The Forever Soldiers by Kyle Longley

The Forever Soldiers by Kyle Longley

A powerful and deeply human portrait of the generation that fought America’s longest wars.

They came from every corner of the country and every walk of life, answering the call for reasons as varied as patriotism, family tradition, education, economic opportunity, and promise of adventure. What united them was an experience few Americans would ever fully understand—one that tested their courage, challenged their assumptions, forged lifelong bonds, and changed the course of their lives forever.

In this compelling exploration of the experiences that shaped Americans who served in the nation’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, acclaimed military historian Kyle Longley takes readers beyond headlines to reveal what military service actually meant after 9/11. Drawing on memoirs, oral histories, and interviews, Longley follows volunteers from enlistment and training through deployment, combat, and the often-difficult transition back to civilian life. Their stories illuminate both the powerful bonds created through service and sacrifice and the extraordinary challenges of their wars: the constant threat of suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices, exposure to toxic environments, and struggles with discrimination and institutional frustrations within the ranks. Vivid, intimate, and deeply researched, The Forever Soldiers captures the realities of military service and the profound ways that war transformed those who experienced it.

Longley also reveals how the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq shaped the US military, from expanded reliance on the National Guard and Reserve and civilian contractors, and the evolving responsibilities of women in uniform. Written with empathy, authority, and insight, The Forever Soldiers is not primarily about military strategy or battlefield victories. Rather, it is a story of the people who answered the call after 9/11—their courage and frustrations paralleling their sacrifices and resilience. Longley offers an essential account of a generation shaped by more than two decades of war and a compelling examination of what America asked of those who served.

Executive Director of the Society for Military History, Kyle Longley is Henry Salvatori Professor of American Values and Traditions and the Director of the War, Diplomacy and Society Program at Chapman University. He is the author of Grunts: The American Combat Soldier in Vietnam, The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War, and co-author of In Harm’s Way: A History of the American Military Experience.