Red, White, and True: Stories from Veterans and Families, World War II to Present

by Tracy Crow

Overview

Even as we celebrate the return of our military from wars in the Middle East, we are becoming increasingly aware of the struggles that await veterans on the home front. Red, White, and True offers readers a collection of voices that reflect the experiences of those touched by warùfrom the children of veterans who encounter them in their fathersÆ recollections of past wars to the young men and women who fought in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The diversity of perspectives collected in this volume validates the experiences of our veterans and their families, describing their shared struggles and triumphs while honoring the fact that each personÆs military experience is different.

Leila LevinsonÆs powerful essay recounts her fatherÆs experience freeing a POW camp during World War II. Pulitzer Prizeûwinning author Tracy Kidder provides a chilling account of being a new second lieutenant in Vietnam. Army combat veteran Brooke King recounts the anguish of raising her young children by day while trying to distinguish between her horrific memories of IED explosions in Baghdad and terrifying dreams by night.

These individual stories of pain and struggle, along with twenty-nine others, illustrate the inescapable damage that war rends in the fabric of society and celebrate our dauntless attempts to repair these holes with compassion and courage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612347073
Publisher:	Potomac Books Inc.
Publication date:	08/15/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

TRACY CROW is a former Marine Corps officer and an award-winning military journalist whose essays and short stories have been nominated for three Pushcart Prizes. She is the author of Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine (Nebraska, 2012). Under the pen name Carver Greene, Crow published the conspiracy thriller An Unlawful Order, the first in a new series to feature a military heroine.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Editor's Introduction xiii

1 Welcome to Afghanistan Matt Farwell 1

2 Above and Beyond Leah Hampton 8

3 Remembering Forgotten Fliers, Their Survivors Kathleen M. Rodgers 16

4 A Psychology of Rumor, a Psychology of War Caleb S. Cage 21

5 Panel 3ow, Row 15 Lorrie Lykins 31

6 Past Perfect Tense Kevin C. Jones 44

7 Tom Alan Jones 50

8 Middle Passage, Morning Watch Anne Visser Ney 56

9 The Thirty-Day Project Christal Presley 70

10 The Lack of Weight Gerardo Mena 85

11 War Happens Linda Adams 87

12 The Wing Shed Beverly A. Jackson 95

13 Triage Jon Kerstetter 103

14 Lead Weight Max "Joe" Dalton 112

15 War Games Stephen Wilson 115

16 False Positive Alejandro Mujica 123

17 Prisoners of War Leila Levinson 128

18 Memory Sky Amber Jensen 141

19 Breathe through Your Mouth Brooke King 152

20 To Kill, or Not to Kill Dario DiBattista 167

21 How the Military Turned My Father a Genius Kim Wright 174

22 War Stories Tracy Kidder 178

23 Hulls in the Water Jeffery Hess 188

24 Proud to Claim the Title Thomas Vincent Nowaczyk 200

25 Passages Carol Everett Adams 212

26 Letter to a Drowning Soldier Ronald Jackson 217

27 The Intimate Donald Morrill 222

28 Dependent Rebecca McClanahan 228

29 Pictures Don't Lie Cheryl Lapp 240

30 Tenuous Tethers David Abrams 248

31 Sea Mommy Elizabeth "Libby" Oberg 253

32 Growing a Soldier Tonia Stacey-Gütting 258

Contributors 263

Source Acknowledgments 275

Editorial Reviews

“I have not read a more awe-inspiring collection of ground truth of the human experience than the stories I found in Red, White, and True. Deeply moving, compelling, and at times emotionally wrenching to the point of tears, Red, White, and True is an unforgettable and thoroughly rewarding reading experience.”—Dwight Jon Zimmerman, New York Times best-selling coauthor of Lincoln’s Last Days and coauthor of Uncommon Valor

“If you are or have been a member of the military, read this book. If you love or have loved someone in the military, read this book. If you don’t know anyone in the military, read this book. It’s a revelation.”—Pinckney Benedict, author of Miracle Boy and Other Stories and Town Smokes


"I know of nothing else like this: thirty-two writers—veterans, military spouses, and now grown children of veterans—all sharing how their lives have been affected by military service."—David Abrams, The Quivering Pen

"With the U.S. military yet again stepping into new roles around the globe, Red, White, & True is a timely collection."—Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times

From the Publisher

“I have not read a more awe-inspiring collection of ground truth of the human experience than the stories I found in Red, White, and True. Deeply moving, compelling, and at times emotionally wrenching to the point of tears, Red, White, and True is an unforgettable and thoroughly rewarding reading experience.”—Dwight Jon Zimmerman, New York Times best-selling coauthor of Lincoln’s Last Days and coauthor of Uncommon Valor

Dwight Jon Zimmerman

“If you are or have been a member of the military, read this book. If you love or have loved someone in the military, read this book. If you don’t know anyone in the military, read this book. It’s a revelation.”—Pinckney Benedict, author of Miracle Boy and Other Stories and Town Smokes

Pinckney Benedict

"With the U.S. military yet again stepping into new roles around the globe, Red, White, & True is a timely collection."—Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times

Tampa Bay Times - Colette Bancroft

"I know of nothing else like this: thirty-two writers—veterans, military spouses, and now grown children of veterans—all sharing how their lives have been affected by military service."—David Abrams, The Quivering Pen

The Quivering Pen - David Abrams