conducting hearing tests (audiograms) at the beginning and end of military service for all military personnel and recommends several steps aimed at improving the military services' prevention of and surveillance for hearing loss and tinnitus. The book also identifies research needs, emphasizing topics specifically related to military service. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1 Overview of the Problem and Introduction 2 Noise-Induced Hearing Loss 3 Noise and Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in the Military 4 Tinnitus 5 Responding to Noise Risks: Hearing Conservation Programs in the Military 6 Reports of Audiometric Testing in Service Medical Records of Military Veterans 7 Conclusions and Comments Appendix A Legislative Language from Public Law 107-330 Appendix B Agendas for Information-Gathering Meetings Appendix C Definitions Appendix D Summary Tables on Epidemiological Studies Appendix E Results from Alternative Analyses of Data on Reports of Audiometric Testing in Service Medical Records Appendix F Selected Sources of Information on Sound Pressure Levels Measured in and Around Military Systems and Equipment Appendix G Department of Defense Hearing Conservation Report Forms Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members

Since the Second World War the Australian military has undergone remarkable transformations in the way it has treated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex service members: it has shifted from persecuting, hunting and discharging LGBTI members to embracing them as valued members who enhance the Force's capabilities. LGBTI people have served in the Australian military since its very beginnings, yet Australian Defence Force histories have been very slow to recognise this. Pride in Defence confronts that silence. It charts the changing policies and practices of the ADF, illuminating the experiences of LGBTI members in what was often a hostile institution. Drawing on over 140 interviews and previously unexamined documents, Pride in Defence features accounts of secret romances, police surveillance and traumatic discharges. At its centre are the courageous LGBTI members who served their country in the face of systemic prejudice. In doing so, they showed the power of diversity and challenged the ADF to make it a far stronger institution.

In 1960, the Imperial War Museum began a momentous and important task. A team of academics, archivists and volunteers set about tracing WWI veterans and interviewing them at length in order to record the experiences of ordinary individuals in war. The IWM aural archive has become the most important archive of its kind in the world. Authors have occasionally been granted access to the vaults, but digesting the thousands of hours of footage is a monumental task. (There are over 2,500 interviews, some as long as 20 hours long). As a result, those seeking first-person quotations for their works have only used a tiny fraction of the available pre-transcribed material Now, 40 years on, the Imperial War Museum has at last given author Max Arthur and his team of researchers unlimited access to the complete WWI tapes. These are the forgotten voices of an entire generation of survivors of the Great War. Their stories have rested unheard for almost half a century, and nearly all of those interviewed have since passed away. The resulting book is an important, unique and compelling story of WWI in the words of those who experienced it.

Set against the horrifying backdrop of World War II, A Sandwich for the Journey tells the story of one of three million evacuees - a young Jewish boy from London's East End named Maurice Levitt. This moving narrative is beautifully told and centers around an oral history conducted in 2016 between Charles Minx and his father in law, none other than Maurice Levitt himself, who was 84 years old at the time. From 1939 to 1944, between the ages of seven to twelve, young Maurice was evacuated five times from his family's home and forced to live with "host" families in the English and Welsh countryside, while his father's family was facing unspeakable horrors in Nazi-occupied Poland as most fell victim to the holocaust, disappearing without a trace.

Spotlights the challenges faced by our increasing cadre of military women when their service ends and they become civilians. Combining research with narrative, this book exposes common threads of lived experience and reviews the latest data on military women and their healthy reintegration into civilian society. Female veterans share their stories of seeking to be seen in a culture where they don't quite fit and their struggles to find community and friendship. Some fought during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as the first women in combat in American history. How and where, for example, does a female combat Marine find her tribe once she leaves the service? Through the stories of these courageous yet entirely human women, readers learn about the experiences of a new and often forgotten generation of veterans; about the challenges surrounding family and career choices that millions of American women face; and ultimately, about sacrifice, resiliency, loss, and love. This book will inform readers with an interest in female veterans and women's health and mental health issues, as well as researchers, students, and professionals working in fields encompassing women's psychology, health, and social work.