8 Things You Should Read on Civil-Military Relations

Two wars have tested our military and our country. Thousands of lives have been lost. But for the roughly 2.5 million Americans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, coming back and living in the United States has been a battle in its own right. It’s hard to imagine a time when the gap between Americans and their military has never been wider. Closing the gap isn’t just an issue of citizenship, it’s a matter of security. If more Americans knew the realities of war, would our foreign policy be different? Here are our eight favorite articles on the civil-military divide.

The Tragedy of the American Military and The Widening Gap Between Military and Society

By James Fallows, Tom Ricks in The Atlantic

Reading Ricks and Fallows’ essays side-by-side on the rupture between the military and society is like witnessing the first symptoms of the flu, then jumping ahead to a see the patient has become terminally ill. Ricks writes in 1997 that the values of the military and society are contradictory and isolated. Nearly twenty years and two wars later, Fallows chronicles the after effects of this isolation — a nation that will do anything for the troops except take it seriously.

The Return

By David Finkel in The New Yorker

For the members of the Army’s Bravo Company, fourteen months in Baghdad was a nightmare. But when they returned home, they truly crossed the threshold into hell.

Dear America: You’ve done enough to support your veterans. Thank you

By Jim Gourley in Foreign Policy

A former military intelligence officer writes of his experience on the other side of the civil-military divide — the initial disconnect from society, and eventual recognition that he was supported the whole time by the public.

Stories Can Bridge the Civil-Military Divide

By Jenny Lu Mallamo, The Weekly Wonk

A panel of journalists, military spouses, and veterans discuss how more must be done to reconnect the military to the civilians they protect.

America’s Military: A Force Adrift

By Military Times Staff, Military Times

In this five-part series, the Military Times examines how the unending ‘War on Terror’ has left soldiers drained, overworked, and concerned for the future.

Please Don’t Thank Me For My Service

By Matt Richtel, The New York Times

The rise of the thank you service phenomenon has become one of the core vet quibbles — the idea of giving thanks to veterans without participating as a box to check off.

Reminder From A Marine: Civilians And Veterans Share Ownership Of War

By Phil Klay, NPR

A former Marine argues that civilians must take ownership of their role in the wars fought on their behalf.