This is a courageous post. I will thank you for serving with your eyes open, and for coming back and sharing your experiences. I am sorry they cost you what they did.
Have you read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins? It was a real eye-opener for me, describing the sort of global racketeering that goes on. You also might enjoy Tribe by Sebastian Junger. He describes the sort of family and support so many find in the military, and how those values are hard to replace when veterans come home.
One of the things I find fascinating about the Civil War letters I'm sharing is how thoroughly my ancestors bought the popular narrative of the war. I'm sure Abel would have been much worse off if he did not have such strong faith to support him when he came home.
We have so much more information available to us today, but the general population can't be bothered to understand what's really going on. This must also be a hard thing for returning soldiers to discover.
Thank you so much for reading my post, and for leaving such a great comment! I have definitely read Confessions as well as watched the documentary that it inspired. I have no read Tribe yet, but I have indeed heard about it before, and I'm pretty sure I meant to pick up a copy a few years ago but never got around to doing it until I eventually forgot about it. I'll have to grab one this time around! :P
It really is hard to come back with all this knowledge that should be shared far and wide, only to be met with skepticism and hostility by the majority of people who can't be bothered to understand what's really going on. I really appreciate that you understand and that you took the time to recommend those books for me! Thank you!