Front toward Enemy

Reviews / Votes

How do veterans feel when they return from wars without victory parades or decisive victories? Much-awarded Green addresses our perception of the military with well-earned authority. While patriotism was strongest after September 11, 2001, when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, Green writes, the U.S. was, unfortunately, not "wise" about the culture and challenges in those countries. Green's insightful book could help us be more prepared the next time. * Booklist * Green's Front Toward Enemy is a detailed look at military and veteran-centric topics, from apocalyptic scenarios and zombies to notions of camaraderie and numerous issues in between. Green, a commander in the US Navy Reserve, provides both humor and important specifics to which most veterans can relate, covering movies, entertainment, stories, and facts about service and life post-service. The lessons are poignant as humor frames the possibility of violent death in uniform and the aftermath and adjustment on the home front. The author's extensive research churned out many exciting details.... This incredible resource should be part of any military or veteran studies program.Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. * Choice Reviews * An insightful and moving analysis that re-imagines the narrative of the returning war veteran. Written by a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Front Toward Enemy pulls the curtain back on the quiet conversations combat veterans have about their experiences and why the transition home can be so challenging. A unique and vital contribution that tells us as much about combat veterans as it does about the societies they fight to protect. -- Elliot Ackerman, Marine Infantry Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart recipient, finalist for the National Book Award, and New York Times bestselling author of "2034: A Novel of the Next World War" The field of psychology has done much to help war veterans return home but often misses vital cultural and historical contexts within which they serve which also impact how veterans adjust to civilian life. Dan Green's book Front Toward Enemy is a unique and invaluable contribution that tells the rest of the story. He explores the impact on veterans of deep exposure to radically different cultures in wars of counterinsurgency, the rise of the all-volunteer military and the decoupling of civilian responsibility to fight, and the repercussions of the development of post-industrial society on changing definitions of masculinity among many other vital subjects. Dan's work will help veterans and those they fought for understand what people who are touched by war face when they return. -- Karl Marlantes, Marine Infantry Vietnam Veteran, Navy Cross, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart recipient, and author of "What It Is Like To Go To War" and "Matterhorn" Dan Green's book Front Toward Enemy is a thoughtful, compassionate, and original look at the challenges returning war veterans face after twenty years of combat and counterinsurgency. Moving beyond traditional veteran archetypes he explores how popular culture, literature, history, and politics among other factors shape how war veterans process their journeys home. A singular work that greatly informs the impact of war on Americans it also reveals how society could do better when they return. -- Peter Bergen, journalist and author of "The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden" A thoughtful, kaleidoscopic portrayal of the trends and movements that puzzle, inform, amuse or infuriate every combat veteran. Written in a lively, insightful fashion by a veteran who fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan. -- Bing West, Marine Vietnam Veteran and bestselling military historian Front toward Enemy: War, Veterans, and the Homefront by Dr. Daniel Green, also a veteran, offers a thoughtful and historical look at veteran reintegration into civilian society from wars past and present, examining military to civilian transition through multiple societal lenses and pulling from his own familiar experiences as well. -- Janet Farley, EdM, author of "Mission Transition: Managing Your Career and Your Retirement"