Introduction

The changing nature of war of society's attitude toward war can best be seen, I believe in the writings of the men (largely) and women who fought those wars.  The purpose of this blog is to open a discussion and share views on the nature of 20th and 21st century wars, and of the sensibilities of our warriors. 

I served 20+ years as an Infantryman in the United States Army in the Cold War years beginning immediately after the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam in 1973.  

Along the way I picked up a Masters degree in English literature, where I developed an understanding of the shifting sensibilities of the British war poets.   Their early works (1914-15) kept the truth from public view.  

The newspaper reporters and visiting generals were shown the "model trench," as if that were a general condition across all Flanders.

Yet the reality was quite different.