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REPLIES: 1) Robert Kirchubel 2) Bruce Blanchard ------------- 1) Robert Kirchubel From: "Kirchubel, Robert F CA" <Robert.Kirchubel@ca.ngb.army.mil> Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 15:36:28 -0700 As a 22-year career U.S. Army officer and student of military history for over 30 years, I have no doubts about the value of studying military history. But I do have to piggyback on Nofi's microhistory comment. I'm reminded of Tolstoy's quote that "historians are like deaf people who go around answering questions that no one has asked them." (Of course, except when the subject of the microhistory is one I am interested in, then it's OK!). Robert Kirchubel ------------- 2) Bruce Blanchard Date: 3 May 00 17:28:54 PDT From: Bruce Blanchard <mebrb2@netscape.net> Howdy All, I have enjoyed reading, and have been challenged by, many of the remarks about the value of military history. I teach high school and have been covering WWII in class the last couple of weeks. While the theory of history is important as several of you have mentioned, it is not theory that conveys the value of military history to me. Bottom line for me, military history helps me to explain who I am. This is of course true not just for me, but for all of us. Without a consideration of military history, we are missing a part of what makes us what we are. Perhaps somewhere in this world there is a people which has not been formed by combat, but that is not true of us. We are a nation formed in battle. We have fought the Indians, the French, the British, the Mexicans, the Spanish, Ourselves, the Germans, and the list goes on and on and on. We cannot divorce ourselves from this fact, and we are what and who we are as a result. I have never been in the military myself, but I have ancestors who have fought in Americas wars back to at least the Revolution. This has helped to form the outlook of my family and myself. Without studying military history ,I cannot understand myself, my family, or my country. Those who refuse to study military history have an imperfect understanding of themselves and who we are as a people. Most importantly to me, I study military history to understand who and what I am. Bruce Blanchard Gainesville High School Gainesville, MO ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Still haven't registered to review books? --> http://www.ksu.edu/history/h-warbook/ Want to manage your H-War subscription? --> http://www.h-net.msu.edu/lists/help/ Have you seen H-War on the Web lately? --> http://h-net2.msu.edu/~war/ ************************************************* *************************************************
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