"Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen do not often think of themselves as authors. Tens of millions of Americans have served in the armed forces since the War of Independence, but only a very small fraction of them have gone on to write about their experiences.

This is perhaps not entirely unexpected; military training and traditions have fostered a culture and community that, for understandable reasons, promote collective stoicism over individual self-expression. There is also a sentiment among younger service members and veterans, especially with the advent of email, that the writings of American troops in the 21st Century aren’t on par with those from earlier conflicts or worth preserving. This could not be further from the truth. The quality of writing, as seen in both the letters and emails penned or typed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is equal to and, as demonstrated in many works of both fiction and nonfiction, even better than what has come before...."