The United States is embroiled in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (and now Libya?)wars that seem as far from Americans understanding as the countries are distant from our shores. With American Veterans on War, Elise Forbes Tripp brings our current wars and their predecessors home in the words of 55 veterans aged 20 to 90. The veterans raise questions about when wars are worth fighting, what missions can and cant be won, and the costs and benefits of US intervention, both around the world and domestically. Veterans tell wrenching stories of coping with hostile forces without uniforms, of not knowing who is friend or foe, and of the lasting traces of combat once theyve returned home.