Veteran Memoirs

Memoirs written by veterans of wars
Updated September 19, 2022
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The things they carried :
O'Brien, Tim,
Paper Book
One of the first questions people ask about The Things They Carried is this: Is it a novel, or a collection of short stories? The title page refers to the book simply as "a work of fiction," defying the conscientious reader's need to categorize this masterpiece. It is both: a collection of...
Born on the Fourth of July /
Kovic, Ron
Paper Book
This New York Times bestseller (more than one million copies sold) details the author's life story (portrayed by Tom Cruise in the Oliver Stone film version)-from a patriotic soldier in Vietnam, to his severe battlefield injury, to his role as the country's most outspoken anti-Vietnam War advocate,...
Until Tuesday :
Montalvâan, Luis Carlos.
Paper Book
A heartwarming dog story like no other: Tuesday, a lovable golden retriever, changes a former soldier's life forever. A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalván never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from...
One soldier's story :
Dole, Robert J.,
Paper Book
"A poignant and inspiring memoir. . . . Dole's odyssey of courage and determination can be a guideline to us all."-- Philadelphia Inquirer In his own words, Bob Dole tells his legendary World War II story--a personal odyssey of tremendous courage, sacrifice, and faith In One...
Love my rifle more than you :
Williams, Kayla.
Paper Book
An account of the experiences of women soldiers relates the author's decision to enlist, her relationship with a Palestinian boyfriend, her witness to the events of September 11 as portrayed on Arabic television, and her deployment to Iraq.
What it's like to go to war /
Marlantes, Karl
Paper Book
From the author of the award-winning, best-selling novel Matterhorn, comes a brilliant nonfiction book about war In 1968, at the age of twenty-three, Karl Marlantes was dropped into the highland jungle of Vietnam, an inexperienced lieutenant in command of a platoon of...
I will bear witness :
Klemperer, Victor,
Paper Book
The publication of Victor Klemperer's secret diaries brings to light one of the most extraordinary documents of the Nazi period. "In its cool, lucid style and power of observation," said The New York Times, "it is the best written, most evocative, most observant record of daily life in the Third...
Lone survivor :
Luttrell, Marcus.
Paper Book
Follow along a Navy SEAL's firsthand account of American heroism during a secret military operation in Afghanistan in this true story of survival and difficult choices. On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the...
American sniper :
Kyle, Chris,
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle, and the source for Clint Eastwood's blockbuster movie which was nominated for six academy awards, including best picture. From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United...
Dispatches /
Herr, Michael,
Paper Book
"He seems to have brought to this book the ear of a musician and the eye of a painter . . . the premier war correspondence of Vietnam."--Washington Post. "The best book I have ever read on men and war in our time."--John le Carre." . . . Dispatches puts the rest of us in the shade."--Hunter S....
Shooter :
Coughlin, Jack,
Paper Book
With more than sixty confirmed kills, Jack Coughlin is the Marine Corps' top-ranked sniper. Shooter is his harrowing first-person account of a sniper's life on and off the modern battlefield. Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin is a divorced father of two who grew up in a wealthy Boston suburb. At...
Jarhead :
Swofford, Anthony.
Paper Book
Anthony Swofford'sJarheadis the first Gulf War memoir by a frontline infantry marine, and it is a searing, unforgettable narrative.When the marines -- or "jarheads," as they call themselves -- were sent in 1990 to Saudi Arabia to fight the Iraqis, Swofford was there, with a hundred-pound pack on his...
Places and names :
Ackerman, Elliot.
Paper Book
From a decorated Marine war veteran and National Book Award finalist, an astonishing reckoning with the nature of combat and the human cost of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. "War hath determined us..." - John Milton, Paradise Lost Toward the...
The operator :
O'Neill, Robert,
Paper Book
This instant New York Times bestseller--"a jaw-dropping, fast-paced account" (New York Post) recounts SEAL Team Operator Robert O'Neill's incredible four-hundred-mission career, including the attempts to rescue "Lone Survivor" Marcus Luttrell and abducted-by-Somali-pirates Captain...
The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows
Brian Castner
Paper Book
In the tradition of Michael Herr's Dispatches and works by such masters of the memoir as Mary Karr and Tobias Wolff, a powerful account of war and homecoming. Brian Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East, two of them as the commander of an Explosive Ordnance...
Code talker /
Nez, Chester.
Paper Book
The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. His name wasn't Chester Nez. That was the English name he was assigned in kindergarten. And in boarding school at Fort Defiance, he was punished for speaking his native language, as the teachers sought...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.