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For Love Of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism, And Sacrifice (2014)

by Howard Schultz(Favorite Author)

4.22 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1101889136 (ISBN13: 9781101889138)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Random House Audio

review 1: This book is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the lives of several people who participated in war. The focus is on individuals who found themselves in danger, or with others in danger and acted as heroes either saving the lives of others while losing their own, or surviving and then working hard to recover from the trauma they experienced. This kind of courage and unselfish sacrifice is common in warfare, although the book unfortunately does not acknowledge that this kind of heroism is probably more common among the civilians victimized by the warfare than among the soldiers who are causing the war.The second part is about war veterans who are now working to help other veterans or providing a service in some manner in their communities, sometimes covering ... moremore than just a local region.Some good points are made. For example in Page 199 is the following worthwhile suggestion: "If you encounter a veteran, say something more than 'thank you for your service.' Ask a thoughtful question or two - and listen to his or her story." For Love of Country points out that since we have a voluntary military only a small percentage of the population actually ever participates in the military. It goes to say in the epilogue, "Our inattention to war doesn't just give short shrift to heroes. It harms everyone who served" (Page 196.) That current situation deserves more thought and attention. The authors do point out some of the serious problems with our military organizations, but I think the points made were done inadvertently rather than intentionally. For example the problem of sexual harassment is mentioned, but only as a part of one soldier's experience, and the authors almost seem to take it for granted. The reader is reminded that the military destroys marriages (Page 61). If fact I believe that the US military is likely the most powerful anti-family force in the world. On page 38 the common simple-minded mistake of trying to divide the world into "bad guys" and "good guys" occurs, when every thinking person knows that the line "separating good and evil goes through every human heart. " In one place (Page 91) the enemy is referred to as a "son-of-a-bitch." The other side of the story, of course, is that person was simply defending his country from foreign invaders and occupiers. Unfortunately the authors of For Love of Country omit much valuable and relevant information from their book. They fail to address the question regarding the reasons for the war, and whether it was necessary. They don't point out that attacking a distant smaller, weaker country to kill "bad guys" might actually be creating more enemies for the US and a increasingly unsafe world for them and their families. They don't point out the foolishness of following orders unthinkingly, without considering the impact of those orders on others, that following military orders might actually be irresponsible citizenship. They also use the word "service" only in the context of participating in military violence, not in the endless number of ways a person can serve his or her country without being a part of any military organization. One soldier on Page 82 is quoted as saying "I need to make a difference." Unfortunately trying to stop all wars by preparing to fight just one more has been tried millions of times throughout human history and has always failed. If one wants to really make a difference, he or she must reject the military recruiters promises, options, and choices. It would also be nice if this For Love of Country" contained a balanced perspective. That would require it to have as many examples of Iraqi and Afghan acts of heroism in defending their country from the US, as it has example of US soldier's acts of heroism in attacking Iraq and Afghanistan. This book is well written and the story well-told and easy to read, but it's very unbalanced and those who read it should keep that in mind. A great opportunity for telling the truth and raising important questions about war, international relations, and the way the US treats other countries was missed in this book.
review 2: This is a collection of a dozen stories about veterans doing incredible things at war and at a home. Schultz says he wants the public to have a better understanding about what military service members have done for the country since 2001. He and Rajiv Chandrasekaran of The Washington Post chose to profile Medal of Honor recipients, a triple amputee, Rangers who crawled into a minefield to retrieve a soldier's body, veterans who've become inner-city school teachers since leaving the military and military spouses who've stepped up to help families in need when the government did not. It's a quick read and well worth your time. less

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