Check It Out: Taking time to read about our veterans

On Nov. 11, we honor the brave men and women who have served in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans Day is a chance to reflect on our freedoms and to thank everyone who has fought to keep us free.

James Wright takes a look at all American veterans, going back to the Revolutionary War, in “Those Who Have Borne the Battle.” It wasn’t until World War II that America started welcoming home soldiers with celebrations, but those didn’t last long as the reasons for war became murkier to the general public. Support for veterans has been sporadic, and Wright examines why America has such an ambivalent relationship with its veterans.

“The Last of the Blue and Gray” by Richard Serrano takes us back to the 1950s, when the last of the Civil War veterans were dying. In the end, two men were left: one who fought for the North and one who fought for the South. Records from the Civil War were spotty at best, and one was actually living a lie — he never fought in the war at all.

“The Last of the Doughboys” by Richard Rubin looks back to World War I. Rubin traveled the country, looking for veterans and found more than he bargained for: brave, humble men and women who had largely been forgotten but had some fascinating stories to share.

Countless books have been written about World War II. In his companion to “Beyond Valor,” “Into the Rising Sun,” Patrick K. O’Donnell interviewed hundreds of veterans of the Pacific Theater and recorded the horrors of war in their own words, a project that took him more than 10 years.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author David J. Halberstam tackles the Korean War in “The Coldest Winter.” Delving deep into the politics of the Korean War, Halberstam uncovers the heroes who managed to survive against incredible odds and exposes the incompetence that led to the conflict exploding into a full-scale war.

“I Heard My Country Calling” by James Webb is a poignant memoir of a Vietnam War veteran and his father, a World War II bomber pilot. Raised an Air Force brat, Webb was determined to please his tough-as-nails dad and went to USC on a full Naval ROTC scholarship. After serving in Vietnam, Webb went on to be an author and U.S. senator.

David Finkel joined a battalion of infantry soldiers in Afghanistan and spent more than a year with them. In “The Good Soldiers,” he chronicles the difficulties of good men and women fighting an ugly and unpopular war and the effect it has on morale. Finkel digs deep to cover the tough questions about what happens after the soldiers return home.

For a wide selection of books, audiobooks, and DVDs about our veterans, visit any of the Newport Beach libraries.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.