AWOL

'This impassioned, convincing manifesto' from two policy experts with military family 'calls for class integration of the military' (Publishers Weekly).Military service was once a natural part of good citizenship, with Americans of all classes serving during wartime. Not anymore. As Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer assert in this groundbreaking work, there is a growing disconnect between the cultural 'elite' who guide military policy and the rank-and-file servicemembers charged with carrying it out.While the privileged lack the benefits and perspective gained through military service, those who do serve feel under-supported and morally distanced from the rest of the country. And when only a handful of congressmembers have military experience, it can become too easy-or too hard-to send soldiers into combat.Based on extensive research and firsthand accounts of service, AWOL is both informative and personal. As the father of a former Marine, Frank Schaeffer knows the anguish and pride of seeing a child deployed into combat. Kathy Roth-Douquet, wife of a career officer, knows struggle of keeping a family together with a husband at war, as well as the satisfaction of raising children in an ethic of service. Intimately acquainted with the glory and the sacrifice of military service, these co-authors offer the urgent wake-up call that America needs.