I’m working with a lot of the “Facebook” generation, both in-person and online. I want to be able to provide them a resource for an appreciation of our recent military history, without the spin from academia, if possible. Working with them I have found both an ignorance of the subject (not surprising), but more importantly a willingness to learn. My focus is really on the latest conflicts, from 9-11, but covering Vietnam is also wanted.
And thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.
Ah. That of course is a bit more difficult because of the timeline. A lot of the historical work in the post 9-11 world has a very distinct political ax to grind in them. Let me throw out a couple real quick and then I’ll dig through my bag of tricks for some that are better suited for what you are looking for.
Fiasco - Thomas Ricks. This book does have some relevant research tied to it, but it also has, as the title suggests, a clearly defined agenda. This book is also what I would call “too near” history. Ricks wrote this book before the surge and the history draws conclusions before the conflict is even over. This is still something you can use as a teaching tool as to what fallacies exist in “popular” histories as well as writing histories too soon.
Sandstorm - Geoffrey Wawro. The first half of this book is a pretty well done history of the American involvement in the Middle East dating back to Balfour Declaration. Unfortunately when it gets to the more recent history it falls apart. From 9/11 on it become more of a Bush bashing writing rather than a good history.
Operation Anaconda - Lester Grau and Dodge Billingsly. All in all this is not a bad book. It examines the operation in the Shar-i Kot Valley and it does examine several of the things that just went wrong during Operation ANACONDA. Still has a bit of a left slant, but not nearly as much as the last two books I listed.
Crusade - Rick Atkinson. Atkinson does a real good job and does a lot of research for his books. The Liberation Triology is a testament to that. This book looks at the Persian Gulf War and utilizes extensive interview materials in the process.
Jayhawk! - Stephan Alan Bourque. This was actually issued from the Government Printing Office, and is an official history of the VII Corp in Desert Storm.
Iron Soldiers - Tom Carhart. This one covers the First Armored Division and their eventual showdown with the Iraqi Republican Guard during Desert Storm.
Like I said. I’ll dig around some more.
Coug.
Here’s some more books that I think will fit your criteria.
Desert Storm: A Forgotten War - Alberto Bin, Richard Hill, Archer Jones
Desert Storm at Sea: What the Navy Really Did - Marvin Pokrant
Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm: The Evolution of Operational Warfare - Robert Citino
Warrior’s Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting - Douglas Macgregor
Air War in the Persian Gulf - Williamson Murray
100 Missions North - Kenneth Bell
Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons not Learned - Rufus Phillips
Vietnam, the Necessary War: A Reinterpretation of America’s Most Disastrous Military Conflict - Michael Lind
At the Heart of Terror: Islam, Jihadists, and America’s War on Terrorism - Monte Palmer and Princess Palmer
IRAQ WAR: A Military History - Williamson Murray and Robert Scales
One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer - Nathaniel Fick
Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan — and the Path to Victory - Anthony Shaffer
You should see some good contrast here. Hope this is helpful.