Synopses & Reviews
Military service was once taken for granted as a natural part of good citizenship, and Americans of all classes served during wartime.
Not anymore.
As Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer assert in this groundbreaking work, there is a glaring disconnect between the all volunteer military and the rest of us. And as that gap between the cultural elite and military rank-and-file widens, our country faces a dangerous lack of understanding between those in power and those who defend our way of life.
In America, it is increasingly the case that the people who make, support, or protest military policy have no military experience. As a result, the privileged miss the benefits of military service -- leadership, experience helpful to their future roles in public life, and exposure to a broader cross section of citizens -- while the military feels under-supported and morally distanced from the rest of the country. And when only a handful of members of Congress have military experience or a personal link to someone in uniform, perhaps it becomes too easy (or too hard) to send the military into combat.
Based on research and including the voices of many young military members who understand firsthand the value of service, AWOL is also a very personal book. Frank Schaeffer, father of a former enlisted Marine, knows the anguish and pride that millions of American parents feel every day as their children are off fighting a war in a foreign land. Kathy Roth-Douquet, wife of a career officer, has experienced the struggle of trying to keep the family together with a husband at war as well as the often untold satisfaction of raising children in an ethic of service. To the authorsand numerous other families who are intimately acquainted with the glory and the sacrifice of military service, America needs a wake-up call before it's too late.
Review
“As America looks for balance in a dangerous and complex world, AWOL is a great place to start.” General Tommy Franks (retired)
Review
“AWOL is unique in its scope, intent and implications. [It] is clearly written and meticulously researched.” Leatherneck Magazine
Review
“AWOL drives home...the need to address the evaporating sense of duty and service to our nation.” General Les Palm (retired), President and CEO Marine Corps Association
Synopsis
In America, it is increasingly the case that the people who make, support, or protest military policy have no military experience. As Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer assert in this groundbreaking work, the gap between the "all-volunteer military" and the rest of us is widening, and our country faces a dangerous lack of understanding between those in power and those who defend our way of life.
About the Author
Kathy Roth-Douquet is a veteran of the Clinton White House and every presidential campaign of the past twenty-four years and is the author with Frank Schaeffer of
AWOL. She lives with her marine officer husband on Parris Island, South Carolina.
Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times bestselling author whose books include Keeping Faith (as seen on Oprah) and Crazy for God. He lives in Salisbury, Massachusetts.