Guys Like Me: Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace by Michael A. Messner (English)

Description: Guys Like Me by Michael A. Messner Guys Like Me introduces us to five ordinary veterans from different generations who have done extraordinary work as peace activists. Michael A. Messner reveals how the horror and trauma of the battlefront motivated onetime warriors to reconcile with former enemies, crusade for justice, and heal themselves and others. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Over the last few decades, as the United States has become embroiled in foreign war after foreign war, some of the most vocal activists for peace have been veterans. These veterans for peace come from all different races, classes, regions, and generations. What common motivations unite them and fuel their activism? Guys Like Me introduces us to five ordinary men who have done extraordinary work as peace activists: World War II veteran Ernie Sanchez, Korean War veteran Woody Powell, Vietnam veteran Gregory Ross, Gulf War veteran Daniel Craig, and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Jonathan Hutto. Acclaimed sociologist Michael Messner offers rich profiles of each man, recounting what led him to join the armed forces, what he experienced when fighting overseas, and the guilt and trauma he experienced upon returning home. He reveals how the pain and horror of the battlefront motivated these onetime warriors to reconcile with former enemies, get involved as political activists, and help younger generations of soldiers. Guys Like Me is an inspiring multigenerational saga of men who were physically or psychically wounded by war, but are committed to healing themselves and others, forging a path to justice, and replacing endless war with lasting peace Author Biography MICHAEL A. MESSNER is a professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is the author or editor of many books, including Some Men: Feminist Allies and the Movement to End Violence Against Women, King of the Wild Suburb: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons and Guns, and No Slam Dunk: Gender, Sport and the Unevenness of Social Change (Rutgers University Press). Table of Contents Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Projects of Peace Chapter 2 There Is No "Good War" Ernie "Indio" Sanchez, World War II Chapter 3 Being Honorable Wilson "Woody" Powell, Korean War Chapter 4 Paying Off My Karmic Debt Gregory Ross, The American War in Vietnam Chapter 5 You Clock In, You Go Kill People Daniel Craig, The Gulf War Chapter 6 Laying the Tracks Jonathan W. Hutto, Sr., Operation Iraqi Freedom Chapter 7 This Is Our Service References Notes Review "The greatest of all myths about wars is that they come to an end. This deeply personal, very human book shows how ten, twenty, thirty, sixty years later their hurts and scars live on in those who fought them. Michael Messner has brought on stage some eloquent survivors whom our politicians should listen to before they dare even consider sending young men and women out to fight yet again." -- Adam Hochschild * author of To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 *"There is a revelation on every page of Guys Like Me. The journey any man takes to transform his sense of his own manliness isnt direct or simple. And, as Michael Messner shows us in these five engaging life histories, each gendered journey will have added twists and turns when distorted by militarism. A truly humane book." -- Cynthia Enloe * author of The Big Push: Exposing and Challenging Persistent Patriarchy *"With Guys Like Me, Michael Messner delivers an eloquent, passionate, and moving account of how war has sometimes moved veterans towards peace. Messners interviewees give us hope that humanity might yet one day listen to the soldiers who have gone to war, the ones who tell us, again and again, that wars devastation is never worth it." -- Viet Thanh Nguyen * author of The Sympathizer *"Michael Messner is our new Studs Terkel. His five men speak with extraordinary eloquence about the psychic wounds they suffered in war, and the moral odysseys they undertook to break the silence that surrounds the human cost of war in the United States. Each man fought in a different war, but each tells a common story of exploitation by their own government and a descent into numbness, followed by redemption. These men form an intergenerational chain reflecting with honesty and courage on masculinity and war. Messner describes and analyzes their experiences with warmth and insight. Essential reading for those seeking to understand military veterans." -- Hugh Gusterson * author of Drone: Remote Control Warfare *"Messners narrative points the way for other activists seeking to build popular opposition movements." * Kirkus Reviews *"The true meaning of Armistice Day — a commitment to peace," by Susan Bell * USCDornsife *"Professor to publish book following lives of veteran" by Joelle Tenderich * Daily Trojan *"This book tells the stories of five veterans of five U.S. wars: WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq Parts I and II. We learn their stories from long before they entered the military through long after they left it. The stories are well-told, with subtlety and complexity, not museum-like propaganda. Patterns become evident without the book becoming repetitious. Each person is unique, but each confronts the same monster." * World Beyond War *"Veterans have fought in wars – and fought against them," by Michael Messner * The Conversation *"All five [veterans] are unique and engaging storytellers who pack the book with human interest....The testimonies of these varied, thoughtful, and racially diverse veterans are at stark odds with the cinematic ads we see of government-approved pro-war imagery, and its important they be heard." * Foreword Reviews *"Vermont Conversation with David Goodman" with Mike Messner and veterans Daniel Craig, Jonathan Hutto, and Ken Mayers * Vermont Conversation with David Goodman *"The Page 99 Test" with Michael Messner * The Page 99 Test *Excerpt of Guys Like Me: Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace in the Spring 2019 issue of Voice Male Magazine * Voice Mail Magazine *"Can the Military Be Reformed? Six Unusual Veterans Ponder Active Duty and Its Aftermath," by Steve Early * LA Progressive *"Guys Like Me is well written; Messner does a fine job of telling the mens stories, conveying the complexity of their struggles by sharing their words and providing vivid details about their lives. What we see are real people, confused and lost at times, trying to reclaim their humanity and repair the damage caused by participating in organized violence." * Gender and Society *Reprint of LA Progressives "Can the Military Be Reformed?: Six Unusual Veterans Ponder Active Duty and Its Aftermath," by Steve Early * CounterPunch Magazine *"From Manly Silence to Projects of Peace," by Michael A. Messner * Gender and Society Blog *"Sociologist Michael Messner uses [sociological imagination] to better understand mens experiences in war and how they come to make sense of these experiences over the course of their lives. His book, Guys Like Me: Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace, examines the life stories of veterans to understand how they have grappled with their experiences in war and how this is connected with constructions of masculinity." * Everyday Sociology *"[Messner has] a remarkable ability to elicit stunning memories and reflections from his subjects. But the work is much more than a splendid oral history, though its that for sure; his approach and interpretations make it a book like no other." -- John Ibson * author of Picturing Men: A Century of Male Relationships in Everyday American Photography *"Peace advocates have long been found among veterans who fought in Americas wars," by Michael Messner * The Conversation *"Serving Veterans" by Dave Pugl * Library Journal * Long Description Over the last few decades, as the United States has become embroiled in foreign war after foreign war, some of the most vocal activists for peace have been veterans. These veterans for peace come from all different races, classes, regions, and generations. What common motivations unite them and fuel their activism? Guys Like Me introduces us to five ordinary men who have done extraordinary work as peace activists: World War II veteran Ernie Sanchez, Korean War veteran Woody Powell, Vietnam veteran Gregory Ross, Gulf War veteran Daniel Craig, and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Jonathan Hutto. Acclaimed sociologist Michael Messner offers rich profiles of each man, recounting what led him to join the armed forces, what he experienced when fighting overseas, and the guilt and trauma he experienced upon returning home. He reveals how the pain and horror of the battlefront motivated these onetime warriors to reconcile with former enemies, get involved as political activists, and help younger generations of soldiers. Guys Like Me is an inspiring multigenerational saga of men who were physically or psychically wounded by war, but are committed to healing themselves and others, forging a path to justice, and replacing endless war with lasting peace Review Quote "With Guys Like Me , Michael Messner delivers an eloquent, passionate, and moving account of how war has sometimes moved veterans towards peace. Messners interviewees give us hope that humanity might yet one day listen to the soldiers who have gone to war, the ones who tell us, again and again, that wars devastation is never worth it." Description for Reader MICHAEL A. MESSNER is a professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is the author or editor of many books, including Some Men: Feminist Allies and the Movement to End Violence Against Women , King of the Wild Suburb: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons and Guns , and No Slam Dunk: Gender, Sport and the Unevenness of Social Change (Rutgers University Press). Excerpt from Book Chapter 1 Projects of Peace If I step outside the door of my home in South Pasadena at just the right time on New Years Day, I stand a chance of witnessing the tail end of a B-2 Stealth Bombers flyover of the nearby Rose Bowl. A neighbor who viewed this spectacle gushed to me that the low-flying bomber was "just the coolest thing ever." I agreed that seeing the bat-like stealth bomber so close up was awe-inspiring, but wondered aloud why we need to start a football game by celebrating a $2 billion machine that has dropped bombs on Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. When I suggested that the flyover, to me, was yet another troubling instance of the militarization of everyday life, my neighbor replied that, well, perhaps it was thanks to such sophisticated war machines that we are now enjoying a long period of peace. I reminded him that we are still fighting a war in Afghanistan, that we have troops still in Iraq, and that even this past fall, four US special forces soldiers died in battle in Niger. It may feel like peace to many of us at home, but for US troops, and for people on the receiving end of US bombs, drone missile strikes, and extended ground occupations, it must feel like permanent war. War Is Both Everywhere and Nowhere The fact that my neighbor and I talked past one another should come as no surprise. For most Americans today, war is both everywhere and nowhere. On the one hand, it seems omnipresent. Politicians continually raise fears among the citizenry, insisting that we pony up huge proportions of our nations financial and human capital to fight a borderless and apparently endless "Global War on Terror." Were inundated with war imagery--an unending stream of films and TV shows depicting past and current wars,[i] pageantry like the Rose Bowl flyover, and celebrations of the military in sports programming, exploiting sports to recruit the next generation of soldiers.[ii] The result, according to social scientist Adam Rugg, is "a diffused military presence" in everyday life.[iii] Following the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, US wars in the Middle East have continued to rage, spilling over national borders and introducing new and troubling questions about modern warfare. Though scaled back since the initial invasions, these wars continue. Through fiscal year 2018, the financial cost of our "Post-9/11 Wars" has surpassed $1.8 trillion, and Brown Universitys Costs of War Project puts that number at $5.6 trillion, taking into account interest on borrowed money to pay for these wars and estimates of "future obligations" in caring for medical needs of veterans.[iv] The human toll has been even costlier. By 2018, 6,860 US military personnel had been killed in the Global War on Terror, and more than 52,000 had been wounded.[v] Most of these have been young men. Through the end of 2014, 391,759 military veterans had been treated in Veterans Administration (VA) facilities for "potential or provisional Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" following their return from Afghanistan or Iraq.[vi] Its difficult to accurately measure the carnage inflicted on the populations of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, but the Costs of War Project estimates that between 2001 and 2018 more than 109,000 "opposition fighters" and over 200,000 civilians have been directly killed, and 800,000 more "have died as an indirect result of the wars."[vii] Military conscription was halted in the US in 1973, a direct legacy of the mass movement that helped to end the War in Vietnam. With no draft in place, the military shifted to an all-volunteer force that required intensifying recruitment strategies, especially in times of escalating wars. During the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, the volunteer military faced dire personnel shortages that led to multiple redeployments, placing huge burdens on military personnel and their families.[viii] Two years into the Iraq War, US military desertions were on the rise, and "...recruiters were consistently failing to meet monthly enlistment quotas, despite deep penetration into high schools, sponsorship of NASCAR and other sporting events, and a $3-billion Pentagon recruitment budget."[ix] In response, the military stepped up recruitment ads on TV and in movie theatres, and launched direct recruitment efforts in American high schools and community colleges.[x] The American high school, faced with increased recruiting efforts and opposition from parents and others, became, in education scholar William Ayers words, "a battlefield for hearts and minds."[xi] Since 9/11, the military seems omnipresent and a state of war permanent, while paradoxically, the vast majority of Americans feel untouched by it all. Disconnected from the wars, we go about our daily lives as though were living in a period of extended peace. For most of us, war is nowhere. How is this Orwellian situation tolerable, or even possible? Following Americas defeat in Vietnam, the government has engaged in a carefully controlled, public relations framing of news of all wars and invasions,[xii] containing contrary views that could emerge from critical investigative reporting. Examples include "embedding" reporters with US troops during the invasion of Iraq and prohibiting the news media from filming or photographing flag-draped coffins as theyre unloaded from military transport planes. Another reason most people experience these omnipresent wars as "nowhere" lies in the shifting nature of warfare. Today, the military can deploy new technologies to minimize the number of US casualties while maximizing the carnage of those designated as terrorists, enemies, or targets. The normalization of drone strikes--escalated by President Obama and expanded by President Trump--is the epitome of this "out of sight, out of mind" warfare. As the US deploys drone strikes, "...war becomes "unilateral...a kind of permanent, low-level military action that threatens to erase the boundary between war and peace and...makes it easier for the United States to engage in casualty-free, and therefore debate-free, intervention while further militarizing the relationship between the US and the Muslim world," according to anthropologist Hugh Gusterson.[xiii] Another reason for the electorates distance from current wars is the vast divide between civilians and the military. Only Details ISBN1978802811 Author Michael A. Messner Publisher Rutgers University Press Year 2018 ISBN-10 1978802811 ISBN-13 9781978802810 Format Hardcover Media Book Pages 292 Short Title Guys Like Me Language English Subtitle Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace Imprint Rutgers University Press Place of Publication New Brunswick NJ Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2018-12-17 NZ Release Date 2018-12-17 UK Release Date 2018-11-30 DEWEY 303.66092273 Publication Date 2018-12-17 Illustrations 29 B&W images Audience General US Release Date 2018-12-17 Audience Age 16-99 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:161876810;

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